Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner William Bratton held a joint news conference at Gracie Mansion Sunday afternoon, showing a united front after a turbulent week in which two top NYPD officials stepped down.
On Friday, Police Chief Philip Banks announced his resignation. Banks had been named just days before as one in a trio of promotions—he was expected to take on the role of first deputy commissioner.
The post was formerly held by Rafael Pineiro, whose official last day was also scheduled for Friday.
The mayor and the commissioner convened the press conference almost entirely to refute claims made in the New York Post that portrayed de Blasio, Bratton, and First Lady Chirlane McCray as being at odds with one another.
Bratton discredited the portrayal repeatedly Sunday, saying, “The fabrications—the sourcing if you will—is nothing short of outrageous.”
He added that Banks’ departure shouldn’t be interpreted as anything more than Banks’ own personal decision.
Bratton has said he will announce Banks’ replacement on Wednesday.
The mayor, for his part, emphasized his confidence in the commissioner and in his reorganization of the NYPD.
“I have absolute confidence in Commissioner Bratton and his leadership team,” de Blasio said.
De Blasio also took the opportunity to rebuke the use of anonymous sources in the reporting of Banks’ departure.
“We’ve seen unnamed sources make up entire conversations in their heads and tell flat-out lies,” the mayor said.
Later Sunday, Banks released a statement on his resignation.
He said in part, “I believe it is the right—frankly, the responsibility—of the Commissioner to select whomever he wants to help lead the department and assign responsibilities as he sees fit. In this case, while serving as First Deputy Commissioner would have been an honor, I felt that the position would take me away from where I could make the greatest contribution: the police work and operations that I love so much. While Commissioner Bratton and I both made good-faith efforts to bridge that gap, we were not successful. For that reason, I informed the Commissioner that I could not serve in that role, and he graciously accepted my decision.”
The mayor added that the first lady has “absolute faith” in Bratton, contrary to reports in the Post.
Both de Blasio and Bratton repeatedly emphasized the success stories within the NYPD, with the mayor citing 20 fewer homicides this year as compared to last year.
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