In 1972, commissioner Patrick V. Murphy passed over 72 more senior officers to name Cawley chief of patrol.

[1] Cawley also enacted a policy that would see veteran officers found guilty of accepting minority gratuities punished with a fine instead of automatic dismissal and loss of pension.

[6] After the shooting of Clifford Glover, Cawley created a special panel to screen out officers with a history of violent tendencies so they could face disciplinary action, receive additional training, or be reassigned to less stressful positions.

[7] He also instituted a name tag policy despite fierce opposition from the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York.

[9] In April 1974, Cawley was named Chemical Bank's vice president in charge of security, purchasing, and communication services.