Dermot Shea named the next NYPD Police Commissioner
Nov. 4, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new NYPD Police Commissioner Monday.
Dermot Shea, who was raised in Sunnyside along with his four siblings by Irish parents, will take over as Commissioner on Dec. 1.
Shea, currently the NYPD’s Chief of Detectives, began serving as a police officer with the NYPD in 1991, a year when New York City faced more than 2,000 murders. He rose through the ranks and took command of the 44th and 50th Precincts in the Bronx before becoming Chief of Detectives.
“Dermot Shea is a proven change agent, using precision policing to fight crime and build trust between police and communities,” de Blasio said in making the announcement. “As Chief of Crime Control Strategies and then Chief of Detectives, Dermot was one of the chief architects of the approach that has made New York City the safest big city in America.”
However, Shea’s background was not universally lauded, with Assembly Member Catalina Cruz–who represents Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona–tweeting:
Assembly Member Catalina Cruz
“At a time when the relationship between police and communities of color couldn’t be worse – we chose yet another white guy? We have many qualified men and women of color within the @NYPDnews
who could lead the force in the right direction. What gives?” she tweeted.
Shea, at a press conference today, said that he aims to target gang-related violence, take guns off the street and continue to reduce crime in his new role.
“Every New Yorker deserves to be safe and feel safe, and that has been my mission since I took the oath and became a police officer 28 years ago. As Police Commissioner, this will be what drives me,” Shea said.
De Blasio also paid homage to Shea’s predecessor James O’Neill, who announced his resignation on Monday.
“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to express deep gratitude to Jimmy O’Neill for dedicating his entire career to keeping our city safe,” de Blasio said. “Jimmy transformed the relationship between New Yorkers and police, and helped to make the Department the most sophisticated and advanced in the country.”
O’Neill has served as Police Commissioner for three years and presided over the lowest crime rates in New York City since the NYPD started tracking crime rates in the 1950s.
The outgoing commissioner said that his replacement would continue his work in lowering crime rates in New York City.
“Dermot Shea has exactly the experience and skill to continue to drive down crime, strengthen relationships with the community members we serve and make sure every neighborhood has the safety they deserve,” O’Neill said.
At a time when the relationship between police and communities of color couldn’t be worse – we chose yet another white guy? We have many qualified men and women of color within the @NYPDnews who could lead the force in the right direction. What gives? ??♀️??♀️ #ICantEven https://t.co/FvGGYctL6L
— Catalina Cruz, Esq. (@CatalinaCruzNY) November 4, 2019
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71 Comments
The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.
—John Roberts
What does Latina have to do with this? Rosita you waste any more of my tax dollars by responding and doing all you do on a daily basis can you at least understand what’s being written and argued!!! Your not be silenced by anyone but the people who you truly look up to and probably illegally vote for. Take you , your back pack and 2 kids to Latina land. Do you know that there are many many WHITE Latina’s ….
I am a proud Latina living in Sunnyside and a mother of two daughters. Thank you Assembly Member Catalina Cruz for speaking up and representing us. We will not be silenced and we stand with you!
Wow, is this 1984? It’s now racist to say, “Judging a person by the color of his skin is racist” This is so distorted it’s not funny anymore.
A surprise choice by De Blasio, not because Dermot Shea is not the best man for the job, but because he is not a black man. De Blasio has been an awful Mayor for the city of New York and many of his policy decisions seem to be guided entirely by race. He is married to a black woman and his election victory was largely attributable to the television ads run featuring his bi-racial son. For a man who has a mixed race marriage and should know better, he has unfortunately divided New York on racial grounds and created tension between the police and the black population with his race baiting.
Cruz should step down for her racist comments. what does being white have to do with him doing his job? that’s very offensive.
You’re not just pretending to have hurt feelings about this?
In a city where the majority of people are non-white and relations between the NYPD & many of those same communities are not good, it would appear that only a racist would view the Assembly Member ’s question as a racist question.
