When former Chief of the NYC Department of Correction Eric M. Taylor first received the news that a Rikers Island jail facility was being dedicated in his honor, he was having dinner with a friend at The Galleria on Post Ave.

"I had a plate of something fattening in front of me and I said, 'Maybe I shouldn't eat this.' I wanted to look good for the ceremony," he says with a laugh.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the law enforcement field, the New York City Department of Correction held a dedication ceremony July 14, renaming one of its facilities the Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC). The facility, which was formerly known as the Correctional Institution for Men (CIFM), houses more than 2,000 sentenced inmates with a term of up to one year, and is also where Chief Taylor was a captain and assistant deputy warden.

That this tribute was not done posthumously, as is usually the case, amplifies the character, quality and integrity of Chief Taylor's leadership and expertise in law enforcement.

"It just goes to show that hard work really pays off," said Chief Taylor, a resident of Westbury for almost 22 years.

Taylor's tenure as Chief of the Department spanned a three-and-a-half-year period from June 1994 until December 1997, when he retired after more than 24 years of service. During his term he developed a management analysis and accountability system known as TEAMS, for employment by the Department of Correction in revamping its system. TEAMS is an acronym for Total Efficiency Accountability Management System that was implemented to achieve the critical agency goals of security and safety, preservation of the physical plant, improved staff morale, and compliance with federal, state and city mandates and minimum standards.

Chief Taylor also created an inter-departmental Gang Task Force which assessed the nature of gang activities within jails, and reviewed gang practices and procedures and how they were handled by department staff in various locations. He then developed a policy and strategy for a counter-gang initiative that included the creation of a gang intelligence database, which subsequently became a prototype for correctional facilities nationwide.

Some of Chief Taylor's other achievements include reducing inmate violence by an unprecedented 83 percent, increasing inmate cells and facilitywide searches tenfold, bringing overtime expenditures under budgeted targets for the first time within a decade, and introducing innovative and state-of-the-art equipment and technology to the department.

The July 14, 2000 dedication ceremony was the second time the Department of Correction paid tribute to Chief Taylor. In September 1995, the Department honored him at a black-tie function, "Salute to the Chief," which was attended by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and numerous city and state dignitaries, as well as 800 other guests.

Upon retiring from the Department of Correction, Chief Taylor began a consulting practice, and is chairman and CEO of SecurePerson, Inc.