Howard Safir
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer
SafirRosetti

Howard Safir is Chairman and CEO of SafirRosetti, a premier company serving the security and investigation needs of its clients both nationally and internationally. Mr. Safir also serves as consultant to the Chair of ChoicePoint, a leading provider of credential verification and identification services.

Howard Safir was appointed 39th Police Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on April 15, 1996. In his four years as Police Commissioner, he achieved a 38% reduction in major crime and reduced homicides by 44%, bringing the total number of murders in New York to 667, the lowest level in three decades. He developed and implemented Operation Condor, a creative use of personnel resources that continues to be a centerpiece of current NYPD crime reduction strategy.

Mr. Safir began his law enforcement career in 1965 as a special agent assigned to the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a forerunner of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He advanced through the ranks of the DEA and in 1977 was appointed Assistant Director of the DEA. Commissioner Safir also served as Chief of the Witness Security Division, U.S. Marshals Service. In 1984, he was named Associate Director for Operations, U.S. Marshals Service, a position he held until his retirement from the federal government in 1990. Commissioner Safir rejoined government service in 1994 when Mayor Giuliani asked him to serve as New York City’s 29th Fire Commissioner.

Mr. Safir received a B.A. in History and Political Science from Hofstra University in 1963. He attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, receiving certificates in the programs for Senior Managers in Government in 1988 and for National and International Security in 1989. He is a director of the foundation of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and has served as a delegate to INTERPOL, the National Drug Policy Board and the El Paso Intelligence Center Advisory Board. Throughout his career, Mr. Safir has been recognized frequently for his outstanding service. In 1996, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He was twice awarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award. Additionally, he received the U.S. Marshals Service Meritorious Service Award and the Attorney General’s Achievement Award, in addition to many other citations and awards.

Mr. Safir is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University and a member of the Board of Visitors to CIA University. In addition he is Chairman of GVI Security Solutions, Inc. and serves on the Board of Directors of Verint Systems, Inc. and Blastgard International. Mr. Safir also serves as an advisor to Document Security Systems, Inc., SISCO Systems and Bio-Key International.

The author of “Security, Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City,” published by St. Martin’s Press, Mr. Safir lives in New York City.