I find it absolutely ridiculous that this woman had the balls to make such an obvious racial comment. First thing he is the most qualified candidate, secondly because he is white and Irish he is going to be picked on?! That is not a racist statement, purely fact. The difference is the work ethic and education is really not on their side. That has nothing to do with the ” white man” it’s genetic and geopgraphical. (Climate) The irish and italians suffered very brutal reactions when they migrated. The difference is that they had to prove how grateful they were to be in America. That started with hard work and not blaming others for their situations. Leadership is discipline, organization and being on time. I take offense to these types of idiotic, statements by people of color ( you call yourself that, white people don’t say police Commissioner is White) They say the persons name and heritage. He happens to come ftom irish immigrant parents himself that raised him properly with values that instilled hard work and respect for other human beings. That essentially is the bigger picture. Good luck Commissioner Shea. A hard working american who’s parents raised him to do the right thing. Stay safe and humble. Always stay classy!
So this is how a Member of the New York State Assembly congratulates our new Police Commissioner? “At a time when the relationship between police and communities of color couldn’t be worse – we chose yet another white guy? Assembly Member Cruz, do you want to know something? Commissioner Shea did not appoint himself. He was Mayor De Blasio’s pick. Dermot Shea worked his way up through the ranks. Instead of pre-judging Dermot Shea for being “another white guy” give him the benefit of the doubt, respect, fairness, and good wishes as he steps up to serve. He could turn out to be the Police Commissioner who will seriously address your concerns about relations between communities of color and the men and women sworn to protect us all, and who put their lives on the front line every single day.
“Cruz is merely tweeting what people in her community and others have been saying for years. The difference is that she happens to be in office.”
Joe, that is exactly why it is so important to be careful with words when you are in office.
Was it “yet another white guy” when DiBlasio was elected?
@Gustavo Rojas- Yes O’Neil fired a cop who did his job, for acting with depraved indifference to human life and costing the city tens of millions of dollars in the process of acting with depravity.
I hope the new police commissioner is the not mayor’s “puppet” like the last one. Only time will tell. Maybe that is why he overlooked other the top ranking people who work in the NYPD for another white male.
Cruz is not the only one questioning the mayors announcement. Its all over social media and news articles that the mayor reportedly passed over a black chief to run the N.Y.P.D. for the third time. The mayor had an opportunity to bring a new image to the NYPD like he did with Richard Carranza and the Board of Education. However, its more beneficial to his political agenda to keep the commissioner a “white older male” and keep the racial tensions between certain communities (voters) and policing going when something goes wrong.
Cruz must have gotten a lot of blowback, since she’s since penned an Opinion in the Queens Eagle. No apology, but here’s as close as she gets:
“In retrospect, I didn’t state it as eloquently as I should have.”
FYI, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz is married to a New York Police Department police officer. She and her husband live in Jackson Heights, Queens. Perhaps she is tweeting what her husband and some of his colleges cant.
Nice to see so many white folks defending our Mayor and one of his decisions.
The number two guy in NYPD, the 1st Deputy commissioner Benjamin Tucker is African American and was overlooked. Ask Mayor DiBlasio why he went down three notches in the chain of command and chose him. The Mayor is to blame here – Benjamin Tucker was next in line, a true cop, a crime fighter who disagrees with the Mayor on many of his policies. Dermott Shea also rose through the ranks, but more of a paper pusher, crime stats guy and a “yes” man from Sunnyside, endorsed, lobbied heavily by Jimmy Van Bramer for the top Cop NYPD job. So there you have it. Little man JVB was the hook to get him in.
Yet we had Benjamin ward stated most 90% of the crime committed in the City of nowhere were committed by black youths under 30?? Where were our critics then?? Took civil service exam . Hired at 20 . took and passed every promotion exam. Then merit promotions beyond the civil service rank of captain. Why are they so negative about him?? He side with Okneel ” in the firing of a cop that did his job. I guess he didn’t pander enough. Catalina Cruz the product of a community’s only contribution to Queens was money laundering and providing the main import product of Columbia . You are a disgrace Nena.
I am a Hispanic woman.. thanks to MS CRUZ For making us look bad..!!!!
Cruz is merely tweeting what people in her community and others have been saying for years. The difference is that she happens to be in office. I grew up in NYC and went to school here. I am close friends with many minorities throughout NYC and the lack of minorities in important leadership roles has always been an issue. As a matter of fact, its reflected in the community and workplace when it comes to people being tired of it and its widely accepted to talk about someones race especially when they are white and in authority. As a male born and raised in NYC with Southern European ancestry who learned to speak Spanish and has socialized with first generation new yorkers of many backgrounds this kind of tweet is not surprising to me.
