Kelly Issues Promotions To City Police Officers
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Police Commissioner Ray Kelly presided over some key NYPD promotions at One Police Plaza in Downtown Manhattan Friday.
The New York Times said some of those promotions were made in an effort to put more minority police officers in top posts.
Kelly said he is looking to diversify the executive core of the force, but all the promotions were based on merit.
"We do strive to have an executive core that represents the department itself and as you know, to rise above the rank of captain, you have to first be a captain," said Kelly. "You have to be a civil service captain and take the civil service examination. We want the executive core to be a representative of the entire department, but I can assure you that today's promotions are based on merit."
The Times reported Friday that Kelly wrote Governor David Paterson a letter vowing to increase the number of minority officers in the NYPD's top tier.
The move came in the wake of the friendly-fire shooting of Omar Edwards, who was shot and killed in East Harlem last month by fellow Officer Andrew Dunton.