What’s going on inside the NYPD?
By Thomas A. Reppetto
November 2, 2014 | 9:43 p.m.
New York Post
Photo: Getty Images
Last Tuesday, Police Commissioner William Bratton announced that with the departure of First Deputy Commissioner Rafael Pineiro, he was promoting Chief of Department Philip Banks to take over the post.
On Friday, before Banks could even be sworn in, he announced he wasn’t taking the job and resigned from the police department. Supposedly, Bratton had reneged on a promise to give him real authority as first deputy.
Bratton could only say that he was “disappointed.” At a hastily called Sunday afternoon press conference, the commissioner and the mayor denied reports that there was any dissension between them. As one TV reporter described it, “Pats on the back all around.”
It reminds me of Bratton’s first run as PC when he and Mayor Rudy Guilliani used to publicly declare their great affection for each other — until the roof fell in.
Fine. Now Bratton should tell us what’s going on inside the NYPD.
Chief Banks was widely admired in the criminal-justice world and considered an outstanding police commander. Perhaps to his disadvantage, he has also been touted as a future police commissioner.
Critics charge that Bratton never intended to use Banks, an African-American, as other than a figurehead in the same way he had used First Deputy Pineiro, a Hispanic.
The incident can only further the anger of some minority leaders who were opposed to Bratton’s appointment in the first place. It’s equally unsettling to those who worry about the impact on the department and on public safety.
One bone of contention is that the NYPD continues to make many arrests for low-level violations, with the aim of maintaining public order and preventing more serious crime — a policy known as “Broken Windows.” According to recent reports, the number of misdemeanor arrests remains just as high as in the past.
The Banks embarrassment comes hard on the heels of the previous week’s disaster.
Staten Island police brass had to scramble around trying to explain why they bought a new headlight for a woman who’d been ticketed for hers being out. They even expedited the paperwork to cancel out the previous summons.
Word was that the borough commander, a two-star chief, ordered this done because he feared that the woman, who is suing the NYPD for allegedly choking her son to death, would report the incident to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is capable of making a great deal of trouble for the cops.
The fact that Sharpton was one of the very first people notified by City Hall when Chief Banks resigned will certainly not undercut the impression that the Rev exercises a powerful influence in police affairs.
There has been no resolution in the Staten Island case. Did the chief do the right thing or the wrong thing? If the latter, it would likely only call for an oral reprimand. Instead, rumor has it that he has been denied a scheduled promotion and now is being left to twist in the wind.
There is also the theory that Bratton feared Banks would be so successful and popular that there might be a demand for him to replace Bratton as commissioner.
The loss of an outstanding police commander like Chief Banks isn’t just a bureaucratic problem, but of vital importance to the citizenry.
Should New York suffer another terrorist attack, the performance of top field commanders might well spell the difference between life and death for many citizens.
It’s now in the public interest that Commissioner Bratton speak frankly about why Chief Banks resigned, how he views the Staten Island incident and precisely what duties he’ll assign to the new first deputy commissioner.
Bratton made a significant slip in discussing Banks’ departure by saying that he valued him as his top adviser. There are already enough civilian advisers who want to whisper in the commissioner’s ear — that is, exercise authority without responsibility. The first deputy post should be a command job with real authority.
This requires that whomever he picks should be a vigorous NYPD commander in the prime of his life, not someone ready to retire.
The present situation is an odd one. It is the mayor’s supporters who are criticizing the commissioner, not most of his loyal opposition.
If confusion and missteps continue in the NYPD, supporters, opponents and nonpartisans are likely to demand that the mayor reappraise the command situation.
Thomas A. Reppetto is the former president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and author of “American Police 1845-2012.”
Staten Island top cop passed over for promotion because of headlight fix for Gwen Carr, report says
By Maura Grunlund | grunlund@siadvance.com
On October 31, 2014 at 7:59 AM, updated October 31, 2014 at 8:01 A.M.
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island's top cop, Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre, was being eyed for a promotion until it was revealed that he allegedly directed police to fix the burned out headlight on a car driven by Gwen Carr, the mother of chokehold victim Eric Garner, according to the New York Post.
The Post has alleged that police also handed Ms. Carr the necessary paperwork to void a ticket that carried a potential fine of $150 after Ms. Carr was pulled over on the night of Oct. 21 on Staten Island for having a busted headlight on her 2006 Kia Sedona.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association has called for an investigation into the incident and media reports allege that Delatorre's actions are being scrutinized by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau.
Delatorre, the NYPD's borough commander for Staten Island, was posed to become a three-star chief and command the officers who patrol public housing before the headlight debacle, according to the Post.
While the Post claimed that Ms. Carr called Delatorre that night to complain, Ms. Carr has denied contacting Delatorre or asking for special treatment.
At Delatorre's direction, a lieutenant and a sergeant fixed the busted headlight and gave Ms. Carr the necessary paperwork, the Post said.
Garner, 43, died on July 17 after he was put into a chokehold by police during an arrest for selling lose cigarettes in Tompkinsville.
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