Facing criticicm from Gov. Andrew Cuomo for how his department is enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing rules, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told NY1 that he fears singling out groups in COVID-19 hot spots could take the department down a “slippery slope."

Shea was responding to comments made by Cuomo during multiple news conferences in which he said local governments need to hand out fines rather than educate people about rules that have been in place for months. 

“We think there’s a better way to do that, and I’ll be honest, I stopped watching those press conferences a long time ago,” Shea said on “Mornings On 1.”

“When you start talking about single groups of people, that is very dangerous in my view,” he said.

While summonses are on the table, Shea said it is up to officers to use their discretion on how they handle New Yorkers not wearing masks. When prompted on if officers had been given instruction to be tougher on mask wearing enforcement, Shea said “absolutely not.”

The NYPD has faced scrutiny of its own for officers not wearing masks.

The police commissioner said the department has improved, but points out that police are being singled out.

“When you talk about mask wearing of the officers — can you find an officer? Absolutely. I think you can find someone in basically any walk of life across New York City in multiple jobs not wearing masks,” said Shea. “People need to have confidence in their police departments."

Shea said Chief of Department Terence Monahan issued a video to the NYPD last week in an effort to spread the message on compliance. He said mask wearing is something the department takes very seriously, and adds that extra discipline for officers is on the table if necessary.