De BLASIO TO
GRACIE MANSION
BRATTON: WHO’S BEEN NAUGHTY OR NICE
Bill and
Bill: All smiles during their honeymoon.
How long
will it last?
TAGS:
MAYOR-ELECT De BLASIO MOVING TO GRACIE MANSION, De BLASIO
TRANSITION
TEAM, NAMES CLOSE ADVISERS AND ONE DEPUTY MAYOR
BRATTON
WANTS RESUMES FROM NYPD UPPER ECHELON,
BRATTON
CLEANING HOUSE?
(Wednesday December 11, 2013, Carl
Schurz Park, NYC) From the promenade
here that runs from East 84th Street up to E 90th Street
one is afforded a great view of the East River, both Randall’s and Wards Island,
and the Triborough Bridge. Nestled
within this park is the 18th century mansion that is the official
residence of the Mayor of New York City, Gracie Mansion. Not since Rudy Giuliani has this stately structure
been occupied by a Mayor. But that is
about to change. Earlier today
Mayor-elect Bill De Blasio announced that he will be moving into the Mansion
with his wife, son and daughter after his inauguration. They will still retain their home in Park
Slope Brooklyn but citing travel and security concerns the De Blasio’s have
decided living in Gracie Mansion will be easier on all of them. It may also prove to be a shrewd public
relations coup having the biracial “First Family” of New York City seen hosting
honored guests, family friends and giving tours to everyday New Yorker’s at The
Mansion.
But Bill De Blasio was not the
only notable Bill to make an announcement this week. Bill Bratton, the NYPD
Commissioner-in-waiting sent a department wide message yesterday to all members
of the upper echelon of the NYPD requesting they each submit an up to date copy
of their resume’. Bratton wants all
members from the rank of Inspector and above, including highly placed civilian
employees of the NYPD to do what essentially amounts to reapply for the
positions they currently hold. While it
is certainly the newly appointed Commissioner’s prerogative to make personnel
changes as he deems fit, his memo has been seen as a harbinger by some long
serving members of NYPD that widespread changes are in the offing. Many of the men and women currently in the
upper echelon have worked for Bratton previously when he was Commissioner from
1994 until 1996 when he and Rudy Giuliani had a very public falling out and
divorce. Actually for many members of
the “Top Brass” their career trajectories began under the previous Bratton
regime. But there are others who have
candidly expressed the concern that Bratton may be looking to “settle some old
scores”, or, “fill some very important posts with his own friends” as one high
ranking NYPD official who will be among those polishing up his resume’ stated
not for attribution.
As reported in detail in today’s
issue of The New York Daily News, “Bratton’s directive applies to those with
the rank of inspector and above, including civilian deputy commissioners and
directors, and climbs up to the highest echelons of the NYPD. Those include (Chief
of Department Philip) Banks, Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski, Chief of
Internal Affairs Charles Campisi and First Deputy Commissioner Rafael Pineiro,
who also interviewed for the top cop’s job.” (Link
to full NYDN article below)
Lis Smith, spokeswomen for De
Blasio noted that what Bratton is requesting now is simply his own standard
operating procedure and a practice he has employed in virtually every other
similar job he has held in the past. Despite
downplaying Bratton’s request as merely part of his management style, some who
must submit their resumes’ perceive it in a more ominous manner. Another highly placed NYPD Supervisor also
speaking not for attribution said, “I can see where he’s (Bratton) coming from.
I really do but, it is vital to the management and morale of the entire
Department that he keeps a sense of continuity, that every Cop from top to
bottom of this organization feels that things are not going to change
drastically. Bratton’s reputation precedes
him and some of my colleagues are also concerned about maintaining stability among
the ranks. The last thing this Department needs is a big shake up. If
he is simply trying to get some people’s attention then I can tell you he has
certainly succeeded”.
THE END OF THE HONEYMOON
Of more immediate concern to
the hard working men and women of the NYPD is just when the honeymoon between
Bill and Bill will come to an end and, make no mistake about it, their
honeymoon will end. Much of candidate De
Blasio’s campaign rhetoric was extremely critical of the NYPD, Commissioner Ray
Kelly and some of the practices and procedures of the Department most notably
the “Stop, Question and Frisk” (SQF) policy.
