 Possession of a college degree was a requirement of police department officials at the captain rank and higher, a practice instituted by former police commissioner Benjamin Ward.After Giuliani's terms as mayor completed, Kerik became a founder of Giuliani Partners.Giuliani then pushed President George W. Bush to nominate Kerik to be Secretary of Homeland Security, at which point multiple scandals derailed the nomination and Kerik's career; subsequently Kerik pleaded guilty to corruption charges dating from his Corrections days (1999).