NYPD Reform Gives Communities Say In Precinct Commander Selection

NEW YORK CITY — A new police reform will give locals an “unprecedented” direct role in selecting their communities’ NYPD police precinct commanders, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio announced the reform Thursday as a “preview” of others focused on police to be unveiled in his State of the City speech later that night.

Alongside a graphic promising communities a “direct role” in choosing their NYPD precinct commanders, de Blasio said it will help improve bonds between locals and police.

“This is unprecedented in the history of the NYPD,” he said. “We’re bringing the voice of the community forward to determine who would be the right leader.”

The idea came from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain who is running to succeed de Blasio as mayor.

Adams, amid the George Floyd protests, proposed giving local community boards a voice — and veto power — in NYPD precinct commanders.

“Our communities deserve a role in choosing the leadership that has so much power and ensuring officers are doing their job well and doing it fairly,” he said Thursday. “To achieve the local oversight and accountability we seek we need to build upon the foundation of engagement and move towards greater civilian empowerment. I hope that this is the beginning of further reforms to deliver that empowerment.”

De Blasio’s plan as outlined doesn’t give locals the veto power Adams proposed — the police commissioner still has final say in selecting precinct commanders.

But it does ensure precinct councils have a constant voice, and potential oversight, over local NYPD commanders.

Councils and community members will hold interviews of NYPD’s proposed candidates for precinct commanders, provide feedback and recommendations and perform annual evaluations of those police leaders’ performances, de Blasio said.

Jennifer Jones Austin, an advocate involved in police reform discussions, said the move has the potential to be a “real game changer.”

“It’s going to build deeper relationships and trust and accountability of officers to New Yorkers, especially in communities that have been over-policed and racialized far too long,” she said.

New Yorkers won’t have to wait to see the reform in action, de Blasio said.

“It’s going to be implemented right away,” he said.