NYPD in damage control after chief of department quits

The NYPD’s chief of department abruptly quit Friday rather than take a promotion from Police Commissioner Bill Bratton that the chief believed was a powerless position setting him up for failure, law-e🧸nforcement sources told The Post.

Philip Banks III was to be promoted to first deputy commissioner at a ceremony Monday but backed out at the last minute during a heated ꦏmeeting at Police Headquarters, sources sa👍id.

“You still have not done anything. You have not changed the direction of the Police Department. You asked me to come up with six or seven policies that you did not implement,” Ban🦩ks fumed at the city’s top cop.

“The department is just going to go further into turmoil, and I don’t want to get blamed ♉for that.”

The move left the NYPD withou🧔t a black or Hispanic person in any of its top three positions after Bratton’s ouster of First Deputy Rafael Pineiro, who resigned under pressure in September.

It a🐽lso set up a looming crisis between Mayor de Blasio and the minority community, with several City Council members expressing outrage at Banks’ departure.

In a statement, Council Members Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) and Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx) said de Blasio “was elected in large parౠt [by] New York’s black and brown commun♊ity on assurance that he would mend poor police-community relations.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, ♚an NYPD critic, said he had spoken to de Blasio an🌸d would discuss their “conversation about diversity” at a rally in Harlem on Saturday.

Sources said that when Bratton offered Banks Pineiro’s post, Banks — then No. 3 in the NYPD’s chain of command — insisted on assumin🏅g more responsibilities 🐲than Pineiro had.

Pineiro’s duties were largely administrative, including oversight of the Pe꧋rsonnel, Support Services and Criminal Justice bureaus.

Banks deman💮ded that his successor as chief of department report directly to him, which is how the NYPD has hꦰistorically operated, except under Commissioners Lee Brown and Ray Kelly.

His other conditions included oversight of the Internal A🌟ffairs Bureau, 🌌sources said.

Durin♏g his first stint as commissioner, Bratton had restored the first deputy𓆏’s authority over the chief of department.

Bratton initially promised to grant Banks’ wishes, ♔sources said.

But Bratton dithered, and the power stဣruggle came to a head during Friday’s morning meeting at 1 Police Plaza as Banks demanded a firm answer.

Bratton said he needed more time to co▨nsider the matter, at which point Banks exploded and said he was quitting, sources said.

Sources said Bratton implored Banks to stay, telling him, “I think you’re making a m🍎ajor mistake.”

“I’🅠m asking you to reconsider. Give me 30 days to work꧅ it out,” Bratton said.

But Banks refused and stormed out, sources said.

Bratton then ♉called de Blasio, who summoned the commish to C𝓀ity Hall and chewed him out.

“You promised me you were going to use𒁏 Banks and implement some of his policies. I counted on you to make changes, and now I’m blindsided by this,” de Blasio yelled.

Bratton💜 appeared shaken as he left the meeting and “looked like he needed a glass of water,” which he was handed by an aide, sources said.

Reached Friday night𒁏, Banks said he still backed de Blasio and Bratton. “I support both of them and any comments to the contrary are not🔯 my comments,” Banks told The Post, insisting there had been no disagreement over policy.

“Those🗹 are not my comments. I’m not concerned with that. That did not come from me,” he said🍬.

Sources said the mayor didn’t want to lose Banks, who was First Lady Chirlane McCray’s choice for comm♛issioner over Bratton.

In a statement, de Blaౠsio said he was “disappointed to hear of Chief Philip Banks’ personal decision to step down.”

“He has served New York City admi🍸rably during his nearly 30 years on the force, and we were enthusiastic about the leadership and energy he would haveಌ brought to the position of first deputy commissioner,” he added.

Bratton told reporters he was surprised when Banks 💮quit, and he insisted he had planned on giving him more responsi🐼bilities.

He said Banks “was going to focus very heavily on our personnel-development training initiatives at the academy, and also the significant rebuilding of relationships with the minority co🔯mmunities after thဣe questionable stop-and-frisk issues over the past few years.”

“He was going to effectively be my right-hand man as he has largely been this past year, so he will be missed, certainly by me both personally an🌺d professionally,” Bratton said.

Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts