Mayor candidate Eric Adams’ search for new NYPD commissioner is national in scope, being conducted by staff of ‘dozens’
Eric Adams’ search for New York City’s next police commissioner has begun in earnest and is national in scope, according to a top aide who says the Democratic mayoral nominee has enlisted dozens of advisers to conduct the search.
One of the first steps in the selection process will be to send questionnaires to potential candidates, followed by interviewing and vetting, said Adams’ spokesman Evan Thies.
Thies, who declined to share the entire questionnaire, sent the Daily News a small sample of the questions, and said that if his boss defeats Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in November’s general election, Adams will be able to hit the ground running with the search.
“Eric isn’t waiting until he’s elected the next mayor of New York to find the best candidate to run the NYPD. He launched a national search so that he and his transition team can begin interviewing just days after the November 2 election if he is elected mayor,” Thies said. “Eric tapped dozens of law enforcement, police reform and criminal justice experts and advocates to put together a battery of questions for each candidate to answer in order to qualify for a formal review.”
Some of the questions include:
- How will you work to recruit civilian talent in positions such as IT, legal and other positions that can benefit the organization?
- How do you drive your vision for success through assessment and promotion of officers?
- What role do you think the community should play in defining and achieving public safety goals?
- There is tremendous tension between those who want to decrease police and those who want to increase the NYPD, especially in light of increasing hate crimes. What would be your plan to balance those two opposing views to increase safety in NYC?
Adams, who as a Democrat is expected to win handily in November, is not naming candidates, but he said during the primary that the next police commissioner will be a woman. One prospect is thought to be NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes, although Adams has suggested he is looking outside the department as well as inside.
“His criteria for the position includes his requirement that the next head of the police department possess both criminal justice expertise and emotional intelligence,” Thies said.
Adams is also considering the idea of bifurcating the role of commissioner. Under that scenario, the commissioner would serve as the public face of the department and be responsible for its general direction and the “big picture,” according to Thies. The chief of department would handle more of the day-to-day management of the department.
Among those on Adams’ police commissioner search team are former NYPD Chief of Department Phillip Banks, whose brother David Banks is considered a leading candidate to become the next schools chancellor, and Karol Mason, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Other members of the committee include Elizabeth Velez, chairwoman of the New York Building Congress, and Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation.
Adams’ overall transition is being overseen by Sheena Wright, head of United Way of New York City. Wright is in a long term relationship with David Banks and is also a candidate to become Adams’ first deputy mayor.
Of all the candidates Adams is considering for major appointments, Banks is considered the most likely to be a shoo-in. Other names floated for schools chief include John King, an education secretary under President Obama, and Shael Polakow-Suransky, a deputy schools chancellor under Mayor Bloomberg.
