After a white officer fatally shot an off-duty black officer in Harlem in May, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly wrote to the governor vowing to increase the number of minority officers in the department’s top tier.

On Friday, Mr. Kelly aims to follow through by tapping several minority commanders for coveted positions within the department at a promotion ceremony at 1 Police Plaza.

While some have praised Mr. Kelly as a fair-minded leader of a hierarchical organization, others have cited a need for more diversity in the upper ranks. For his part, Mr. Kelly’s new round of promotions hews closely to a record – as he described it in his letter to Mr. Paterson – showing that minority officers are generally promoted more quickly than white officers of the same rank.

The highest rank to be filled on Friday will be chief of transportation, a three-star bureau chief position. The commissioner has tapped Assistant Chief James Tuller, who is Hispanic, to be the first minority officer to hold that position, aides to Mr. Kelly said. (He is replacing Chief Scagnelli who retired a few weeks ago – reported HERE on YWN.)

Raymond Diaz, another Hispanic officer, who is commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan North, will replace Chief Tuller as the commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan South.

Two minority captains will remain in their posts, but will be promoted to higher ranks. Capt. Rodney Harrison, the commanding officer at the 28th Precinct in Harlem, who is black, will be promoted to deputy inspector; and Deputy Inspector David Colon, second in command at the Community Affairs Bureau, who is Hispanic, will be promoted to inspector, officials said.

As a rule, civil service exams control promotions up to the rank of captain. Promotions above captain are discretionary, and police commissioners use the pool of captains to staff the department’s executive corps, from the positions of deputy inspector through chief.

Commissioner Kelly will also promote Deputy Chief Phillip Banks III to the rank of Assistant Chief and will be designated as the new Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan North. He will be leaving Patrol Borough Brooklyn South (PBBS) – where he was a Chief working under the command of Assistant Chief Joseph Fox.

PBBS released the following statement regarding his promotion:
“His promotion is well deserved and we know that he will continue with the great success he has achieved as the Executive Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South. We will miss his invaluable contributions to Patrol Borough Brooklyn South. Chief Banks served this borough with distinction. We are confident that his leadership experience will provide success in his challenging position, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

YWN would like to personally congratulate Chief Banks upon his new position, and wish him the best of luck and much success.

The Jewish Community will forever be indebted to Chief Banks for always being there for the needs of the Community.

(Dov Gordon – YWN / NY Times)