The clock is ticking for newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to name a police commissioner — the first changing of the guard at the NYPD in 12 years, says the New York Daily News. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio wants to put as many “key players in place as possible, as quickly as possible.” Chief of Department Philip Banks III — the highest-ranking black cop on the force — and ex-NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton are considered leading candidates.
Bratton has been the top cop in Boston and in Los Angeles, where he led the department out of federal oversight. The next commisioner will face oversight by an inspector general approved by the City Council. Insiders say Banks, 50, might be a better fit because he may help strengthen ties with minority communities. He's the former head of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau. A law enforcement source said Washington, D.C., Chief Cathy Lanier was among those contacted about the job.