Eric Adams

Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who served as the 111th mayor of New York City from 2022 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for more than 20 years, retiring at the rank of captain. He served in the New York State Senate from 2006 to 2013, representing the 20th district in Brooklyn. In 2013, Adams became the first black American to be elected Brooklyn Borough President; he was re-elected in 2017.

In 2021, Adams received the Democratic Party's nomination for mayor of New York City after winning a crowded primary that used ranked-choice voting. In the general election, Adams won a landslide victory over Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. As mayor, he took what is regarded to have been a tough-on-crime approach and reintroduced a plain-clothed NYPD unit that had been disbanded by the previous administration. He also implemented, alongside increased police presence, a zero-tolerance policy on homeless people sleeping in subway cars.

In September 2024, a series of investigations into Adams's administration emerged. Adams was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Adams pleaded not guilty to the charges. He alleged that the charges were retaliation for opposing the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. In February 2025, the Department of Justice in the Donald Trump administration instructed federal prosecutors to drop charges against Adams. Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case against Adams on April 2, 2025.

In April 2025, Adams announced that he would seek re-election as an independent in the 2025 New York City mayoral election. In September, he withdrew his candidacy following flagging poll numbers, endorsing Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo would go on to lose to Zohran Mamdani, who succeeded Adams as mayor on January 1, 2026.

Early life and education

Eric Leroy Adams was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, on September 1, 1960. He was the fourth of six children. His mother, Dorothy Mae Adams-Streeter (1938–2021), worked double shifts as a housecleaner and had received only a third-grade education. His father, Leroy Adams, was a butcher who struggled with alcoholism. Both of his parents moved to New York City from Alabama in the 1950s. Adams was raised in a rat-infested tenement in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His family was so poor that he often brought a bag of clothes to school with him in case of a sudden eviction from his home. As a young boy, he sometimes earned money as a squeegee boy. By 1968, his mother managed to save up enough money to buy a house and move the family to South Jamaica, Queens.

At age 14, Adams joined a gang, the 7-Crowns, and became known as "a tough little guy". He would hold money for local hustlers. He also ran errands, including purchasing groceries, for a dancer and part-time prostitute named Micki after she became injured. After Micki refused to pay for the groceries he purchased or his work, Adams and his brother stole her TV and a money order. The two were later arrested for criminal trespassing. While in police custody, they were allegedly beaten by NYPD officers until another cop intervened. Adams was sent to a juvenile detention center for a few days before being sentenced to probation. Adams had post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident and has said that the violent encounter motivated him to enter law enforcement. He was particularly intrigued by black police officers and by the "swagger" and "respect" that comes with being in law enforcement. Herbert Daughtry of The House of the Lord Pentecostal Church added to his motivation when he suggested that by joining the police force, he could aid in reforming police culture from within. Adams would later attend his church on occasion.

Adams graduated from Bayside High School in Queens in January 1979, but struggled to maintain good grades. He began attending college while working as a mechanic and a mailroom clerk at the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, receiving an associate degree from the New York City College of Technology, a bachelor's degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and an MPA from Marist College in 2006. Adams experienced an academic turnaround that he credits to a dyslexia diagnosis in college: "I went from a D student to the dean's list." As a result, he became a strong advocate for early dyslexia screening in public schools.

Policing career (1984–2006)

Adams served as an officer in the New York City Transit Police and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for 22 years. He has described his wanting to serve as a reaction to the abuse he suffered by NYPD in his youth and separately stated that he was encouraged to join to lead reform from within. He attended the New York City Police Academy and graduated second in his class in 1984.

Adams started in the New York City Transit Police and continued with the NYPD when the transit police and the NYPD merged. He worked in the 6th Precinct in Greenwich Village, the 94th Precinct in Greenpoint, and the 88th Precinct covering Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. In 1986, white police officers raised their guns at Adams when he was working as a plainclothes officer; he was mistaken for a suspect. During the 1990s, Adams served as president of the Grand Council of Guardians, an African American patrolmen's association.

Adams worked with the Nation of Islam in the 1990s because of their work in patrolling crime-ridden housing projects. Adams met with their leader Louis Farrakhan and appeared on stage with him at an event. Adams also suggested that Mayor David Dinkins meet with Farrakhan and hire the Nation of Islam's security company to patrol housing projects. Adams's ties to Farrakhan—who has made antisemitic comments—received criticism in the New York Post.

In 1995, Adams served as an escort for Mike Tyson when he was released from jail following his rape conviction. That same year, in response to Rudy Giuliani's election as Mayor, he co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, an advocacy group for black police officers that sought criminal justice reform and often spoke out against police brutality and racial profiling. The group also held tutorials that taught black male youth how to deal with the police if they are detained, which included turning on the car's dome light, putting their hands on the wheel and deescalating the situation. However, many activists, including Al Sharpton, criticized Adams's efforts, claiming that he was merely teaching young black people how to "live under oppression."

In 2006, Adams was put under surveillance and investigated by the NYPD for appearing on television in his official capacity as a police officer and critiquing Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD opened an investigation into this and charged Adams with disseminating misinformation, divulging official police business, and speaking as a representative of the department without permission. He retired from the police force with the rank of captain shortly after being found guilty for speaking in an official capacity.

Early political career

In the 1990s, Adams began to eye a political career with the ultimate goal of becoming the Mayor of New York City. He spoke to William Lynch Jr., who was an advisor to Mayor David Dinkins, about a political career. Lynch encouraged Adams first to obtain a bachelor's degree, rise within the NYPD's ranks and successfully run for a lower political office.

During the 1993 mayoral election, Adams, a supporter of the incumbent David Dinkins, made a controversial comment about a candidate for New York State Comptroller, Herman Badillo. Adams said that if Badillo—who was Puerto Rican—were concerned about the Hispanic community, he would have married a Hispanic woman and not a white Jewish woman. These comments became a point of turmoil in the election. They caused controversy for Dinkins, who ultimately lost the election.

In 1994, Adams ran for Congress against incumbent Major Owens in the Democratic primary for New York's 11th congressional district, condemning Owens for denouncing Louis Farrakhan, but failed to receive enough valid signatures to make the ballot. Adams claimed his petition signatures had been stolen by someone on behalf of Owens, but police found no corroborating evidence.

Adams registered as a Republican in 1997 before switching back to the Democratic Party in 2001, according to the Board of Elections. Adams has said his switch to the Republican Party was a protest move against what he saw as failed Democratic leadership.

New York State Senate (2007–2013)

In 2006, Adams ran for the New York State Senate. He was elected and served four terms until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn Borough President. He represented the 20th Senate District, which includes parts of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Sunset Park.