Vigilance: My Life Serving America and Protecting Its Empire City (Hardback)

"As NYC's police commissioner after 9/11, Ray Kelly was on the front lines of two of the most important issues of our time: confronting terrorism and dealing with the issues of race and policing. In this personal and thoughtful book, he weaves together his own life story with the tough decisions he had to make. It's a critically important book for anyone who cares about the justice and security issues we face today." "Walter Isaacson, #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Steve Jobs" and "The Innovators"""
"The word 'vigilance' perfectly describes the life and career of Ray Kelly. He writes about how the NYPD reversed course on crime and terror and set the nation's largest, most vulnerable city on a safer and more prosperous path. The book comes at a time when that progress is being eroded, due more to politics than judgment. Vigilance is instructive to law enforcement everywhere, as well as for people who want to lead effective, cohesive teams to achieve better results." "Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush and co-host of The Five on Fox News Channel""
"At a time when we needed heroes as much as we ever had, Ray Kelly was a hero of his city and his country. "Vigilance" is his story, finally told in his own words, about everything he did as police commissioner to keep New York City safe in a dangerous world. More than that, it is the story of a great American life." "Mike Lupica, "New York Daily News" columnist and #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author""
"To this day, I call Ray Kelly 'Colonel' for I was a PFC in the USMC. I have never actually referred to him as 'Commissioner.' Ray has more than earned my deep respect for his example of leadership in one of the toughest jobs in America. This book provides us a meticulously constructed portrait of a leader and a city in the face of unprecedented challenge. It is a compelling must-read for anyone that cares about New York City and the nation. What Ray Kelly has given us with this book is a perspective of enduring value for everyone who resides in or is charged with running any large American city." "David N. Dinkins, 106th Mayor, City of New York""
""Vigilance" offers an intimate view into the life and career of one of America's finest leaders and how he transformed the NYPD after 9/11 into the world's most effective counter-terrorism police force, which continues to protect New York City today." Richard A. Clarke, "#1 "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Against All Enemies" and former National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism""
"[A] blunt, proudly unapologetic memoir... Kelly has spent a half-century protecting Americans, first as a Marine officer, then as a New York cop with two stints as a federal security official in the mix. He is a champion of imaginative and aggressive policing... Justly proud of his department's record, he devotes nearly 50 pages of the book to a meticulous reconstruction of 16 terror plots against the city that were thwarted on his watch." "The Wall Street Journal""
"[A] wonderful book." "Seth Lipsky, The New York Post""
"The New York Police Department has within the past two decades become quite possibly the premier domestic public-safety agency in the nation. Former police commissioner Ray Kelly's memoir, "Vigilance," is partly an attempt to take credit for this administrative miracle - credit that Kelly richly deserves.... Kelly taught New Yorkers to expect more from their police department.... [but] Kelly left an even greater legacy in counterterrorism.... Kelly constructed New York City's counterterrorism strategy and administrative apparatus out of whole cloth." "Stephen Eide, "National Review"""
"Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly ... is a rare soul. He is the defender, willing to stand watch and be accountable, allowing the rest of us to sleep a little easier.... Much of Mr. Kelly's book is devoted to how the Police Department responded to the terrorist attack of 9/11. It is a riveting read.... Police commissioner of New York City is no ordinary job. It sets the tone for urban policing nationwide." "New York Observer""
"In "Vigilance," Ray Kelly's humble but powerful memoir, the longest-serving police commissioner in New York City's history sketches a remarkable arc. This is the inspirational story of a milkman's son who worked as an elevator operator to help pay for his college education and then methodically crafted a 43-year career with the New York Police Department that eventually included a law degree, a master's from Harvard's Kennedy School, two different tenures running the NYPD and, most significant, a sustained and successful record defending New York from global terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11." "Washington Post""