Mayor Adams on Tuesday introduced the last-minute appointment of a police-union-backed candidate to go the company answerable for offering unbiased oversight of the NYPD.
The choice to call former journalist Pat Smith because the Civilian Criticism Assessment Board’s interim chair drew outrage from anti-police-violence advocates, who stated the pro-cop board member’s promotion indicators “a green light for unchecked NYPD abuse.”
“Smith has long positioned himself as an adversary of oversight,” stated Yul-san Liem, deputy director of the Justice Committee. “He has repeatedly discouraged New Yorkers from submitting complaints, even after they’ve confronted critical NYPD abuses.
“Putting Smith in charge of the overburdened and under-resourced agency guarantees more harm to the communities most targeted by NYPD and even less accountability for the abuses they endure.”
In denouncing Smith, Liem cited a Hellgate report stating the previous NY Put up editor and columnist routinely overturned findings of abuse flagged by CCRB investigators, and discouraged civilian complaints in opposition to police.
The appointment of Smith, a present member of the CCRB, follows final month’s resignation of former CCRB chair Dr. Mohammad Khalid, who stepped down in response to what he described as “Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry’s campaign of lies against my character.”
“He has lied about me and my record with the CCRB,” Khalid wrote in his resignation letter to Mayor Adams. “He has accused me of being anti-cop, which is absolutely not the case. He even tried to link me to the political agenda of [Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani], for no apparent reason beyond perhaps our shared faith.”
Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information
Police Benevolent Affiliation President Patrick Hendry. (Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information)
In an announcement Tuesday, Hendry cheered Smith’s appointment as signaling a return to equity for the CCRB.
“Pat Smith’s voting record demonstrates that he is one of the few CCRB board members who is willing to review cases fairly and independently,” Hendry stated. “Whereas we don’t at all times agree along with his choices, different CCRB board members are voting virtually 100% of the time to rubber-stamp allegations in opposition to law enforcement officials.
“As interim chair, we hope he will steer CCRB towards the fairness required by the City Charter.”
Although his choice to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch indicated a softening of his place in opposition to the division, Mamdani regularly clashed with the patrolmen’s union throughout his marketing campaign for mayor, when he made statements calling to “defund the police” and to prioritize non-police responses to sure emergency conditions with a brand new Division of Group Security.
It stays unclear if Mamdani will retain Smith as CCRB chair after taking workplace on Jan. 1. Mamdani’s transition group didn’t instantly return a request for remark