I voted for the president that told 2 native-born American congresswoman to “go back to your own country” because they were brown.
But I suddenly care about racism now!
I agree with Catalina!!! We must keep advocating for more people of color in leadership to represent the population most of risk from the everyday abuse minorities are facing from cops! Some white people do not understand this. My children are bi racial and i see things differently now in so many ways. Racism will exist in our communities and the N.Y.P.D. for sometime to come and we all know it.
Assembly Member Catalina Cruz’s statement isn’t racist. Her opinion will not hinder the professional growth of any white man. And, she doesn’t dislike the new chief. People of color being absent from exec positions is not bc their not qualified, but bc of systemic racism.
Cruz has the right to question the lack of minority in leadership. It’s not an insult it’s a fact of life.
IMO, this all plays into the whole identity politics scheme of things. Its a lot easier to discuss, attack and be against a whole entire police force (including racial profiling, bias, discrimination, criminal reform, mass incarceration, etc.) when the police commissioner is of a certain race. the mayor knows what he is doing. Its a way to keep the rhetoric and movements alive and going and make it an issue for future liberals, progressives, etc. to be elected. By the way, I am latina.
I am definitely so happy he come to be Police commissioner for New York. wishing him all success he’s a good man
I don’t care what color the police commisioner is. He could look like Gumby. The only thing that matters is whether or not the person is good at their job.
The guy was the Chief of Detectives. He commanded two precincts in the Bronx. He’s the perfect person to have at the helm, seeing as we’re going to have choppy waters ahead…
Cut the racism Cruz. Could it be he is the most qualified for this difficult position. Why is the race card always pulled by the liberal left party. Putting a minority person in a top position just for the sake of it is irresponsible and unfair to that person and the public they serve. Open your eyes and select quality and experience not quotas. I am sure if the mayor had someone in mind he would have picked them.
JVB, why so quiet???? A son of Sunnyside becomes the top cop in the city, and a Queens Assemblywoman makes a racist, disparaging remark about him. You should put out a statement, not a tweet.
To all of you democrats who are conflicted because of Cruz and AOC hijacking the Dems. Your party is dead. There is no more Democratic Party. It turned into a socialist party in the matter of months. Go Red. Vote them out and step into the right direction-republican. I did the same and proud of it.
Cruz can rant and rave, jump up and down and say whatever racist thing that comes into her brain. Shea is going to be the next Police Commissioner and there isn’t anything she can do about.
Yet another resentful “person of color” with a chip on her shoulder. So sad and so predictable.
Racist people are ignorant by nature-well done Cruz you just let your mask slip.
Cruz said what she said because she felt she could say, probably even felt entitled to say it. She needs to check her “person of color” privilege. You can’t call someone racist, when you’re racist yourself. Doubt she’ll ever be able to see that, as she appears to have to much invested in her own identity. Her identity is probably all she has to offer. Doesn’t appear that she has any real political talent. Just a great big chip on her shoulder.
How long as Cruz been in office? What are her accomplishments? Has she introduced any legislation that passed? How many jobs has she created through her own actions? What specifically has she done to improve the lives of the people who elected her? How is the city a better place for having her in the government?
How would she like it if he was latin and i said just what we need another Spanish guy
Wow! So Martin Luther King’s dream of a color-blind society is officially dead. Thanks, libs! You RUIN EVERYTHING. #votethemout.
Congratulations to dermot Shea.
A very rare good thing related to Sunnyside nowadays. I played Roller hockey with him and was his teammate with him for Queen of Angels.
We won the 1985 roller hockey championship.
Good luck Dermot.
You’ll need it with DEBOZO as Mayor.
Abhorrent statement from Cruz! Very disturbing to hear such talk. I agree with other posters that the Democratic party has been hijacked by people who have instilled in their voters the feeling that such statement is OK. I am very much against Trump, but I find myself aligned with a party which accepts such racist talk as OK. I am very conflicted as a result. The only solution, other than breaking the 2 party model is to vote in the Democratic primaries for people advocating a more common sense direction.
