Eric Adams | |
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Eric Adams speaking at City Hall in New York City, October 5, 2008.
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18th Borough President of Brooklyn | |
Assumed office January 1, 2014 |
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Preceded by | Marty Markowitz |
Member of the New York Senate from the 20th district |
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In office January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Carl Andrews |
Succeeded by | Jesse Hamilton III |
Personal details | |
Born |
Brownsville, Brooklyn |
September 1, 1960
Eric Adams | |
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Police career | |
Department | New York City Police Department |
Years of service | 1984–2006 |
Rank | Police Officer Sergeant Lieutenant Captain |
Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is the Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City. Previously, he was a Democratic State Senator in the New York Senate, representing the 20th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Sunset Park. On November 5, 2013, Adams was elected Brooklyn Borough President, the first African-American to hold the position.
Prior to his election to the New York State Senate, Adams served as a police officer in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for 22 years. Adams graduated from the New York City Police Academy in 1984 as the highest ranked student of his class. He started in the New York City Transit Police and worked in the 6th Precinct in Greenwich Village, the 94th Precinct in Greenpoint, and the 88th Precinct covering Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. While serving, he co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, an advocacy group for black police officers, and often spoke out against police brutality and racial profiling. During the 1990s Adams served as president of the Grand Council of Guardians. Adams rose to prominence during the 90s, after a series of "friendly fire" shootings by white police officers against black officers.