Harlem's Police Precincts Run By African-Americans For First Time In History

Many are still skeptical of NYPD's intentions.

Harlem, a place known internationally as a hub for all things Black, for the first time in it's storied history has all-Black led police precincts.

Captain Steven Griffith recently took charge of West 126th Street's 26th Precinct as Deputy Inspector Kevin Williams took ever at the 28th Precinct, Deputy Inspector Ruel Stephenson at the 30th, and Inspector Rodney Harrison at the 32nd.

“It is a positive that the people are getting commanders who look like their communities," says Tim Pearson, retired black NYPD Inspector and the vice president of the New York chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement. “We are striving forward. The diversity is spreading out. The people were demanding this for years and now they are getting it.”

But not everyone is sold.

"Is any of this all an accident?" asked one black police official, who asked for anonymity in the Huffington Post. "Or is it a reaction to the department's problems over stop and frisk and other community issues? Every decision is measured and there are calculated reasons for them, including politics, perceptions and pressure."

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