Cruz is a classless racist, unfortunately she is typical. Nothing special or original, more ignorant than anything else. Never heard of her before this, that’s how inconsequential she is.
Hey Cruz,
If you had cancer, would you want the most qualified doctor? Or strictly a doctor “of color?”
You are the perfect embodiment of why this lifelong Democrat will remain a registered Democrat to hopefully help ensure that s$%^ for brains like you don’t get through primaries for important elected office, but will vote Republican from now on in general elections.
You and your ilk no longer represent the beliefs of society as a whole.
You are a racist cheerleader and nothing more.
Some folks will not be happy until there are no more white men.
Yet another hard-working, solid, and reliable Irish-American from Queens.
Congrats to the new Police Commissioner.
Dont let Cruz take away the spotlight, because she’s a racist…
Focus on Dermot Shea, the new Police Commissioner, & all of his accomplishments. Good luck & be safe.
Dermot Shea – congratulations!!! Like Mr. O’Neill, you worked your way up in the NYPD. Nobody gave you anything.It amazes me how somebody like Ydanis Rodriquez, whenever he talks, there should be subtitles or an interpreter. But then again, the people that voted him in, probably need Vote Aqui on election day!
Cruz is a double standard racist. She doesn’t believe in qualifications, but appearance. Even Mayor Doofus DeLazyio said that Shea was the best qualified and had him in mind to be Police Commissioner more than five years ago. I’m sure she’ll be leading the pack at the next anti-police march.
Can you JUST imagine if a person of color was given this position and a white person made this comment????!!!! Talk about prejudice!!
Of course Cruz would say something like that. What else did you expect. Don’t be fooled by her “person of color” bullsh*t. I’m a white Irish guy married to a Colombian, and I’ve been to Colombia several times (Medellin, Cartagena, San Andres Island), most of the people I met considered themselves to be white and didn’t even know what I meant when I said Latino. It’s only in this country that a Spanish speaker from Central/South America becomes a Hispanic “person of color”, especially when it suits someone’s (Cruz) agenda. FYI – Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. There are white Hispanics and there are black Hispanics.
A good Irishman
This is a shameful use of hateful rhetoric that somehow became accepted as norm nowadays. Hope it tanks her political career.
Who was the candidate that she recommended for the job?
Congratulations and good luck! Don’t forget sunnyside, clean it up for us!
I’m done. Switching to republican.
Dear Ms Cruz: thanks for making everything about race. Again. You don’t want another white guy, YOU run for the position.
Catalina Cruz is a racist.
Racist statement.
Good to know Catalina Cruz is a racist
Congrats and good luck!
Cruz is a racist.
What a shameful remark by assembly woman Cruz . Detective Shea has more than paid his dues to this City and deserves this promotion. Richard O’ Connor . Sunnyside
Headlights are on.
Blue jacket
Catalina Cruz born in Colombia and entered the U.S illegally as a “Dreamer” takes exception to the son of legal Irish immigrants becoming commissioner..Instead of being grateful for what this city has offered her she instead has an axe to grind
If a white person made a comment like this she would want the person arrested. Shes racist.
ACAB
Catalina Cruz’s mentality which is the same as the racist mentality of the voters (almost no turnout)that got her into office is going to destroy this city. Funny how Cruz said there were many people of color suited for the job without naming a single person. I knew Dermot from the neighborhood and share many mutual friends and what I know of him, he is respected, respectful experienced and honorable. Cruz should take a lesson and get some class instead of lazily and constantly playing the race card her behavior is what fuels people like the treasonous Orange Clown and his low information supporters.
Assembly Member Catalina Cruz – a bigot who would discriminate based on race. The man is well qualified, period. Imagine if a comment was the other way around about a “another black guy” being appointed to a position.
He should move back to sunnyside and clean it up.
And Cruz saying “another white guy” how racist of her.
When I see a tweet like that from Cruz, I find it hard to remain a liberal white guy. It seems that the liberals are racist against whites. Can’t you imagine if a white council member tweeted something similar about a person of color????
“We have many qualified men and women of color”
Yeah, because color is all that should matter. Talking about qualifications, this dude was police for almost 30 years and was chief in two different departments. I’m sure qualifications like that should matter, no? Ok, you’re right, qualification should all be about color now.