Mayor Adams on Tuesday announced the last-minute appointment of a police-union-backed candidate to head the agency responsible for providing independent oversight of the NYPD.

The decision to name former journalist Pat Smith as the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s interim chair drew outrage from anti-police-violence advocates, who said the pro-cop board member’s promotion signals “a green light for unchecked NYPD abuse.”

“Smith has long positioned himself as an adversary of oversight,” said Yul-san Liem, deputy director of the Justice Committee . “He has repeatedly discouraged New Yorkers from filing complaints, even when they’ve faced serious NYPD abuses.

“Putting Smith in charge of the overburdened and under-resourced agency guarantees more harm to the communities most targeted b

See Full Page