Kerik nominated as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security

U.S. President George W. Bush nominated Bernard B. Kerik, the police commissioner of the during the, to succeed Tom Ridge as the.

Kerik resigned as police commissioner two months following the terrorist attacks, citing the desire to spend more time with his family, but has since kept a very high profile. Following the invasion of Iraq, he chose to lead the training of Iraqi law enforcement. He campaigned for President George W. Bush in the and delivered a prime time speech at the.

Among other security qualifications, he has served in the, as narcotics detective in the NYPD and as private security worker in.

Kerik faces the daunting task of running the DHS, an agency assembled from 22 other agencies with over 180,000 employees.