Third-generation NYPD cop John McAuliffe hangs up his hat
NYPD Detective John McAuliffe couldn’t make it one block in his East Village precinct without being greeted by a familiar face.
A third-generation cop, the 59-year-old detective’s family gave a combined 90 years of service to New York’s Finest — including nearly 38 years for the youngest McAuliffe, who worked more than 3,000 cases and made over 1,100 felony arrests.
On Monday, McAuliffe cleaned out his locker at the 9th Precinct stationhouse and retired after nearly 40 years of service.
“I will miss working with the good professional cops who care about the people in the neighborhood, and I will also miss the people in the neighborhood who I have known for years and consider a lot of them friends,” he told The Post.
“I preferred working a precinct,” he said. “You have the camaraderie of working with the same cops and you also get to know the people in the neighborhood, both the good people and the not so good.”
McAuliffe joined the force in 1983, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps — all of them named John.
His grandfather joined the force in 1927 and was involved in the high-profile 1935 arrest of Meyer Luckman, an associate of the notorious gun-for-hire crew known as Murder, Inc. — and the brother of NFL Hall of Famer Sid Luckman.
McAuliffe’s father worked out of the 60th Precinct in Brooklyn for 32 years, retiring in 1985 — leaving his shield to his son, who continued to wear his dad’s badge until he made detective in 1990.
McAuliffe began his career at the 71st Precinct in Crown Heights, where he took time out to help younger cops ease into the job — among them one of the department’s present-day top dogs.
“I was a young detective in the 71 when John took me under his wing and taught me the proper way to investigate a case, from making an arrest to seeing it all the way through the judicial process,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said Monday.
“John is a great detective and his retirement is a big loss for the job, especially for the young detectives who he constantly helped during his career,” Harrison said.
He later transferred to the East Village stationhouse.
“I loved working in Brooklyn, but I also liked Manhattan so I transferred,” he said. “The 9th Precinct was a great place to work.”
NYPD Deputy Inspector Andrew Arias of Manhattan South called McAuliffe’s work with the neighborhood “unparalleled.”
“John’s relationship with the community was unparalleled,” Arias said. “Whether you were a homeless person, owner of a business, or a crime victim he treated you with the utmost respect.”
McAuliffe grew up in Brooklyn’s Gerritsen Beach neighborhood but relocated to Staten Island while on the job. He commuted to work by riding his bicycle to the Staten Island Ferry and to his Manhattan stationhouse.
He said he leaves behind some bittersweet memories — and possibly the family legacy.
His son John serves the city as well, but with the FDNY, and his younger son, Liam, is a film student at the Fashion Institute of Technology.