Kim Royster's promotion to chief will make her highest-ranking black woman in NYPD history

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NYPD Deputy Chief Kim Royster, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Public Information Office, will be promoted to chief next month, making her the highest-ranking black woman in NYPD history.

Along with the promotion, Royster will be transferred to the NYPD Personnel Division and will be in charge of recruitment.

“She will oversee recruitment — how we go about getting the people, how we inform them of the process and how we get them through recruitment,” a high-ranking source said.

Although she did not want to talk about the promotion itself, Royster did say this: “This is a great opportunity to be part of Commissioner (Bill) Bratton’s plan to prepare our department to be the leaders of policing in the 21st century.”

Bratton had indeed promised to work toward diversifying the ranks of the NYPD, but the high-ranking source said that it was not her race that won Royster the well-deserved promotion.

“She was in Internal Affairs, she was a precinct executive, she worked in the Office of Management Analysis and Planning,” the source said. “She has a macro view of the department.”

Royster has been on the force for 30 years since joining in 1985. She had been credited with driving the NYPD’s gun buyback program.