NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The NYPD's highest-ranking black official, first deputy commissioner Benjamin Tucker, said he's "disappointed" he wasn't chosen to replace outgoing commissioner James O'Neill.
"Yeah, of course you’re disappointed," Tucker, said at a press conference Wednesday. "At the same time, it’s the mayor’s call."
The NYPD's chief of detectives, Dermot Shea, was tapped by Mayor Bill de Blasio to replace O'Neill. Tucker made the remarks at the press conference, as de Blasio, O'Neill and Shea sat just feet away.
Tucker was absent from Monday's press conference, at which O'Neill announced he was leaving and would be replaced by Shea.
Tucker said de Blasio told him Sunday at Gracie Mansion that Shea would replace O'Neill.
The mayor has come under criticism for appointing another white man to lead an increasingly diverse city. Catalina Cruz, a Queens assemblywoman, tweeted, "At a time when the relationship between police and communities of color couldn’t be worse - we chose yet another white guy?"
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also slammed the mayor for passing over Tucker.
"I am frustrated that this mayor who came in talking about diversity has now skipped over the top ranking black and brown people who work in the NYPD for another white male," Williams said Wednesday on the Brian Lehrer show. "Three times, it seems to be a pattern."
De Blasio's reaction to the criticism? It's nonsense, he says.
"Look at this administration, which is the most diverse administration in terms of leadership the city’s ever seen," he told reporters at an event in Brooklyn Wednesday.
He added, "Right now, we’ve got a police department that’s doing absolutely extraordinary work. It’s a question of what player do you want in what position."