NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- NYPD Chief of Patrol Fausto Pichardo resigned on Tuesday amid tensions with Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to police and sources.
Pichardo, who was appointed Chief of Patrol in December of last year, filed for retirement on Tuesday after more than two decades with the NYPD, the department said in a statement.
The 43-year-old was "the first Chief of Patrol of Dominican heritage in NYPD history," the department said, adding that he "worked tirelessly in recent months to guide the men and women in uniform through a series of challenging issues that have strained the city and the agency."
Sources told 1010 WINS Pichardo butted heads with de Blasio amid protests in Borough Park last week over the state's new COVID-19 restrictions.
The sources said de Blasio chastised Pichardo for failing to return his phone call after he'd worked a 36-hour shift.
Pichardo was sworn in as an NYPD officer in 1999, the department said.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, de Blasio spokesman Bill Neidhardt called Pichardo "a deeply respected leader in the NYPD," adding that City Hall was "continuing to have conversations with him regarding his future."
