A member of Eric Adams’ transition team approached the commanding officer of the NYPD Licensing Division in December to ask about the possibility of obtaining weapons permits for civilians who would potentially be assigned to protect City Hall.
The head of the NYPD Licensing Division, according to four sources briefed on the conversation, expressed concern about the proposal made by Tim Pearson, a retired NYPD inspector who was part of the NYPD’s transition team. Adams.
Deputy Inspector Hugh Bogle reported this to a supervisor, concerned that the request was made by a non-government official who raised a questionable idea of replacing trained NYPD officers with less-trained civilians.
A senior official said Pearson pointed to the possibility of providing security for the mayor “in a different way.”
Adams’ senior spokesman confirmed to our sister network NBC 4 that the meeting took place, but denies that there was ever any intention to replace NYPD officers with civilians in the mayor’s security detail.
“Pearson, on the transition team, was asking about the possibility of replacing NYPD officers at City Hall, not the Mayor’s detail, with other qualified city employees,” said Communications Director Maxwell. Young.
The spokesman added that the idea was to “save resources and get more agents out on the street.”
City officials say the proposal was to hire civilians, through the City Administrative Services Department, and appoint them as special patrol officers with gun licenses and powers of arrest. These civilians would have been stationed in high-profile positions like the front doors and hallways of City Hall and Gracie Mansion, according to Young.
Young said the idea of civilians protecting City Hall was scrapped when security concerns arose.
Word got out in some police and union circles that an effort was under way not only to replace the uniformed police officers who protect City Hall, but also to place known and trusted civilian associates of Mayor Adams in his security detail.
“This is absolutely inaccurate,” Young said in a statement. “Replacement of the mayor’s security team with civilians was never considered at all.”
Adams has said he wants to limit his security detail and faces some criticism for putting his brother Bernard Adams, a retired NYPD sergeant, in charge of his protection.
Adams hired his brother before receiving approval from the Ethics Board. The sources
They told NBC New York that Pearson was also the messenger sent to the NYPD to report that the mayor-elect wanted his brother hired, in what watchdogs say is a violation of local ethics law.
When asked about their reaction to the proposal, some police and union officials said they were concerned about degraded security at City Hall, a possible terrorist target that was also the scene of a 2003 shooting that killed the Brooklyn councilman. JamesDavis.
“NYPD detectives have been protecting City Hall for decades and are second to none at their jobs. The idea that the world’s best detectives can be replaced by less-skilled, experienced and committed civilian security guards is absurd and puts the safety of everyone who works and visits there at risk,” said Detectives Union President Paul DiGiacomo.
DiGiacomo was one of several union officials who said the plan would have violated labor contracts.
Law enforcement sources said another reason the request was vexing is because the NYPD Licensing Division was previously involved in a 2016 corruption investigation where two businessmen were arrested and later convicted of attempting to bribe the mayor. Bill de Blasio and numerous New York Police officers. Questions raised in the case included whether special treatment existed in the granting of gun permits.
Newly appointed Adams Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks was named an unindicted co-conspirator in that case. At the time, Banks was the head of the New York Police Department, but he was not charged with any crime.
The Mayor’s Office also confirmed that during that December meeting at One Police Plaza, Tim Pearson asked about getting a gun permit for himself. She was told that she had to apply through her home county of Nassau.
Through spokespeople, both Banks and Pearson declined requests for comment.
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