Kerik, Doh!

Finn d'Abuzz wrote:



My point there was that had bush not been so enthusiastic he would have know what apparently was not a big dark secret in the first place and would not have to announce Kerik then have the whole thing come apart so quicky after announcing it. More than likely the reason he was enthusiastic was because of what Kerik said about Kerry during the campaign. I agree that no harm has come about, it is just that it shows how deeply Bush will go "to search for yes men."

City starts probe of Kerik
The NY City Police Department of Internal Affairs should also do an investigation (if not already done in the past) about how highschool dropout Kerik rose from a lowly beat cop in 1986 to Police Commissioner appointed by Mayor Giuliani and became a millionaire on a cop's salary. It must be his 3 years of military service that got him around that requirement. ---BBB

City starts probe of Kerik
Dept. of Investigation takes its cue from News revelations
BY MAKI BECKER
and RUSS BUETTNER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
12/17/04

Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. Dept. of Investigation is probing Kerik's tenure.

The city Department of Investigation has launched a probe into ethical breaches committed by Bernard Kerik, the city's former top cop.
The inquiry - one of two confronting Kerik - will explore numerous ethical lapses revealed in the Daily News this week after Kerik's nomination to become the nation's homeland security czar collapsed.

In a series of investigative stories, The News disclosed that Kerik broke rules on accepting gifts, developed close ties with an allegedly mob-linked city contractor and maintained a secret downtown apartment for simultaneous extramarital liaisons with two women.

The Department of Investigation released a statement last night saying it would make no further comments until it could digest "a matter that began four years ago that involves many people who are no longer in city government."

DOI is empowered to investigate corrupt city employees and contractors. It regularly teams with state or federal prosecutors when its investigators uncover potential criminal activity.

The DOI statement noted that Kerik failed to file a background form when he was appointed police commissioner in 2000, though he had filed one when named correction commissioner two years before that.

DOI added that under current rules, all commissioners and other high-ranking officials must undergo background checks.

Many have wondered whether the White House asked DOI about Kerik before President Bush's nomination. DOI officials clarified last night that the agency had not been contacted before or after Bush's pick bombed.

The News reported Wednesday that in 1999, when Kerik was having trouble meeting some of his financial obligations, he bought two apartments that were combined into one during an extensive renovation.

A spokesman for Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said the office had begun looking at Kerik's purchase and remodeling of the apartments, in the Riverdale section of the borough.

"We're gathering information," said the spokesman, Stephen Reed, who said the matter is not yet a full-blown criminal investigation.

Meanwhile, Kerik's attorney released a few new details about the nanny Kerik has insisted was at the center of his withdrawn nomination.

The lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said the nanny worked for Kerik for about 18 months before leaving in early November.

Kerik only obtained the required New Jersey forms to register as the nanny's employer on Nov. 17, Tacopina said.

But Tacopina refused to disclose the nanny's name or nationality. He dismissed suggestions that the nanny was just a cover for more embarrassing problems that Kerik feared would come up during the confirmation process.

"There's a nanny," said Tacopina. "I swear there's a nanny."

Bernard Kerik's history
Bernard Kerik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bernard Bailey Kerik (born September 4, 1955) is an American law-enforcement officer. Kerik was Police Commissioner of the City of New York (2000-2001). In December 2004, George W. Bush's nominated Kerik as Secretary of Homeland Security. A week later, Kerik withdrew his acceptance after claiming he'd employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny; subsequently, numerous allegations of extramarital affairs, Mafia ties and corruption surfaced, which would have led to a difficult confirmation battle at any rate.

Personal

An Army veteran, former undercover narcotics cop and black belt in tae kwon do, Kerik published in 2001 a memoir, The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice, in which he described how he came from a broken home in Newark, New Jersey. In the book, he said his parents divorced when he was 3 and his mother, an alcoholic and prostitute, was murdered when he was 4. Today, he is a multimillionaire, the result of a lucrative partnership with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and an even more profitable relationship with a stun-gun manufacturer.

His relationship since 2002 with Taser International, a Scottsdale, Ariz., manufacturer of stun guns, has by far been the biggest source of his newfound wealth, earning him more than $6.2 million in pre-tax profits through stock options he was granted and then sold, mostly in November 2004.

