Metro

De Blasio to appoint ex-NYPD official to head emergency management

Bill de Blasio introduces new OEM Commissioner Joe Esposito at Gracie Mansion.Chad Rachman

Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to appoint Joseph Esposito — who retired in 2013 as the NYPD’s highest-ranking officer — to head the city’s Office of Emergency Management, sources told The Post.

The popular former chief of department ended his 44-year career with the police department last March at 63, the mandatory retirement age for uniformed police officers.

But he said at the time that he wasn’t entirely ready to call it quits.

“I wish I could do it for the rest of my life,” he told The Post last year.

Esposito holding back protesters during the Occupy Wall Street movement.EPA

Esposito trained with the NYPD for three years before being appointed an officer in 1971. He was named detective in 1983 and made sergeant several months later.

He had six subsequent promotions before being tapped as chief of department in 2000 — the role he maintained until retirement.

At OEM, Esposito’s main role will be preparing the city for emergencies and coordinating a host of agencies — including the NYPD and FDNY — to respond to emergencies.

He replaces Joseph Bruno, who was appointed by ex-Mayor Mike Bloomberg in 2004.

Bruno announced his resignation last week after having agreed to stay on during the transition to the new administration.

Additional reporting by Jamie Schram