Candidate De Blasio made the “dismantling” of SQF the centerpiece of his
platform geared to “reforming” NYPD. Bratton
is a staunch believer in SQF,has implemented it aggressively while Chief of LAPD
and has made no comments about “reforming” any of the existing policies,
practices or procedures. Candidate De
Blasio was also a vocal proponent of increasing civilian review of the Department,
an issue that every Member of Service (MOS) feels very strongly about because
it directly impacts how they perform their job.
What may be missed in the months to come is the absence of a Mayor and a
Police Commissioner who actually saw eye to eye on some of the most basic
fundamental elements of policing our City.
Mayor Bloomberg, think what you will about him, was, at least, always
publically behind Commissioner Kelly and the MOS knew that Kelly “had our backs”. One cannot dismiss the significance of this
as it applies to the men and women on patrol, conducting investigations,
gathering intelligence and generally enforcing the law on our streets.
The harsh fact of the matter
is that the men and women who police Our City often find themselves in critical
scenarios where they must process a great deal of stimuli and information under
extremely stressful circumstances and make decisions; decisions where life and
death might hang in the balance. If
Officers are factoring in how a civilian review board will analyze their
actions lethal and fatal mistakes will most certainly be made. An Officer’s moment of hesitation or doubt
may cost the life of a partner, another Officer or an innocent victim or
bystander. Candidate De Blasio’s blatant pandering to the
segments of our population who feel most aggrieved and disenfranchised did
nothing to promote the notion that relations between the residents of the
neighborhoods we police and our Department could change for the better if
honest and open exchanges were made. Now that candidate De Blasio is
Mayor-elect he will soon be taken to task by those segments of our populace to
whom he pledged allegiance and reform.
The new Mayor may find quickly that his campaign stump speeches do not
comport with Bill Bratton’s policing philosophy.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
As Bill Bratton sits in his
transition phase office and reviews all the resumes’ he’s requested he will
encounter resumes’ of others who were in contention or, at least, considered
for the post he is about to assume. On
the other side of City Hall De Blasio’s team may wonder why Bratton was
selected while there are so many well qualified NYPD veterans in good standing who
could have effectively taken over the reins of NYPD. The short list of those
who were or should have been considered is impressive. Chief of Department
Philip Banks and First Deputy Commissioner Rafael Pineiro as well as Chief of
Detectives Phil Pulaski are all as well qualified if not more so as longtime
NYPD veterans who rose up through the ranks than Bratton. For better or worse, NYPD is an organization
that respects history, legacy and promotion from within. Some may criticize the “culture” of the NYPD;
it has served the Department well since the First NYPD Commissioner, Theodore
Roosevelt, consolidated an un-unified collection of Police Departments from
what are now known as “The Outer Boroughs” into one organization proudly
designated as the NYPD.
THE LIGHTS ON BROADWAY
For now the newest show in our
town world renowned for its spectacular shows is the Bill & Bill Show. While it is still in its premier weeks, it
will remain to be seen how the audience – the citizens of Our City – respond to
the plot line, characters and production. For the most part this is a two man show, a
drama that can turn comedic or tragic in on night. The curtain will no doubt fall on this show
night after night and, hopefully, it will rise again the next night with cast
and crew firmly in place and performing as expected. But, this particular show has a certain tinge
of mystery to it; how will bill and Bill play out in reality when the stakes
are higher than mere ratings.
The citizens have spoken and
delivered Bill De Blasio to Gracie Mansion and, in turn, De Blasio has recalled
a star from the past to be his most visible cohort. We, a discerning and picky audience will
render opinions soon; very soon. We will
decide if Bill & Bill get a thumb up or thumb down. We know a good show when we see it and we can
easily recognize a cheap vaudevillian act from a standing ovation performance. For the time being opening night is a few
weeks away; the cast is in rehearsal. But,
once the New Year strikes and the curtain rises we will determine rapidly if
the Bill & Bill Show is going to be a long running act or relegated to an
off-Broadway death.
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