BY SAL GRECO
The New York City Police Department held another promotion ceremony Friday, but one promotion in particular has generated questions about the Department’s promotion process, qualifications, and whether the standards applied are consistent across the agency.
The questions do not center on the individual personally, but rather on how the promotion process works and whether the NYPD applies objective standards equally to every lieutenant seeking advancement.
According to the NYPD promotion announcement, Lieutenant Jan Sanchez was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
During Friday’s Friday Fiasco from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, The Sal Greco Show discussed the promotion in their report and asked why this particular promotion occurred after what sources describe as approximately three years in the rank of lieutenant.
The discussion emphasized that the questions are not directed at Sanchez’s work ethic or career, but instead focus on the standards governing promotions throughout the Department.
Questions About Time in Rank
According to sources familiar with the matter, Sanchez transferred to the Internal Affairs Bureau after becoming a lieutenant and currently serves in an administrative assignment.
The questions raised include:
- Is there a minimum time-in-rank requirement before promotion to Lieutenant Commander?
- If such a requirement exists, can it be waived?
- Who has the authority to approve an exception?
- Are all candidates evaluated under identical standards?
These are questions the NYPD has not publicly answered.
Administrative Assignment vs. Investigative Track
Another issue raised involves assignment history.
Sources indicate Sanchez has served as an Administrative Lieutenant within Internal Affairs rather than an investigative squad.
If accurate, this raises additional questions:
- Is investigative experience normally expected before promotion?
- Can an administrative assignment carry equal weight?
- Does Internal Affairs operate under different promotion practices than the rest of the Department?
- Are operational and investigative lieutenants evaluated using the same criteria?
These questions prompted The Sal Greco Show to submit a detailed inquiry to the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI).
Twenty Questions Sent to DCPI
Among the questions submitted are requests for:
- Official promotion policies.
- Minimum time-in-rank requirements.
- Qualifications required for promotion.
- Whether investigative assignments are preferred.
- The Police Commissioner’s discretion in promotions.
- Whether objective scoring criteria exist.
- Promotion statistics for recent years.
- Promotion review boards.
- Safeguards against favoritism.
- Patrol Guide or administrative directives governing promotions.
The inquiry also asks how the NYPD ensures public confidence that promotions are awarded fairly, consistently, and based on merit.
Internal Affairs Questions
The discussion also focused on Internal Affairs itself.
According to the transcript, Sanchez currently serves as the Administrative Lieutenant assigned to senior Internal Affairs leadership.
The program questioned whether administrative positions within the bureau receive any promotional preference over lieutenants assigned to investigative units or operational commands.
Again, these questions are directed toward understanding departmental policy rather than alleging wrongdoing by any individual.
Prior Reporting on Internal Affairs
Friday’s discussion also referenced previous reporting and social media posts concerning Internal Affairs management and workplace issues.
Those prior reports discussed allegations regarding workplace culture and supervisory conduct inside the bureau.
Those allegations remain separate from the promotion itself .
The report argues that because those issues have previously been raised publicly, transparency surrounding promotion decisions is particularly important to maintaining confidence in the Department.
DCPI Asked for Answers, No Response Received
In an effort to obtain the Department’s position before publication, The Sal Greco Show submitted a detailed list of twenty questions to the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI), seeking clarification on the policies, procedures, and qualifications governing promotions to Lieutenant Commander.
The inquiry asked whether there are minimum time-in-rank requirements, whether administrative assignments are treated differently than investigative assignments, whether waivers are permitted, what objective criteria are used to evaluate candidates, and what safeguards exist to ensure promotions are based on merit and free from favoritism or conflicts of interest.
As of the publication of this article, DCPI has not responded to those questions.
Should the NYPD provide answers or additional context, The Sal Greco Show will update this article to include the Department’s response in full.
Public Confidence Requires Transparency
Promotions within a police department affect leadership, accountability, and public trust.
Whether every promotion fully complies with Department policy can often be clarified simply by explaining:
- the eligibility requirements,
- the review process,
- the qualifications considered,
- and whether any exceptions were granted.
Providing that information would allow both officers and the public to better understand how NYPD promotions are awarded.
Until those questions are answered, The Sal Greco Show states it will continue seeking clarification regarding the Department’s promotion procedures and whether the same standards are applied consistently across all bureaus.