by Joe Gonzalez
Retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief Gerald Nelson has passed after a long battle with cancer.

Chief Gerald Nelson had a storied police career that lasted forty-one years; it started in 1973 when he joined the now-defunct New York City Housing Authority Police (HAPD). He marched up the ranks of the Housing Police, reaching the rank of Captain; in 1995 then, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani fulfilled a campaign promise and merged the 2,700 Housing Police officers and the 4,000 Transit Police Department (TAPD) officers into the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Chief Nelson continued to march up the ladder, becoming the Commanding Officer of the NYPD School Safety Division; he then was promoted to Assistant Chief and placed in charge of the Brooklyn North Patrol Bureau. That assignment gave Chief Nelson supervisory authority over ten NYPD precincts totaling slightly more than three thousand police officers from the 84th precinct in Brooklyn Heights all the way over to the 75th precinct, which covers the East New York neighborhood.

Following his retirement in February 2015, Chief Nelson’s commitment to public safety remained unwavering. In August of the same year, he assumed the role of Vice President of Safety for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). In this capacity, he spearheaded initiatives to enhance security, including the installation of video cameras, additional lighting around NYCHA housing projects, and the implementation of building locks. Chief Nelson’s dedication to his community was evident in every role he undertook, and his absence will be deeply felt.

Funeral arrangements are set as follows: the WAKE is being held Today, Thursday May 16, 2024, from 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm at the J. Foster Phillips Funeral home and the FUNERAL will take place tomorrow, Friday May 17, 2024 at 10 am.