New Police Chief Of Community Affairs Takes Office
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The New York City Police Department promoted several key officers on Friday.
During a ceremony in One Police Plaza, presided over by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Assistant Chief Philip Banks was elevated to chief of community affairs.
The move makes Banks the highest ranking uniformed African-American in the police department.
Banks will take command of one of the NYPD's largest bureaus, which is responsible for police-community relations, including immigrant outreach, youth services and school safety.
The new community affairs chief said communication is key to building bridges between law enforcement and civilians.
"I think deep down the communities love the police and the police love the communities, and if we could really start to get to know each other a lot better, we're going to see that we have a lot in common and our goals are actually one and the same," said Banks.
Two assistant chiefs, six inspectors and several detectives were also promoted at the ceremony.