A simple ceremony Friday became a milestone when Mount Vernon mayor Ernest Davis swore in David E. Chong, one of the nation?s few Asian-American police commissioners.

But foremost in people?s minds is how long Chong will last. Plagued by high turnover, the Mount Vernon Police Department has been leaderless for years, with the exception of a two-week stint in February when Chong?s predecessor abruptly resigned for personal reasons. Chong is the city's tenth police commissioner in 12 years.

A former White Plains deputy Public Safety commissioner, Chong snagged more than a hundred awards and medals from the NYPD and has promised to make the department better.

Before implementing changes, Chong plans to powwow with the chief of police, the mayor and police commanders to assess resources and evaluate the department?s most pressing problems.