Exiting NYC police commissioner to take security job at Visa

NEW YORK (AP) - It’s everywhere New York City’s retiring police commissioner wants to be.

James O’Neill is going to start work next month as the new senior vice president and global head of physical security for credit card giant Visa Inc., the company said Wednesday.

O’Neill announced Monday that he is leaving the New York Police Department on Nov. 30 for an unspecified private sector job, saying it was “something I couldn’t pass up.”

Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea will succeed him.

O’Neill, 61, has been with the police department for 36 years. He was named commissioner in September 2016. He called it “the best job in the world.”

As commissioner, he has led the police department’s move away from controversial policies, guided its response to terrorist attacks and overseen continuing drops in crime.

O’Neill starts at Visa on Dec. 2. He replaces Don Hill, who is retiring after more than 15 years.

Visa said in a statement that O’Neill’s “decades-long expertise in law enforcement, investigations and operations makes him an outstanding choice.”