NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea will be named the department’s next Commissioner when outgoing top cop James O’Neill steps down on Monday afternoon, City Hall announced.
Shea will assume control of the nation’s largest police force, becoming the third man to hold the post during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure.
“Dermot Shea is a proven change agent, using precision policing to fight crime and build trust between police and communities,” said Hizzoner in a statement provided by City Hall. “Dermot is uniquely qualified to serve as our next Police Commissioner and drive down crime rates even further.”
De Blasio went on to thank O’Neill for his more than three years of service as New York’s top cop.
“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to express deep gratitude to Jimmy O’Neill for dedicating his entire career to keeping our
city safe,” he added. “Jimmy transformed the relationship between New Yorkers and police, and helped to make the Department the most sophisticated and advanced in the country.”
Sources told The Post that the gig was first offered to O’Neill’s second-in-command, First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker, but that he declined the assignment.
Officials are expected to formally announce the change in a City Hall press conference at 2 p.m.