Brooklyn, NY – Community leaders gathered with city officials and dignitaries to express their gratitude to the NYPD’s Douglas Zeigler, a three-star chief tapped by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to take over the Community Affairs Bureau in 2006. Chief Ziegler retired after nearly four decades of work and exemplary service.
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Throughout his tenure, Chief Ziegler dealt with sensitive and diverse communities and issues. He had reached the NYPD’s mandatory retirement
age in June 2010 and announced his retirement early that month.
Chief Zeigler, 63, was recently appointed as Security Director for the MTA. He will oversee the MTA’s police force of thousands.
The attendees all praised Zeigler as a “cop’s cop” with an honorable reputation. Many heads of organizations and community and religious leaders praised Chief Zeigler as always fair and exquisitely calm in sensitive situations. He has a history of building bridges between communities and the
NYPD.
Present at the awards ceremony were Jewish-community leaders who worked with Chief Zeigler.
“Chief Zeigler was given an appreciation award that was signed by the greater Jewish community of New York, as a token of appreciation for his leadership and wonderful working relations with the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Abe Friedman, a community leader and police chaplain.
Rabbi Mayer Melnick who serves as chaplain for the Port Authority Police Department and worked extensively with Zeigler, praised him and his legacy.
Commissioner Ray Kelly has been quoted as saying that police-community relations have never been healthier or more cooperative than under the leadership of Chief Zeigler.