John F. Timoney (1948-2016) rose through the ranks of the New York Police Department to become Chief of Department and then First Deputy Commissioner under Police Commissioner Bill Bratton (1994-1996). He was later Police Commissioner in Philadelphia and Chief of Police in Miami. Chief Timoney was also a John Jay College alumnus, graduating in 1974 with a degree in History. In 2010, I sat with John Timoney for an oral history interview, during which he discussed his career in the NYPD and the transformation of the department under Bratton, especially the introduction of Compstat. Read this interview in our Digital Collections.

Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Associate Professor

Lloyd Sealy Library

More resources about John F. Timoney from the Lloyd Sealy Library

John F. Timoney yearbook photo, from Lloyd Sealy Library Digital CollectionsBeat Cop to Top Cop: A Tale of Three Cities, Timoney's 2010 memoir published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, is available at the Library: Stacks HV7911 .T563 A3 2010 (catalog record).

"Police Leadership Lessons Learned Along the Way," a 2007 panel featuring John F. Timoney and other law enforcement officials. The panel recording is available as a DVD under call number: Media Reserve DVD-JJ8051 (catalog record).

"A New Beginning?: Exploring the Criminal Justice Challenges Over the Next Four Years," the 4th annual Harry F. Guggenheim Symposium held at John Jay in 2009. Panel 4, "Privacy, Civil Liberties and Homeland Security," features John F. Timoney and others. The panel recording is available as a DVD under call number: Media Reserve DVD-JJ8162 (catalog record).

John F. Timoney's yearbook photo (left) from the 1974 John Jay yearbook. Source: John Jay College Archives, Special Collections, Lloyd Sealy Library.