The New York Police Department’s top uniformed officer abruptly resigned on Friday, just days before he was to be promoted to the top civilian position directly beneath Commissioner William J. Bratton, reports the New York Times.
The officer, Philip Banks III, who held the position of chief of department, cited only “professional reasons” for his resignation. Several people familiar with his thinking said he worried the promotion to first deputy commissioner would have effectively removed him from day-to-day and strategic crime-fighting initiatives for the nation’s largest police force.
Chief Banks, who is black, was to have replaced Rafael Pineiro, the highest-ranking Hispanic member of the department. Mr. Pineiro announced his retirement last month amid protests from some Hispanic police leaders who felt he had been forced out.
