Giuliani Picks Longtime Ally to Run NYPD

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani tapped New York City’s fire commissioner Thursday to run the Police Department. He succeeds Commissioner William Bratton, who is leaving after months of mounting tensions with City Hall.

Fire Commissioner Howard Safir, 53, is an old and trusted friend of the mayor’s. He is a Bronx native who began his career in 1965 as an undercover federal narcotics agent. He eventually served as deputy director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Bratton received national accolades for bringing the city’s crime rate down to its lowest point in a generation. But his success fueled a tense rivalry with Giuliani, largely over who deserved the credit for the dramatic drop in crime.