>>> WELCOME BACK, TO HELP ADDRESS THE GROWING NEEDS OF NEW
YORK CITY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC, THE MAYOR -- TO
SERVING AND PROTECTING THE CITY,
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT FORMER NYPD
COMMISSIONER JAMES O’NEILL.
>> HE STARTS TODAY TO HELP
HOSPITALS GET THE SUPPLIES THEY
DESPERATELY NEED.
DESPERATELY NEED. COMMISSIONER, MORNING, IT’S GOOD
TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> HI, SAVANNAH, HI, HODA, GOOD
MORNING.
MORNING. >> YOU’VE BEEN CALLED OUT OF
RETIREMENT FOR AN IMPORTANT
DUTY.
DUTY. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO DO ON
BEHALF OF THE CITY AND WHAT IS
THE GREATEST NEED RIGHT NOW AS
FAR AS YOU’RE CONCERNED?
>> YES, OKAY, SO MAYBE NOT
EXACTLY OUT OF RETIREMENT.
I’M STILL WORKING FOR VISA.
I’D LIKE TO THANK THE CEO FOR
GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME
BACK AND HELP OUT THE CITY WE
ALL LOVE.
ALL LOVE. SO THE MAYOR AND I SPOKE
YESTERDAY MORNING.
YESTERDAY MORNING. I TOLD HIM THAT WHATEVER HE
NEEDED ME TO DO I’D LOVE TO HELP
OUT THE CITY.
AND HE ASKED ME TO MAKE SURE --
TO LOOK OVER THE SUPPLY CHAIN
FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
SO THAT’S N95 MASKS, SURGICAL
MASKS, GOWNS, VENTILATORS,
GOGGLES, FACE MASKS.
FACE SHIELDS, WHATEVER WE NEED.
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS GOING
TO BE SOURCING RIGHT NOW.
BUT I’M ASSEMBLING A GREAT TEAM.
PEOPLE I’VE WORKED WITH IN THE
PAST.
PAST. AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, NEW YORK
CITY HAS FACED A TON OF
CHALLENGES IN THE PAST AND WE’RE
GOING TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE.
>> COMMISSIONER, THAT’S A TALL
ORDER WHAT THE MAYOR’S ASKING
YOU TO DO.
HE JUST SAID THAT NEW YORK CITY
MAY RUN OUT OF A LOT OF THAT
EQUIPMENT BY THIS WEEKEND.
SO HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT
HOSPITALS ARE STOCKED GIVEN JUST
HOW IN SHORT SUPPLY EVERYTHING
IS?
IS? >> YEAH, AND THAT -- HODA,
THAT’S THE CHALLENGE.
WITH THIS TEAM WE’RE NOT GOING
TO BE STATIONARY.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE GOING
OUT TO ALL THE HOSPITALS, THE
NOT FOR PROFITS, NEW YORK CITY
HOSPITALS, ALL THE HEALTH CARE
SYSTEMS, WE’RE GOING TO BE
CONNECTING WITH THE PEOPLE IN
THE HOSPITAL TO SEE WHAT THEY
HAVE, SEE WHAT THEY NEED, SEE
WHAT WE’RE SOURCING, LOOER
LOOKING AT SOURCING
TRANSPORTATION DISTRIBUTION, SO
IT’S GOING TO BE A -- IT IS A
COMPLEX ISSUE, BUT THE PEOPLE
THAT I’M GOING TO TALK TO, THEY
HAVE A HISTORY OF DEALING WITH
COMPLEX PROBLEMS.
COMPLEX PROBLEMS. >> WE’VE SEEN THIS FIELD
HOSPITAL BEING SET UP AT CENTRAL
PARK, WHICH JUST IS A SCENE THAT
NEVER FAILS TO STUN, AND I’M
SURE AS A NEW YORKER YOU FEEL
THE SAME AND THEN YOU’VE GOT THE
NAVY HOSPITAL SHIP POSTED WEST
SIDE OF MANHATTAN.
THAT’S ALL FOR OVERFLOW
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY. DO YOU EXPECT YOU’RE GOING TO
START HAVING TO MOVE PEOPLE FROM
THE NEW YORK HOSPITALS INTO
THOSE OVERFLOW HOSPITALS?
>> WELL, THAT’S JUST IT, WE
CAN’T JUST THINK ABOUT TODAY, WE
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT’S GOING
TO HAPPEN TOMORROW, WHAT’S GOING
TO HAPPEN NEXT WEEK, NEXT MONTH
AND THIS IS ALL PART OF THE
PLANNING PROCESS.
PLANNING PROCESS. YOU KNOW, AS THE GOVERNOR MAY
HAVE SAID MANY TIMES WE HAVE NOT
HIT THE APEX YET SO WE HAVE TO
MAKE SURE WE HAVE AS MANY
OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S BEEN
HIT PRETTY HARD BY THIS VIRUS.
I THINK 15% OF THE FORCE IS OUT
SICK.
SICK. THEY SAID 1,100 OFFICERS AND
CIVILIANS ARE OUT.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
POLICE DEPARTMENT IS BEEFED UP.
WHAT DO YOU SAY THE RIGHT THING
TO DO IS IN THIS SITUATION?
>> THINK ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE
NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
AND THINK ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP
THAT THAT’S THERE NOW.
DETERMINEN SHAE IS ONE OF THE
SMARTEST PEOPLE I KNOW.
HARD WORKING EXECUTIVE STAFF AND
ALL 55,000 MEMBERS OF THE
SERVICE ARE GOING TO STEP UP AND
DO THE RIGHT THING TO KEEP THE
CITY SAFE.
CITY SAFE. WHEN THEY DO THAT, THOUGH, THE
CITY HAS TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP
THEM SAFE SO WE HAVE TO MAKE
SURE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, THE RIGHT
PROTOCOLS.
PROTOCOLS. THERE’S 36,000 UNIFORMED
OFFICERS.
OFFICERS. RIGHT NOW I THINK THERE’S ABOUT
5,000 OUT SICK, WHICH IS A HUGE
PERCENTAGE.
PERCENTAGE. BUT THERE’S THE DETECTIVE
BUREAU -- THEY’VE GOT THIS
FIGURED OUT.
FIGURED OUT. WE PLAN CONSTANTLY.
THAT’S WHAT I DID.
THAT’S WHAT HE’S DOING.
THAT’S WHAT BILL BRATTON DID.
THIS IS PART OF BEING IN THAT
LEADERSHIP POSITION TO MAKE SURE
YOU DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO
KEEP THE CITY SAFE.
>> FORMER NYC COMMISSIONER JAMES
O’NEILL, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME
AND YOUR WORK ON BEHALF OF THE