Photo by Miriam Quinones
In a stern exhortation on Wednesday, Oct. 14, Council Member Fernando Cabrera warned of the consequences of the departures of Chief of Patrol, Fausto Pichardo, and Chief of Transportation, Nilda Irizarry Hofmann, from the NYPD.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, The NY Daily News announced, according to unnamed sources, that Fausto would be retiring following weeks of friction with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
In a press release, Cabrera said, “There are now no Latinos in the upper levels of NYPD leadership, and I have requested a meeting with Commissioner Shea regarding this matter. This is extremely disturbing in a city where over 30 percent of the population is Latino and growing.”
Deputy Chief Nilda Irizarry Hofmann was promoted to Chief of Community Affairs in January 2018, making her the first Hispanic woman in the NYPD to be promoted to a three-star chief. As subsequently reported by Norwood News, Shea announced earlier this year, on June 24, that Hofmann would be designated Chief of Transportation, to continue the stewardship over a series of ongoing innovations for the safe and secure movement of all New Yorkers around our city. The position of Chief of Community Affairs was given to Chief Jeffrey J. Maddrey.
Image courtesy of the 52nd precinct community council.
Irizarry Hofmann began her career with the New York City Police Department as a police administrative aide, assigned to Detective Borough Bronx in October 1987. She was sworn in as a police officer in October 1990, and began her career on patrol in the 43rd precinct. She also served in the 23rd, 25th, 42nd, 44th and 52nd precincts, Patrol Borough Bronx, and the Bronx Task Force. She was promoted to sergeant in April 1998, lieutenant in December 2003, captain in April 2008, deputy inspector in September 2011, inspector in October 2013, deputy chief in June 2018, and chief of community affairs in January 2018.
Irizarry Hofmann also commanded the 25th and 52nd precincts. She also served as executive officer of the Risk Management Bureau and the 42nd precinct. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College, and is a 2013 graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University.
On Oct. 9, Brenda Caldwell-Paris, president of the 52nd precinct Community Council, issued an invitation to the community to join the council on Thursday, Oct. 29, in honoring Irizarry Hofmann as she retires following 30 years of service to the NYPD. When contacted by Norwood News for comment, Caldwell-Paris said she had no other comment other than to say that Councilman Cabrera made a great point and it is a concern for the community.
Meanwhile, Cabrera said that Pichardo, a 20-year veteran and the first Dominican to be named to a high-ranking post within the NYPD, along with Hofmann, had made substantial inroads for the Latinx community in the department and throughout the city. “These two departures are very concerning and raise questions about fairness, equity, and the future of policing in our neighborhoods,” he said.
The departure of two high-profile Latinx members of the NYPD is all the more stark given it comes just as Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close on Oct. 15.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish
You can’t keep people from retiring from the NYPD if that’s what they want to do. The real problem is that deBlasio has abandoned the NYPD, which is forcing out people of all ethnicities. It’s happening in every borough.