First Black commissioner in New Rochelle’s history

NRPD Deputy Commissioner Neil Reynolds has been appointed to become the department’s next Commissioner, effective July 1.  The current Commissioner, Robert Gazzola, recently announced his plan to retire at the end of June.

Reynolds will be the first Black police commissioner in New Rochelle’s history.

Incoming Police Commissioner Neil Reynolds

Reynolds is a native of New Rochelle with deep ties to the community  He graduated from New Rochelle High School and Iona College, and he holds a law degree from Pace University School of Law.  He joined the NRPD in 1994 and rose through the ranks, becoming Deputy Commissioner in 2023.

Reynolds will take leadership of the NRPD at a time of crisis and change.  Two white NRPD officers have been officially exonerated in the controversial killings of Black men in the past five years, and a police lieutenant is under investigation after video showed him planting evidence under a Black man’s car in an apparent attempt to frame him on drug charges.  In response to these incidents, New Rochelle residents have complained that the department is racist, corrupt, and unwilling to discipline officers who abuse Black people. 

At the same time, the NRPD has been implementing a police reform plan passed by the City Council in 2021 following the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Kamal Flowers in New Rochelle.   Changes made in response to the plan have included a body and dashboard camera system, implicit bias training for all officers, and online systems for filing civilian complaints and reporting data to the public. 

Perhaps the Reform Plan’s most consequential element is a Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), which is expected to begin work later this year.  The CCRB will conduct thorough reviews of internal police investigations of alleged police misconduct, recommend disciplinary actions to the Commissioner, and report its findings to the public.  The Commissioner will decide on disciplinary actions, but if he does not follow the CCRB’s recommendations, he will need to tell the public why. 

Retiring Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola

The CCRB, which is intended to increase public accountability and transparency of the NRPD’s disciplinary processes, was created despite vocal opposition from many within the department.  The general structure of the CCRB was proposed by a Community-Police Partnership Board (CPPB), appointed by the City Council, which included both police and civilian members.  Several of the police representatives voted against the creation of the CCRB.  Reynolds supported it.

In accepting his appointment, Reynolds said, “We’ve made significant progress—strengthening trust, building partnerships, and embracing new approaches to public safety.  Now it’s about deepening those efforts and ensuring every resident feels safe, respected, and heard.”