Mayor de Blasio’s pledge to have community members play a major role in selecting the leader of their local police precinct proved to be “a farce” in one Bronx neighborhood, a City Councilman charged.
Rafael Salamanca, a Democrat who represents the South Bronx, said the choice of the local nominating committee was ignored in picking the next commander of the 41st Precinct.
The seven-member delegation, which included those from the Precinct Community Council, the Community Board chair and other local representatives, spent the entire day at the NYPD’s headquarters evaluating the candidates and ranking them.
The committee’s top pick was Capt. Yerlin Moya, but Police Commissioner Dermot Shea chose Capt. Anthony Mascia for the job.
Salamanca blasted the NYPD leadership in a statement he tweeted, saying they had failed to live up to their motto of “Courtesy, Professionalism. Respect” when they asked for the community’s input.
“The process is a farce,” Salamanca told The Post. “If you’re going to ask the community to participate then go along with what the community’s asking.”
He said he didn’t want to bash the new commander, but the mayor and police commissioner needed to “listen to local stakeholders.”
“Until then, the mayor’s January announcement is what it is, another good headline devoid of any meaningful action,” he said.
De Blasio in January said that as one measure to make the city safer and deepen “the bonds between police and community,” members of precinct community councils — civilians who act as liaisons between the cops and community — would interview candidates.
“This is unprecedented in the history of NYPD,” Hizzoner said. “We’re bringing the voices of the community forward to determine who would be the right leader. … It’s going to improve dialogue, it’s going to improve accountability, it’s going to give folks a sense of real, real buy-in.”
He noted at the time that the commissioner would still make the ultimate decision.
The NYPD had gone with the local nominating committee’s choice 20 times since April when the new process started, deviating only on the selection for the 41st Precinct.
“In accordance with the new process, community feedback was collected and remains an important part of the precinct commander selection process,” an NYPD spokeswoman said. She could not say why the committee pick was ignored this time.
A City Hall representative said “Commanding officers are nominated based on their merits, and we’re proud that community input plays such a central role.”