By John D. Macari Jr.

The CCRB Has Been Politicized Into a Weapon Against the Rank-and-File

New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) was never meant to be a political machine. It was supposed to be an independent oversight body — a check-and-balance system ensuring police accountability while maintaining public trust. But in recent years, the board’s ideology has shifted so sharply into political activism that it’s become a direct threat to the morale, careers, and future of the NYPD.

And that’s why having a pro-NYPD mayor isn’t just important — it’s essential.


The Power Behind the CCRB: A Political Chessboard


The CCRB is structured as a 15-member board:

  • 1 Chairperson jointly appointed by the Mayor and the City Council
  • 5 appointees from the Mayor
  • 5 from the City Council
  • 1 from the Public Advocate
  • 3 designated by the Police Commissioner

On paper, this design looks balanced. In reality, it tilts heavily toward political influence. The Mayor and the Police Commissioner control 9 of 15 appointments, giving them the power to set the board’s tone and ideology.

When a mayor lacks backbone or worse, panders to anti-police activists those appointments become ideological placements, not fair arbiters. Instead of ensuring transparency and due process, the CCRB turns into an instrument of punishment and political theater.

 

Politicized Appointments, Radical Outcomes

Recent years have shown how ideological board members can warp the process. Activists and anti-police lawyers have been appointed under the banner of “reform,” but their real goal has often been retribution not accountability.

Take the cases of Officers Alongi and Cianfrocco. Even after the CCRB’s own investigators recommended not to charge the officers, the board’s politically driven majority overrode those findings and substantiated charges anyway. This reversal didn’t serve justice it served optics. It sent a message that appeasing anti-cop activists mattered more than following evidence.

 

When an oversight boards begins reverse-engineering investigations to find guilt, every NYPD officer feels the chilling effect.

The Cost: Low Officer Morale along with the inability to recruit and retain officers.

No one becomes a cop expecting to be above accountability but they do expect fairness. When the city’s watchdog becomes a political hammer, fairness disappears.

Officers begin to ask themselves: Why risk my career for a split-second decision when a politically motivated board could destroy me months later?

 

This fear is the silent crisis within the NYPD. It’s why morale has cratered. It’s why recruitment numbers have plunged. It’s why veteran cops are retiring early or fleeing to other departments. And it’s why New York City a city that once prided itself on having the world’s best police force now struggles to fill its academy classes.

 

A Pro-NYPD Mayor Can Restore Balance

The Mayor’s office isn’t just another political seat, it’s the most consequential role in shaping police oversight. A pro-NYPD mayor doesn’t mean a mayor who ignores misconduct; it means one who appoints balanced, experienced, and fair-minded members to the CCRB.

 

If the board were properly staffed, not with activists seeking headlines, but with professionals seeking truth officers would:

  • Trust the system to be fair.
  • Feel empowered to do the job they were trained to do.
  • Stay in New York, instead of running for the exits.

A pro-police mayor could end the era of ideological witch hunts and rebuild a CCRB rooted in integrity, not political opportunism.

 

The Bottom Line

The CCRB has become a mirror reflecting the Mayor’s values. When City Hall bends to activists instead of backing its officers, that mirror cracks — and the city pays the price in safety, morale, and respect for law enforcement.

If New York City wants to restore public order, rebuild the ranks of its police department, and end the politicization of justice, it needs a Mayor who stands up for the NYPD not one who hands its fate to a biased board. 

 

The Possibilities 

Considering Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can be considered “Pro-NYPD”, the choice for NYPD cops is clear .