Military and police experience

Kerik spent three years in the U.S. Army as a military policeman (MP), assigned to Korea and to the 18th Airborne Corps, where he trained Special Forces personnel at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Kerik worked from 1982 to 1984 as chief of investigations for the security office at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, one of the kingdom's premier hospitals, where members of the royal family are treated. Six members of the hospital security staff, including Kerik, were fired and deported after an investigation in 1984 by the Saudi secret police. (reported by the Washington Post)

Kerik served with the New York Police Department (NYPD) from July 1986 to May 1994, in both uniformed and plain clothes duty. He was later assigned to the most substantial narcotic investigations in the history of the department, resulting in the conviction of more than 60 members of the Cali Cartel. His rise to fame followed his assignment as personal bodyguard to NY Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Before joining the NYPD, Kerik served as Warden of the Passaic County jail, the largest county adult correctional facility in New Jersey, in 1986. There, he also served as the Department's Training Officer and Commander of the Special Weapons and Operations Units. In December 1997, Mr. Kerik was appointed by the Mayor to the New York City Gambling Control Commission. Mr. Kerik also chairs the Michael Buczek Foundation's annual fund-raiser that honors law enforcement across the nation.

Commissioner of NYC Department of Correction

Kerik served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction, a position to which he was appointed on January 1, 1998. He previously served for three years as the Department of Correction's First Deputy Commissioner and, prior to that, as the agency's Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and Director of the Investigations Division. He is credited with dramatically improving the safety of the city's jail system, reducing inmate-on-inmate violence by 93% over a 5 year period, and staff use of force by 76%. His tenure was also marked by greatly improved agency efficiency, including a 44% reduction in agency overtime expenditures and a 31% reduction in staff sick leave. In 2000, his Total Efficiency Accountability Management System (T.E.A.M.S.) was a finalist for the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award sponsored by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

New York City Police Commissioner

Kerik was appointed the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on August 21, 2000. He left office at the end of Giuliani's term in December 2001. As the leader of the largest municipal police department in the United States, Commissioner Kerik oversaw a uniformed force of more than 41,000 officers, a civilian force of more than 14,500 which included the 3,500 member School Safety Division and 2,000-member Traffic Control Division, and an annual budget of more than $3.2 billion. Kerik was serving as Police Commissioner during the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, and oversaw the law-enforcement response.

Consulting work

Following his departure from the New York City Police Department, he was employed by Giuliani Partners, a consulting firm formed by the former Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani. He is currently a Senior Vice President at Giuliani Partners and is Chief Executive Officer of Giuliani-Kerik LLC, an affiliate of Giuliani Partners. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kerik served from May 2003 to September 2003 as Iraq's interim Minister of Interior and as the Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Presidential Envoy to Iraq's Coalition Provisional Authority.

Nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security

On December 2, 2004, Kerik was nominated by President Bush to succeed Tom Ridge as United States Secretary of Homeland Security. But on December 10, after a week of press scrutiny, Kerik withdrew acceptance of the nomination. Kerik stated that he had illegally hired a foreign worker as nanny and housekeeper and that he had failed to pay taxes required for her employement. Similar violations of immigration law had previously caused the withdrawal of the nominations of Linda Chavez as Secretary of Labor by G.W. Bush and of Zoe Baird as Attorney General by Bill Clinton.

Shortly after withdrawal of the nomination, the press reported on several other scandals which might also have posed difficulties in gaining confirmation by the Senate. These include outstanding arrest warrant from 1998 stemming from unpaid bills on the maintenance of a condominium (documents regarding this warrant were faxed to the White House less than three hours before Kerik submitted his withdrawal of acceptance to the President), questions regarding Kerik's sale of stock in Taser International shortly before the release of an Amnesty International report critical of the company's stun-gun product, two simultaneous extra-marital affairs, a sexual harassment lawsuit, allegations of misuse of police personnel and property for personal benefit, connections with a construction company suspected of having ties to organized crime, and failure to comply with ethics rules on gifts.

NY City police officer hiring requirements
How did high school drop-out Bernard Kerik get hired by the New York City Police department in the first place. At least 60 units of college education are required.

