By Dan Murphy
Smartasset.com recently released their list of the Top 100 Safest Cities in the US. Yonkers was ranked #26, based on a number of metrics including violent crime, property crime and vehicle and drug mortality rates. The facts don’t lie, and in Yonkers crime is down and the City has avoided many of the troubles that other communites in Westchester and in New York City have had to endure.
Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller has successfully led “Yonkers Finest” through this time, but sources tell Yonkers Rising that Mueller has been offered the job of Chief of Police for the MTA, Metropolitan Transporation Authority, whose officers patrol the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road.
The rumor has been floating around the city for the past few weeks. Mueller was said to not be looking for another job, but was contacted by a personnel agency on behalf of the MTA.
No word yet on who will replace Mueller or when exactly he will leave. This reporter ran into the Commissioner at the Raceway Diner in Yonkers while I was delivering the papers. He did not know who I was, but when I asked him about the rumors of a new job he answered honestly, saying “I think its going to happen.”
That to me summarizes why Commissioner Mueller has been a sucessful Police Commissioner in Yonkers. He is honest and tells it like it is, and has the respect of the rank and file police officers, but also the respect of the community at large, and the elected officials in the City.
The choice of Mueller by Mayor Spano in 2019 was one of his best, and the vast majority of Yonkers is sad to see Mueller move on. But the people of Yonkers thank your for your service. and the commuters of New York will be grateful that you are now protecting them.
Mueller has served in the YPD for 28 years. Upon his appointment in 2019 Mayor Spano said, “Chief Mueller has been a shining star in our police department for decades. John has risen amongst the ranks with honor, demonstrating his in-depth knowledge, training and dedication to the men and women of our police force. We look forward to working with him and continuing to keep our residents safe.”
Mueller served as chairman and founder of STRONG, a federally-funded opioid substance abuse prevention program for adolescents; board member of Break the Hold Foundation, which addresses mental health issues for young adults. Muller holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Police Executive Research Forum and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.