Their achievements are built upon the legacy of those who came before them.
In a conversation with The Post, three high-ranking NYPD chiefs shared their experiences as prominent black leaders in the department, in celebration of Black History Month.
Chief Benjamin Gurley of the Bronx, Chief Christopher McIntosh overseeing Queens South, and Chief Aaron Edwards from Manhattan North, each discussed the hurdles they faced while ascending to executive positions within the nation’s largest police force.
“Growing up in the Bronx, we saw blue and white patrol cars all around, and we knew the precinct was nearby, yet entering it wasn’t on anyone’s mind,” reflected Gurley, a 52-year-old father of three.
His path took shape thanks to a mentor he met through the Police Athletic League in Hunt’s Point, inspiring him to become part of the city’s police force.
However, upon joining, Gurley, a first-generation officer, quickly noticed the scarcity of senior officers who shared his background.
“When I came on the job in 2000, the job looked very different,” Gurley said. “I had some black executives that I saw, but not as many as I see now. And I never thought in a million years I would be sitting here as a two-star chief.”
Getting promoted was difficult, he said, and it was discouraging to put in the work without getting the reward.
“If you were to put in hard work and see people pass you …you would kind of get discouraged and may not want to work as hard,” he said. “That has leveled off a lot over the past couple of years.”
Chief Christopher McIntosh grew up on the island of Jamaica and immigrated to the US with his family when he was 9. Today, he runs all the patrols in Queens South that includes the Jamaica neighborhood.
When he joined in 1998, he knew all the black executive officers, he said.
“It wasn’t that many,” McIntosh said. “From where we started to where we’re at, it’s a huge difference.”
One challenge was learning how to navigate the system, he said.
He did that by going to different leaders and asking them what they would do and following their advice when he thought it made sense.
“I’m standing on the shoulders of giants,” he said.
Chief Aaron Edwards started on the job in 2003, when the ranks of black police executives and begun to grow, he said.
“I was very blessed to come on when I did,” he said. “I had a lot of mentors so I always felt like the hard work was done before I started.”
Seven of the NYPD’s 25 chiefs are black — nearly a third — under Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, which is more than ever before, an NYPD spokesman said.
He remembers a Black History Month event about 20 years ago at One Police Plaza where all the black executives photos were flashed on a giant movie screen .
“I can still picture that today, and I thought it was, so cool to see,” Edwards recalled. “You know, it was maybe 15 or 16 black executives, either at their desks or commanding a roll call. And I just thought, ‘I’ll be on that screen one day.’ ”