Police Officers at New York City Police Department
Back

Position Type Full-Time Employee
Company Name New York City Police Department
Location New York, NY; Queensbury, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Bronx, NY; Long Island City, NY; Jersey City, NJ
Salary Unspecified
Date Posted November 29, 2004
Experience Entry Level

Police Officers

The world's greatest city needs more of the world's greatest police officers.

NYPD IS HIRING in NYC (all positions are in NYC)
Filing period for this exam is December 17,2004.

Apply online at www.nyc.gov/nypd

A JOB WITH A FUTURE

The police profession offers benefits, varied work assignments, and unlimited opportunities. It doesn't tie you to a desk. It takes you out in the community to meet people and resolve real world problems. You see tangible results and build a set of problem solving skills you can take anywhere. Uniform patrol is the backbone of the NYPD. A NYC Police Officer is a multifaceted individual with extensive training in community affairs, crime prevention, investigations, narcotics enforcement, forensic science, law, and youth relations. The New York City Police Department is the largest Police Department in the United States and looked upon as the nation's leader in law enforcement technology. Many of our officers become specialists in Aviation, Highway Patrol, Emergency Services, Crime Scene Analysis, Criminal Investigations, Drug Enforcement, and much more.

A GREAT PLACE TO SERVE

There has never been a better time to join the NYPD. The Department is modernizing management, improving technology, and updating training. The NYPD leads the nation with the most dramatic crime reductions in our time. The NYPD is making history by making New York the safest city in America and you can be a part of it.

A CHANCE TO ADVANCE

Every police executive started as a police officer. Many acquired law and other advanced degrees along the way. Police officers develop expertise in everything from computers to community organization. There are no glass ceilings or dead ends. You can go as far as your energy and determination will take you.

BENEFITS

$44,000 growing to $70,000 on average after 5 years of years of service.
Excellent promotional opportunities
A choice of paid medical and dental programs
20 Paid vacation days your first year
27 Paid vacation days after 5 years of service
Unlimited sick leave with full pay
Optional retirement at one half salary after 20 years of service
Annuity fund
AFTER THE WRITTEN TEST... you must pass:

Medical examination (including a drug screening test)
Psychological examination
Physical agility examination
Background & character investigation *
Any questions concerning the medical, psychological, physical or background visit the APPLICANT PROCESSING DIVISION (under Bureaus on main NYPD site).

The day you are hired you must...

Be a United States Citizen
Be at least 21 years old
Have 60 college credits with at least a 2.0 GPA or 2 years active military experience.
Have a valid NYS drivers license without restrictions
Not have been convicted of a felony
Be a resident of New York City or the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange or Putnam Counties
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL 212-R-E-C-R-U-I-T

You can Apply Online or Download and Application at www.nyc.gov/nypd

Filing period ends December 17, 2004

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE THROUGH THIS LINK. NO RESUMES WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS POSITION!

Re: NY City police officer hiring requirements


My guess is he did not apply in 2004. I suspect the requirements were different when he did.

Ticomaya
Ticomaya, as a matter of fact, the education requirements were the same in 1986 when Kerik was hired as a beat cop. The salary was not as high.

BBB

Kerik has been revealed to be an ambitious and amoral thug who aligns himself handily with like-minded individuals.
Concurrently keeping a wife and TWO mistresses... sounds like GREED personified.

Kerik obviously has no qualms about bellying up to any trough... no wonder he earns the admiration of his ilk. Anyone who rushes to his defense taints themselves in the process (yes, Tickie, TAINT).

Kerik lies, cheats, filches and womanizes... yet somehow managed to rise in the ranks displaying such qualities...
if THAT isn't an indictment of American culture...

Well revel, I'm sure there are a fair number of people who will view every decision or action taken by W as a sign of some deep seated flaw in his character.

It's amusing that Liberals, who so often chant the post modernist mantra of shades of grey, have such an absolutist view of George W Bush.

So here we are, some weeks after the Great Bernard Kerik Massacree, and the Union stands, no one has called for the president's impeachment (at least not for this misstep) and we are no less safe from terrorist attack than we were before the resignation of Ridge. It didn't even last beyond a single round of the Sunday politics shows.

Clearly the Left's animus for W is virtually inexhaustible, since it is expended in such copious draughts on each and every possible transgression.

