Northern Queens NYPD Commander Promoted To Chief Of Personnel

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — The commander of the NYPD's Queens North bureau, based in Forest Hills, earned a major promotion.

Assistant Chief Martin Morales, who has spent 33 years serving in the police department, has been named chief of personnel, Commissioner Dermot Shea announced Friday. The prestigious position is part of the NYPD's executive team.

In his new role, Morales will be responsible for recruiting and appointing police personnel who reflect the city's diverse population and support the department's mission.

Morales oversaw eight police precincts in northern Queens as borough commander, a job he called "one of the best assignments" in his decades-long career at the police department. His last day in the job was Sunday.

"A lot of good things were accomplished this past [year]. Crime is down while we built stronger relationships with the community to make it safer for everyone," Morales wrote in a tweet. "There was a lot more I wanted to do but there's an old quote: 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.'"

Morales took over as the borough commander of the Queens North patrol bureau at the beginning of this year after a stint as the commanding officer of the NYPD's domestic violence unit, according to the Queens Daily Eagle.

The Queens native graduated from Jamaica High School and joined the NYPD cadet program in 1987, while attending CUNY's Queens College. He became a police officer the following year, the Queens Chronicle reported.

Morales' promotion was among a dozen executive appointments that Shea announced Friday. Mayor Bill de Blasio named Shea the next police commissioner at the beginning of November; he was sworn into office on Dec. 1.

"When you look at the totality of what we’re trying to accomplish across the NYPD and all five boroughs – taking Neighborhood Policing to the next level and enhancing our precision-policing efforts – it is critical to fine-tune the executive team that will lead this vital work," Shea said in a statement.