Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said he's committed to implementing changes at the NYPD following a scathing report by the city's Department of Investigation.
The report found that officers heightened tensions by using "excessive enforcement" during the protests following the death of George Floyd this past spring.
“I think it was trying to capture a moment in time in May and June — I don’t think it did a bad job. It pointed out some things that we can look at internally here,” Shea told NY1.
The report offered 20 recommendations for the NYPD. Shea said while he doesn’t agree with every aspect of the report, the department will evaluate and implement recommendations moving forward.
Shea defended how the NYPD handled the protests, arguing that in addition to dealing with protesters, the police had to respond to looting incidents and be on the lookout for people looking to attack officers.
“We handle protests by the thousands in New York City. This was a little different period,” the police commissioner said.
Clashes between police and protesters around the city resulted in dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has previously stated some changes to the department will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Following Shea's interview, de Blasio again told reporters he agrees with the report's findings.
"I think it's clear that we all needed to do better," de Blasio said during his daily briefing. "I needed to do better, Commissioner Shea needed to do better, the leadership of the NYPD citywide and down to the precinct level needed to do better."
But he did say he wished the report had added more context around what he believes the department did right.
Changes will apply not just to training and guidance, but will also include more transparency and clarity on policies, according to Shea.