Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday he was “surprised” that Chief of Patrol Fausto Pichardo is stepping down — but downplayed the NYPD official’s reported rift with Mayor Bill de Blasio that sources say spurred his resignation.
In an interview with PIX 11, Shea said he had just spoken with Pichardo on Tuesday.
“It would be putting it mildly that I was surprised that he’s leaving, and more so … because of just how well-respected he is, what a bright future he has no matter what he does,” the top cop said.
“On the one hand, I’m dealing with losing a tremendous asset to this department. I’m torn, because I’m also happy for him if this is what he chooses to do. I wish him nothing but the best for him [and] his family.”
Asked if there was a clash between de Blasio and Pichardo — and whether Hizzoner was meddling in NYPD affairs — Shea said he is “not going to get into that.”
“Certainly, this is the police department of the mayor,” he said. “The mayor is free to reach out and talk to people obviously whenever he sees fit. I don’t know, honestly, you’d have to talk to Fausto.”
“I mean, it’s been a tough year for everyone, certainly in the police department as well as throughout New York City … a lot of time away from family,” Shea added. “All of those things probably came together at this moment in time but I think the important thing is here to move forward.”
In a separate interview on NY1, Shea said Pichardo has “been going without sleep and away from his family for a long time.”
“That’s the human side of this job and it takes a toll,” he said.
Pichardo, who oversees the department’s “largest and most visible bureau” — including a majority of its nearly 24,000 uniformed police officers — was appointed by Shea in December, according to the NYPD.
He began his career in 1997 before rising up the ranks to hold a number of high-profile posts.
“This one is a gut punch because it’s such a huge hole to fill,” Shea said on NY1.
The commissioner told PIX 11 the department has “a deep bench” and Pichardo’s successor will simply be the “next man or next woman up.”
Pichardo was expected to leave sometime before Nov. 12.