ONE POLICE PLAZA — As many as 100 NYPD commanders will be transferred in a massive overhaul that continues Police Commissioner Bratton’s shakeup of the NYPD, DNAinfo New York has learned.
Topping the list of transfers, a much larger shift than a new police commissioner normally makes, are new bosses of detectives in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and a third chief to oversee officers in The Bronx.
Sixty-seven of the the NYPD's top ranked officers were formally transfered early Tuesday evening in an announcement sent over the department's internal "New York Finest" message system.
"These new positions will best suit our leadership teams' skills, experience and expertise in order to remain effective in reducing crime, protecting the city from terrorism, focusing on pedestrian safety, and ensuring that citizens' concerns are beging appropriately addressed," Bratton said in a statement following the transfers.
Sources said more moves will roll out in coming weeks rounding out Bratton's vision to freshening up management throughout the ranks and bring new perspectives to their missions.
Bratton began to put his imprint on the department within weeks of taking over the NYPD for a second time earlier this year.
Bratton forced the retirement of the Internal Affairs boss Charles Campisi and Chief of Detectives Philip Pulaski, who were viewed as two of former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s top lieutenants. He then shifted three-star Chief Joanne Jaffe to run Community Affairs Bureau, replacing her with Bronx Patrol Chief Carlos Gomez.
Assistant Chief Lawrence Nikunen, who once commanded Manhattan detectives, is heading to The Bronx, where he'll have Deputy Chief Terence Monahan as a second-in-command, a veteran of the borough and a top-ranked boss in the citywide Narcotics Division.
Assistant Chief Brian Burke, who headed up Kelly’s security detail for most of the former commissioner's 12-year tenure atop the NYPD, will become the number two boss in the Detective Bureau under Robert Boyce, who replaced Pulaski.
Deputy Chief Patrick Conry will oversee Brooklyn detectives, sources said. And the new Manhattan detectives’ boss will be William Aubry, who replaces Boyle.
Several ranking officers are also leaving the Internal Affairs Bureau, which has been criticized for focusing on relatively minor violations such as the use of police placards and parking rather than rooting out corruption.
Bratton has already tried to put his imprint on other issues facing the NYPD despite its success in bringing crime to historically low levels.
Bratton has already pledged to reign in the department’s excessive and controversial stop-and-frisk tactic that fractured public trust and led to the implementation of an NYPD Inspector General and possibly a federal monitor. He also vowed to have an open, collaborative relationship with the public.
