Less than 18 months into her position as commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD), Keechant Sewell abruptly announced her departure on Monday. The circumstances of Sewell's resignation are unknown because her departure is unannounced, despite the fact that she had a lot of support from the rank and file. Sewell was chosen by Mayor Eric Adams and assumed her position in 2022, making history as the first woman to command the largest police enforcement agency in the country. In response to widespread demonstrations, Mayor Adams pledged to choose a woman to head the public safety agency in an effort to implement novel concepts and address several problems with racism and police brutality.
While the mayor thanked Sewell and praised her hard work and devotion, he was not mentioned in her resignation note to the department. Instead, she concentrated on complimenting the queue officers' commitment, empathy, bravery, and devotion. She did not give a precise leaving date, and it is currently unknown when a replacement will be selected. The former commissioner remained a mysterious figure during her tenure, seldom straying from her prepared remarks during news conferences and providing little insight into her personality, in contrast to her chattier predecessors.
In an interview, Sewell was asked what she was reading right now, and she simply said, "Stats." Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety, started giving extensively publicized weekly live-streamed public briefings, a function usually performed by the police commissioner, breaking with convention. Early on, there were doubts and worries about Sewell's standing within the government; several senior current and former police officials claimed that she was being undermined by the mayor and his top advisers, Timothy Pearson and Chief Banks.
A municipal employee who recently met with Sewell claims that Banks took on the role of the shadow police commissioner, which left Sewell feeling dissatisfied and undercut when defending his choices. Chief Banks suddenly stopped the conversation after responding that he was too busy to respond to questions about the allegations that Sewell had been ignored. Sewell found the dynamics within the agency difficult as he attempted to understand the convoluted politics at work. She suggested last month that Jeffrey Maddrey, one of the department's senior leaders, receive 10 vacation days as punishment.
The action triggered a debate about the proper use of authority for someone in a position of leadership who was in charge of thousands of cops. The mayor personally selected Chief Maddrey, a close friend of his, and frequently contacted the mayor directly rather than going through Sewell. As the elected mayor of New York City, Mayor Adams stressed his need for the consent of all department heads when questioned to what degree he was involved in relatively low-level personnel choices. Sewell succeeded in leaving a good impression on the NYPD rank and file despite difficulties inside the administration during her brief term.
She gave moving eulogies for Detectives Wilber Mora and Jason Rivera, who tragically perished while attending a domestic disturbance call in Harlem. Additionally, Sewell made steps to improve working conditions for cops by updating outdated break rooms and approving a work plan that comprised long days but shorter weeks, a compromise that the police union had long demanded. However, detractors charged Sewell's department with using unethical street tactics. In a recent study, a court-appointed monitor found that anti-crime units continued to illegally stop, frisk, and search people mostly persons of color despite Mayor Adams' assurances regarding policy reforms and training.
The report's analysis of the renamed "neighborhood safety teams" revealed that Black or Hispanic people were the focus of around 97% of the stops, with 24% of the stops being found unlawful. The Police Benevolent Association's president, Patrick J. Lynch, acknowledged Sewell's tremendous influence on the police. She showed concern for the officers on the street and was always willing to collaborate with us to enhance their quality of life and working environment. The New York Police Department still faces huge obstacles. She will be deeply missed for her leadership. Ms. Sewell, who owns a property in Valley Stream but decided to rent an apartment in the city after accepting the position of commissioner, voiced her dismay at the invasion of privacy she encountered in a recent interview. "I'm startled at the degree of privacy that I've lost," she said, adding, "This is New York. When I do depart, they will no longer remember me.
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