NYPD names Rebecca Weiner as first woman to head intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus By Craig McCarthy and Sophie Gardiner
https://nypost.com/2023/07/18/nypd-names-new-counter-intel-boss/
The NYPD has named a new counterterrorism chief after the top post sat vacant for the better part of a year.
Rebecca Weiner, a 17-year NYPD veteran, was sworn in Tuesday as deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism — becoming the first woman to serve in the role on the department’s executive team.
“This pick is again a history-making pick at the NYC police department,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a ceremony announcing the appointment at One Police Plaza.
“The incoming deputy commissioner is an impressive and experienced intelligence analyst who has spent 17 years with the NYC police department, during which she has held nearly every civilian title in her field,” he added.
Weiner fills the role left empty by John Miller, who retired in June 2022 after nearly a decade in the civilian position.
The Harvard-educated attorney, joined in the NYPD in 2006 as a civilian employee and rose to assistant commissioner in the department’s Counterterrorism Operations and Analysis sections. She was joined by her husband and their two young boys as she took her oath of office Tuesday.
Noting the position is one of the city’s “most important aspects” in combatting terror attacks, Adams told reporters it took more than a year to fill the spot because his administration had to “get it right.”
“Even without a deputy commissioner in that position… you still have professionals that are still in place,” Adams said of the unfilled role, touting the NYPD’s “deep bench,” including Weiner, who continued to run the day-to-day operations.
Chief Thomas Galati stepped in to run the division in December as a three-star chief, the uniformed equivalent of the civilian role. He announced his retirement in March.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban — who was sworn in as the city’s top cop Monday — praised the newest member of his executive team as a “standout” who helped build “the single best intelligence analyst program” in the world.
“Protecting the homeland is part of her DNA,” Caban said, referring the Weiner’s grandfather, who worked on the Manhattan Project and the team that created the Hydrogen Bomb.
Weiner said she was “proud’ of her grandfather’s legacy that helped bring World War II to a close.
“I’m a firm believer in the power of intelligence, leveraging technology, harnessing knowledge to ensure safety and to save lives, to solve crimes and also to prevent them,” she said.
“I want to thank my predecessors – John Miller and Tom Galati and outgoing commissioner Keechant Sewell for their support,” Weiner said, adding, “Their legacies loom large and I’m ready to meet the challenges of continuing them head-on.”
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