On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams defended the choice of his brother to serve as deputy commissioner for the NYPD, saying he needed someone he could trust to protect him – including from potential threats from white supremacy.
During an appearance on CNN, the new mayor revealed that his younger brother, the former NYPD officer Bernard Adams, will be tasked with protecting his safety.
“Let me be clear on this: My brother is qualified for the position. Number one, he will be responsible for my safety, which is extremely important to me at a time when we are seeing an increase in white supremacy and hate crimes,” it said. black mayor on “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper when he was pressured about potential conflicts of interest. “I have to take my safety in a very serious way.”
The city’s conflict of interest council, an ethics panel, will ultimately “make the decision” on whether the mayor should give permission to hire his brother as deputy commissioner, Adams said.
Adams’ brother, a 56-year-old retired NYPD sergeant, was recently listed as deputy commissioner on the NYPD list, according to internal documents obtained by The Post on Friday.
Bernard Adams – currently assistant director of parking at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he has worked since 2011 – confirmed to The Post that he is willing to oversee state affairs in a civilian position that typically comes with a salary of around $ 242,000.
On Sunday, Eric Adams claimed that his brother would help him find a “balance” between keeping the mayor safe and still being “approximate” to New Yorkers. Adams said his siblings fit the role because of his NYPD experience – and because he “deeply” trusts him.
“I need the right balance, and I do not want the people of this city to believe that the mayor is not available and that he is not willing to engage with them at the level that I want to represent, said Adams. “You saw me take the subway system when my day 1 was in the office, and that’s the kind of thing I’m going to do.
“My brother has a societal background, the balance I need, he understands law enforcement. He was a 20-year-old retired veteran of the police department, and I need someone I trust around me in these times with my safety , and I trust my brother deeply. “
Also on Sunday, Adams sought to justify the election of Phil Banks – an indictment co-conspirator in a federal police corruption investigation – as his deputy mayor for public safety.
Banks was never charged in the case, but was later named by FB as an unaccompanied accomplice. Banks and Adams have repeatedly denied he had committed any offense, pointing to the fact that the FB never raised criminal charges as evidence of his innocence.
The mayor claimed that Banks – who had withdrawn from the top uniformed seat in the NYPD when federal investigators investigated “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in Banks’ account – is a “talented” crime fighter who “considered his” real mistakes.
“I think Phil recognizes that there were some real mistakes and mistakes that were made, he was not charged with crime,” Adams said.
“I think when you look at what happened yesterday in this city where a young person was shot by a robbery in a store, it really personifies why you should use the best person for the job,” said Adam Sunday morning, referring to the death. a female teen cashier killed on an East Harlem Burger King.
“I can not let bad people do bad things to good people … when I have a talented person who has just made some … bad decisions,” Adams said. “[Banks] did not do anything that was criminal.
“Bill is a great person at the right time to do this job,” Adams said. “Leaving that talent on the bench is the wrong thing to do. He’s the right person at the time to really bring together all my law enforcement agencies and units, and he wants to show New Yorkers every day. [that’ he’s the right person for this job, and I’m excited about having him on the team.”
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