Former NYPD Deputy Chief Inspector John Downer, who joined the force in 1941 and served more than 30 years, died this month at the age of 104, The Post has learned.
Downer died on Feb. 14 and was mourned at a funeral on Thursday at St. Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church in Ridgewood, Queens, the NYPD Pulaski Association said in a statement.
Downer was born in 1914 in the Lower East Side to Polish immigrant parents.
He went on to attend Fordham University and worked as a bookkeeper after college, according to an obituary published by the Pulaski Association.
During the Great Depression, Downer traded his desk job for a police beat with the NYPD.
He rose up the ranks of the department swiftly, earning sergeant stripes in about eight years, which was followed by promotions to lieutenant and captain soon after.
In 1966, he was made commanding officer of the police academy and charged with training new recruits on race relations.
He was promoted to deputy chief inspector — the equivalent of deputy chief today — in 1969.
He retired from the department in 1973 and went on to work as a safety agent trainer for the school board.