Former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir, since leaving his job in 2000, has leveraged his former top cop status into multiple contracts and corporate positions related to the fallout from 9/11, reports the New York Daily News. In each case, the companies sell goods and services by specifically mentioning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or by offering devices to thwart terrorists. A Daily News investigation found Safir is financially linked to six companies. He even made money selling a flawed “skyscraper escape” device that resulted in a near-fatal accident. In response to written questions, Safir refused to discuss his dealings with New York’s police or fire departments on behalf of any of the six companies.
His prestigious positions continue to bind him to presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Safir is chairman of First Responders for Rudy, a group that seeks support for Giuliani from firefighters around the nation. Giuliani tapped Safir to run the Fire Department in 1994 and promoted him to police commissioner in 1996. Safir resigned in 2000 and immediately went to work as a consultant to the chief executive of ChoicePoint, a data collection company. He persuaded ChoicePoint to buy Bode Technology. By April 2005, ChoicePoint announced it had nearly doubled revenue to $35.3 million, up from $17.7 million in the first quarter of 2004. The company said the record profits were “due primarily to increased volumes at our Bode operations.” The Daily News said Safir made conflicting statements about his work for ChoicePoint and Bode. He met with the U.S. Justice Department research arm, the National Institute for Justice, on behalf of ChoicePoint when federal funds due to Bode for DNA testing were held up.
Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/19/2007-08-19_safir_finds_gold_in_wtcs_rubble.html