NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Brooklyn commanding officer accused of being "out of touch" with his neighborhood will be transferred away from his precinct, according to a report.
The NYPD plans to move Deputy Inspector John Mastronardi, who heads the 75th Precinct in East New York, to its Detective Bureau by the end of March, sources told the New York Post.
One source said the NYPD was "moving him because of some retirements," but also noted that a "small portion of the community… wanted him removed," the outlet reported.
Community members who drafted a Change.org petition with more than 260 signatures claimed Mastonardi "is out of touch with our community."
"During the pandemic DI Mastronardi was seen on multiple occasions not wearing a mask while enforcing the residents of the East New York community to wear a mask," the petition read, according to the outlet.
"He doesn't have the leadership capabilities to change the history of misconduct for this police precinct," the petition added.
A cell phone video that went viral in May showed Mastronardi and other police officers breaking up a gathering in East New York that violated COVID-19-related orders.
Mastronardi and several other officers were not wearing masks at the time, the video showed.
Following the incident, then-NYPD Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who is now the chief of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau, said he "made sure and clearly communicated to [Mastronardi] that he has to wear his mask and lead by example."
The NYPD has not yet announced who will replace Mastronardi as head of the precinct.
