From a hundred and twenty fifth Road to One Police Plaza: Deputy Inspector Tarik Sheppard, commanding officer of the twenty eighth Precinct in Harlem, was sworn in because the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Info (DCPI) on Aug. 7. The place serves because the police division’s prime media spokesperson.
“It’s uncommon to search out the extent of expertise, creativity, and care that Deputy Commissioner Sheppard has persistently delivered to the NYPD for the previous 20 years,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban in a press release. “I’ve typically sought Deputy Commissioner Sheppard’s perspective on issues of significance earlier than this new function—and I now look ahead to having him on my government workforce. Working with the press is an obligation the NYPD takes critically and I do know we have now the precise particular person in Deputy Commissioner Sheppard to share the work of New York’s Most interesting as they proceed to drive down crime and enhance public security.”
Sheppard’s new workplace handles 1000’s of media inquiries every month, many undoubtedly contributed by the Amsterdam Information. Past facilitating press conferences, interviews, and information protection, the DCPI can be chargeable for a lot of the NYPD’s branding and advertising efforts. Sheppard boasts three years as DCPI response lieutenant and may rattle off an limitless listing of incidents fielded by the workplace.
“I’ve responded to issues that I by no means thought would occur in my police profession,” stated Sheppard. “Actual terrorism incidents [like] the West Aspect Freeway assault, a person attempting to blow himself up within the subway system, [a] bomb goes off on twenty third Road, a bomb in a truck on Occasions Sq., gadgets despatched to the CNN constructing, powder jobs that turned out to be official, [and] an energetic shooter up within the Bronx hospital.
“Simply all types of issues that you’d assume that ‘that is solely TV’—that is really taking place. We reply to all these incidents, and we take care of media on the scene. I had expertise and it’s unlucky that these incidents occurred…[but] I’ve that in my background to depend on that have now because the commissioner [and] know what to do in these conditions.”
Born and reared in Harlem, Sheppard recalled fond recollections of rising up on 142nd Road in his early years earlier than spending his teenagers dwelling on 133rd underneath the watchful eye of his dad, who survived the Attica jail riots and was eager on preserving his sons in line. However Sheppard says he was welcome all through town as a highschool basketball star at Cardinal Hayes Excessive College for Boys. He took his jumpshot to Southern New Hampshire College, the place he was workforce captain for 3 of his 4 faculty years.
The 19-year NYPD veteran joined the power in 2004 as a patrol cop for the Bronx’s forty seventh Precinct earlier than he moved up the ranks within the 2010s. He ended up again in Harlem, main the twenty eighth Precinct, a inexperienced house peninsula bordered by three totally different parks and masking “Black Mecca” landmarks just like the Apollo Theater and essentially the most bustling section of a hundred and twenty fifth Road.
Shatic Mitchell, former Manhattan Group Board 10 president, stated Sheppard was devoted because the twenty eighth’s commanding officer and well liked by the native Harlem group. He stated the brand new deputy commissioner will thrive within the function on account of his communication expertise.
“[As] group members, generally we have a tendency to come back with the identical questions again and again, [like] when are you going to get the weapons off the road,’” stated Mitchell. “I’ve seen him in numerous conferences, reply the identical query over and again and again with endurance and compassion—by no means getting annoyed.
“I’ve seen different regulation enforcement officers get frazzled or annoyed. [With Sheppard], you all the time left feeling like your query was answered and he solutions it to the most effective of his potential.”
He added that Sheppard was deeply conscious of the neighborhood’s gangs and long-standing beefs, because of his Harlem roots.
Sheppard stated the hardest job as DCPI is mending the notion of town’s public security to replicate crime numbers. Then there’s the matter of social media.
Sheppard talked about the latest Union Sq. riot that was influenced by a distinguished on-line movie star’s unsanctioned online game console giveaway. In January, Sheppard’s previous precinct got here underneath hearth after a journalist’s viral publish of a group affairs officer filming concert-goers exterior Drake’s Apollo present. It shortly sparked issues of mass surveillance, facial recognition, and the notorious NYPD’s “hip hop police.” Sheppard stated by the point he appeared on TV to inform the precinct’s aspect of the story, the “harm was already carried out.”
“I discovered earlier than Kai Cenat: Take a look at our state of affairs—social media generally is a very highly effective, highly effective device that after it’s out, you’ll be able to’t decelerate,” he stated.
Regardless of the DCPI’s essential function within the NYPD, the place is usually held by former journalists reasonably than regulation enforcement professionals, together with Sheppard’s predecessor, Julian Phillips. The Emmy-winning broadcaster was appointed simply over a 12 months in the past. Phillips and Sheppard are the primary and second Black DCPIs for the NYPD.
As for what Sheppard will miss most in regards to the twenty eighth Precinct: “The folks,” he stated with out hesitation.Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public security for the Amsterdam Information. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps maintain him writing tales like this one; please think about making a tax-deductible reward of any quantity at the moment by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
