Brooklyn now boasts another history-maker with the recent promotion of NYPD’s Kim Royster who has been elevated to the position of deputy chief. With that upward spiral, DC Royster is the first African-American commanding officer of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information. She is also only the third African-American woman to achieve the rank in the 168-year history of the NYPD.
In her new position, Royster is chief problem solver in handling the overwhelming amount of inquiries from the media. Along with queries from the public, the 24-hour operation tallies more than 10,000 inquiries annually.
Fifteen years ago, Royster worked as a detective in that same office. Now in charge, she is the first woman to hold the post.
A graduate of Washington High School, Royster worked her way from the bottom up starting off 29 years ago as an administrative aide.
Sworn in as a police officer in July 1987 the ambitious cop was promoted to detective in Mar. 1992. Her sergeant stripes were added Oct. 1997 and she received sergeant special assignment in Dec. 2001. Two years later in April, 2002 Sgt. Royster became a lieutenant and four years after in August, a captain. Rosyter’s meteoric rise to deputy inspector Aug. 2009 lasted less than three years because she again towered upward to the position of inspector in March 2012.
She has served in the Police Academy, the 5th and 13th Precincts, the 7th Precinct Detective Squad, Patrol Borough Manhattan South, the Office of Management Analysis and Planning, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, Detective Borough Manhattan, Detective Borough Brooklyn, the Intelligence Division, the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Criminal Justice Bureau.
She is acclaimed as the “driving force in the NYPD’s gun buyback program.”
That program “is responsible for taking more than 8,000 weapons off the streets.”
Royster also commanded the Manhattan South Investigations Unit and served as the executive officer of the 5th Precinct in Chinatown.
In addition, the top brass is undeniably the top, singing cop on the entire police force.
Although holding down a demanding job, the mother of two children finds spare time to moonlight as a singer at cabarets and clubs throughout the city. During its hit run, Royster copped a role singing on the primetime drama “NYPD Blue.”
Often performing the national anthem at events, she has added her voice performing for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
A neighbor to newly-elected Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, DC Royster is already working with civilian Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne to improve police-media relations at DCPI.
