Funeral for Bernard Kerik, former NYPD commissioner, held at St. Patrick's Cathedral
The funeral Mass for Bernard Kerik, New York City's former police commissioner, was held Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral to remember a life marked by courage and controversy.
Kerik, who led the NYPD through the 9/11 attacks, died on May 29 after privately battling an illness, FBI Director Kash Patel said. He was 69 and had suffered from cancer and heart issues in recent years.
Bernard Kerik's funeral held at St. Patrick's Cathedral
Kerik's funeral was held Friday morning at the iconic cathedral in midtown Manhattan. A portion of Fifth Avenue was closed for the procession, before uniformed officers carried his casket, draped in the American flag, inside.
Chopper 2 was , where many people lined the street outside.
Kerik joined the NYPD in 1986. He was the department's 40th commissioner, from 2000 to 2001, under then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"We've been together since the beginning. He's like my brother," Giuliani said when Kerik died. "I was a better man for having known Bernie ... There are very few people in my life that I relied on more."
Giuliani attended the funeral, along with Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Patel.
In his eulogy, Joseph Kerik, a police officer in Newark, New Jersey, said his father was raw, real and committed to making a difference.
"He was a loyal friend, a great guy, a true cop. That's why I was always proud to call him my friend. Good times and bad, Bernie was always there," former Congressman Peter King, a close friend, said.
The police department paid tribute to Kerik on social media, saying that for nearly two decades he "served and protected in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11."
"He was wildly consistent about one thing: He kept his friends"
Prior to becoming NYPD commissioner, Kerik served in the U.S. Army and as an undercover narcotics officer. He was celebrated and honored after 9/11, but controversy over affairs and business deals derailed his career and eventually landed him to prison.
"Bernie may not have been perfect, but he was more perfect than most of us," King said. "[September 11th] was our darkest hour and Bernie Kerik really shone in the light."
"Bernie was really pivotal in helping New Yorkers and getting everybody through it," said Jacqui Stafford, a grateful New Yorker.
Kerik served as the head of the provisional police force in Iraq under President George W. Bush in 2003, and had been under consideration to be head of the Department of Homeland Security before he abruptly withdrew his nomination in 2004.
Kerik pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges in 2009 and served three years in prison. The charges were related to more than $250,000 in apartment renovations which authorities said came from a construction firm that counted on Kerik to convince city officials it had no connection to organized crime.
"You know, that was the thing about Bernie is, he had his ups, obviously, he had his downs. But he rebounded," former NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said. "He was wildly consistent about one thing: He kept his friends."
President Trump pardoned Kerik in 2020. He was being considered for a position in the administration when he died.
He was also subpoenaed to testify in the investigation into alleged election interference in Georgia.
