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NYPD's Top Uniformed Officer Resigns Abruptly On Eve Of Promotion
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 31, 2014
Modified Oct 31, 2014
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 31, 2014
Modified Oct 31, 2014
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The highest ranking uniformed member of the NYPD abruptly resigned this morning, just days after being promoted to the second-highest position in the entire department. Philip Banks III, who up until his resignation served as the NYPD Chief of Department, was to have started on Monday as the First Deputy Commissioner, second in command to Commissioner Bill Bratton. Banks, the NYPD's highest ranking black officer, has not issued a public statement, but there's already ample speculation about his sudden decision.
"Banks was telling people close to him that they were trying to make him take the new job," one source tells the Post. "He didn’t want it. He said, ‘When you see me at the elevator with my bags, I won’t be going up. I’ll be going down.'" Other sources tell NBC New York that NYPD brass "have been resistant to Bratton's ideas in part because there are still too many 'Kelly guys' around. Banks, a 28-year NYPD veteran named chief of the department last year, is one of those 'Kelly guys'."
And DNAinfo's sources say Banks was adamant that the new position come with more responsibility, including oversight over the entire Chief of Department's office, which oversees all NYPD operations. The job, which was recently vacated by retiring First Deputy Commissioner Rafael Pineiro, had come to be seen as something of a figurehead position. "He did not want to be the guy in the corner," one source tells the website.
According to DNAinfo, Banks was Chirlane McCray's top choice for the Commissioner job, which ultimately went to Bratton. But he remained close to McCray, and sources say he agreed to accept the promotion after she called him over the weekend.
"Chief Banks's commitment to the NYPD and the people of New York City has been demonstrated throughout his impressive career within the department," Bratton said in a statement, and told reporters outside City Hall that the First Deputy job "is the key advisory position to me and one that I need a person whose competence and advice I can trust... After discussion with his family, he opted that he did not feel it was for him. I would certainly wish him well."
"New York City is the safest big city in America thanks to the brave, dedicated men and women of the NYPD," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement. "We were disappointed to hear of Chief Philip Banks’ personal decision to step down. He has served New York City admirably during his nearly 30 years on the force, and we were enthusiastic about the leadership and energy he would have brought to the position of First Deputy Commissioner."
Banks, who grew up in Crown Heights, joined the NYPD in 1986 and began his career patrolling the 81st Precinct. His resignation leaves the department without a minority in its top three positions. One police source tells the Post, "The police commissioner just lost a top Latino officer, Rafael Pineiro, and now Banks. We have a predominantly minority city, but there’s lack of minority leadership now at the top of the police department."
Tagged
nypd
philip banks
staff changes
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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