Apparently, the left wing rags like the NY Times and NY Daily News have been successful in their disgraceful attempt to destroy one of the real heros of this nation.

In their attempt to "get Rudy" they ruthlessly "dug up" any trash and destroyed the career of Bernard Kerik for no reason.

Kerik admitted his error in judgement publiclly and withdrew his nomination.

But that was not enough for the scum-running liberal rags in the media.

Are you happy now?
http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37060.htm

I am admittedly late to this topic but this is the second time I've heard Kerik called a hero. I apologize if this has already been covered, but what makes him a hero?

The NY Times is a left-wing rag? That's rich. Kerik had so many red flags in his background that he could've marched on May Day. Doesn't take a left-wing rag to figure that out...

The only way to make a Kerik a Hero is with a loaf of italian bread, sliced legthwise, drizzled with olive oil and layered with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and sliced cheese (hot pepper optional). Place Kerik on top, and ask to have your Hero toasted... in our brick oven!

Probe charges of credit cards in Kerik mess
Credit cards in Kerik mess
Probe charges while he was the commish
BY PATRICE O'SHAUGHNESSY
New York DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Bernard Kerik was sworn in as police commissioner by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1998. An internal NYPD investigation has been launched into possible abuse of department-issued credit cards while Bernard Kerik was police commissioner, the Daily News has learned.

Investigators are poring through Police Headquarters computer data for evidence. Over the Christmas holiday weekend, detectives from the Internal Affairs Bureau seized all the computers from the NYPD office that issues credit cards, Social Security cards, driver's licenses and employment IDs under aliases to undercover cops, law enforcement sources said.

The sources say the investigators are studying how the credit cards were used and what they bought from August 2000 to Dec. 31, 2001, while Kerik was police commissioner.

The inquiry marks the third by a city agency involving Kerik's tenure as a city commissioner.

Since Dec. 10, when Kerik withdrew his nomination for U.S. secretary of homeland security citing concerns over an illegal nanny, The News has disclosed ethical lapses involving two simultaneous extramarital affairs, his ties to a mob-linked contracting firm, gifts he failed to disclose while working for the city and questions on renovations to his Riverdale, Bronx, apartment.

As the scandal widened, Kerik quit his lucrative partnership with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's consulting firm.

The IAB investigators took the equipment from the Confidential Identification section, a small, out-of-the-way office in the Organized Crime Control Bureau on the 12th floor of 1 Police Plaza.

The veteran sergeant who runs the office, Ralph Chartier, was Kerik's supervisor in the Midtown South Precinct when the former police commissioner was a young cop there in the late 1980s.

Chartier has run the office since at least 1997.

Sources said that shortly after Kerik left office, allegations surfaced regarding misuse of the secret credit cards by several detectives who were close to the commissioner.

"If there were allegations back then, I assume they were investigated back then. I can only speculate on the timing of this," said Kerik's attorney, Joseph Tacopina. "We welcome any investigation, because it will separate the smoke and inaccuracies from the facts."

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne declined comment on the matter.

The bills incurred by the various undercover investigators are paid by their divisions - narcotics, for example - and the confidential ID office handles the paperwork.

The limit for most of the cards is between $2,000 and $4,000.

While not directly implicated in the credit-card probe, Kerik is the focus of probes by the city Department of Investigation and the Bronx district attorney's office.

The News disclosed that while he was city correction commissioner, Kerik broke rules on accepting gifts and offered favors to a mob-linked contractor that had hired his brother, Don.

DOI noted that Kerik failed to file a background form when he was appointed police commissioner in 2000, though he had filed one when named correction commissioner two years before that. Under current rules, all commissioners and other high-ranking officials must undergo background checks.

The Bronx district attorney is gathering information about Kerik's purchase and remodeling of two Riverdale apartments in 1999, while he was jails chief. The News reported that the apartments were combined and extensively renovated under building permits filed by a recently indicted contractor and a soon-to-be-indicted engineer. Tacopina has said the building hired the contractor and engineer.

The News disclosed yesterday that book publisher Judith Regan might be forced to testify about an affair she had with the married Kerik in the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Kerik was also involved with correction officer Jeannette Pinero, The News has reported.

Regan's testimony is being sought in a suit filed by a former Correction Department official who claims he was denied a promotion because he disciplined Pinero.