New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Tuesday will name Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Reverend A.R. Bernard as co-chief chaplains of the department’s chaplains unit, the commissioner said Monday in a statement.  

“For more than a century, our Chaplains Unit has made sure that our officers never have to carry the tremendous weight of their work alone. They’ve helped officers find their better angels and remember the calling that lives at the heart of this work,” the commissioner said. The official announcement will be made as part of her “State of the NYPD” address on Tuesday. 

“As I was thinking about who should fill this role, one Hebrew word kept coming to mind — ‘Tzadik,’ a person of righteousness. 

“Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Reverend A.R. Bernard are two of the most righteous people this City has ever known. They are two men of incredible faith whose lives and leadership embody the moral clarity, compassion, and wisdom our officers rely on in their hardest moments. 

“For decades, they have helped shape the spiritual life of this city through leadership that reaches far beyond their pulpits. Their decision to serve the NYPD speaks to something enduring between faith and policing, and to the place the Chief Chaplain role has long held in the lives of the men and women who wear the shield.”

Cardinal Dolan’s resignation was accepted by Pope Leo XIV on December 18, 2025, after more than 16 years as Archbishop of New York. His successor, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, was installed on February 6. Reverend A.R. Bernard is the founder, CEO, and pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.