NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly is kicking brass and taking names.
Facing an alarming surge in murders and other violent crimes, the department’s top boss is shifting around 40 of the department’s top commanders this week as he looks to avoid a return to the bad old days that once gripped the Big Apple in fear, The Post has learned.
A bombshell order sent out Friday announced the extreme measure, which shuffles bosses in every borough and affects dozens of units.
“A number of commanding officers have remained in place over an extended period of time,” police spokesman Paul Browne told The Post. “Commissioner Kelly saw an opportunity to energize the transfer process by directing numerous transfers at one time.”
One police source said the move sends out a clear message that at least some of the department’s commanders “were getting burned out or stale” and that units could use fresh faces and new ideas.
The transfers come amid a troubling uptick in violence.
Murders in the city climbed 20.2 percent this year, with 143 homicides recorded as of last Sunday, up from 119 in the same period last year, according to NYPD data. Two of the most recent victims were subway riders stabbed on the downtown No. 2 line when they encountered knife-wielding, boozing teens menacing passengers during a “train party.”
The number of shooting victims has also soared 14.3 percent so this year to 456, up from 399 for the same period in 2009.
The violence has infuriated top police brass, who just last month berated five precinct commanders during a routine meeting about the shocking spike.
One of the more disturbing incidents was a “wilding” spree on Easter Sunday, when hundreds of marauding gang members terrorized businesses and pedestrians in Times Square after the Javits Center auto show. Three people were shot.
Citywide, overall crime is down 1.1 percent after years of double-digit drops. But the NYPD in recent years has been forced to do more with less, as the number of cops has shrunk from 39,000 in 2002 to just under 35,000 on Friday.
The shakeup should serve as a wakeup call to brass, police sources said.
“It comes at a time when Kelly is looking to find ways to continue to drive crime down with a reduced head count,” a police source said. “This move is reminding commanders to step up in the face of declining head count with innovative strategies, as they have in the past eight years.”
While Kelly has shuffled high-ranking officers in the past, this many transfers at one time is a rarity, said an insider. Another source said the city’s top cop prefers that his brass get a feel for different posts.
“Varied experiences are expected as you go up the ranks,” the source said.
One police source called the 40 transfers “very unlike Kelly.”
“It usually takes him a long time to make transfers, and he’s never made as many in one time since he’s been there,” the source said.
The transfers will go into effect Wednesday.
Housecleaning
As part of an NYPD shakeup, some top cops are being moved out of their precincts:
DEPUTY INSPECTOR BRIAN McMAHON
101st Precinct, Queens, to Narcotics Borough Manhattan South
* Robbery up 42.9%
* Grand-larceny auto up 140%
* Shooting victims up 133.3%
* Gun arrests down 15%
* Narcotics arrests down 13.9%
* Queens Narcotics Bureau commanding officer to become commanding officer at Housing Bureau PSA 5
* Queens Narcotics Bureau captain to become commanding officer at Housing Bureau PSA 8
DEPUTY INSPECTOR JOHN COSGROVE
77th Precinct, Brooklyn, to Patrol Borough Brooklyn North
* Felony assaults up 14.9%
* Grand-larceny auto up 12.9%
* Shooting victims up 29.4%
* Gun arrests down 4.3%
* Narcotics arrests down 12.2%
Other notable transfers:
* 1st Precinct commanding officer to special-projects officer, Patrol Borough Manhattan South
* 122nd Precinct commanding officer to become executive officer at Housing Bureau
NYPD CompStat data as of April 25
DEPUTY INSPECTOR ANDREW CAPUL
34th Precinct, Manhattan, to Patrol Borough Manhattan North
* Rapes up from 6 to 9
* Robberies up 15.7%
* Felony assaults up 24.4%
* Gun arrests down 36%
Manhattan
* 83rd Precinct captain to become executive officer at Parks Enforcement