Inside the turmoil that led the NYPD commissioner to walk out
New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell walked into Mayor Eric Adams’ office unannounced Monday afternoon, according to an adviser to the mayor.
The two met alone and talked for about 15 minutes. Then, about half an hour later, around 4:30 p.m., she sent a department-wide email that shook City Hall to its foundations and stunned the 34,000 officers who received it. In it, Ms. Sewell said she would resign.
Ms. Sewell, 51, a guarded officer known for her aloof professionalism, had given few signs that she was unhappy. In the weeks before her announcement – and the day after – she made the sort of public appearances expected of a commissioner: ringing the bell on the New York Stock Exchange, walking in the Puerto Rican Day Parade and speak up Promotion And commemorative ceremonies.
On Tuesday morning, the police commissioner spoke to high school seniors honored by the Police Athletic League for less than 18 months, including one who was awarded the title of “Police Commissioner for a Day.” She told them that law enforcement is a fulfilling career: “The NYPD and our city need more young people who are problem solvers.”
Mrs. Sewell, however, said nothing about her own frustrations. According to people who knew about the commissioner’s plans, only a few of her close associates knew she would announce her resignation.
Rumors circulated over the past year that other appointees to the department were undermining her authority, most notably Phillip Banks III, the deputy mayor of public safety, and Timothy Pearson, a senior adviser to Mr. Adams, according to several police and city halls. civil servants. And in recent days, her relationship with Mr. Adams seemed to be reaching a breaking point, according to a senior City Hall official.
Ms Sewell declined to comment, according to a spokesperson for the department. Deputy Mayor Banks said in a text message to call him for comment “when you get a quote from Commissioner Sewell.”
Last month, Mrs. Sewell had moved to deprive Jeffrey Maddrey, the top uniformed officer and a close associate of Mr. Adams, of 10 vacation days, after he intervened with the arrest of a retired officer chasing three boys while armed.
Around the same time, she was told she couldn’t take discretionary promotions even at the lower levels of the department without permission from the Adams administration, said Kenneth Corey, the former head of the department, who worked under Ms. Sewell until he retired. in November.
“She was gradually stripped of her power,” he said. “Now they had taken the power to make the most basic decisions.”
That kind of interference didn’t happen in previous administrations, said Mr Corey, who praised Ms Sewell as an “incredibly intelligent” commissioner who acted with “honor and integrity”.
Mr. Corey, who said he was briefed by senior officials on the department’s recent internal workings, said Ms. Sewell’s imminent departure has left many officers “devastated” and angry.
“They wonder what’s next,” he said.
Ms. Sewell has not given a reason for her decision to quit the job, which brought in about $243,000 a year. On Tuesday afternoon, her office released a statement thanking Mr. Adams – whom she failed to name in the internal email announcing her resignation – for the opportunity to lead the department.
“Time spent in our communities — meeting everyday New Yorkers — has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my tenure,” she wrote.
Mr Adams opened an unrelated press conference on Tuesday by saying Ms Sewell was “probably my proudest appointment” but acknowledged he was a very involved manager.
Ms Sewell and Mr Adams were both expected to attend a celebration organized by the Gay Officers Action League at police headquarters on Tuesday evening, an event both had arranged long before her resignation was announced. Mr. Adams canceled at 6:00 p.m
Little is known about Tuesday’s conversation between the mayor and Ms. Sewell, or what exactly led her to resign.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, where Ms. Sewell was formerly chief of detectives, said he spoke to her by phone late Monday afternoon after news of her firing broke.
“She is a pure professional. She won’t say a bad word about anyone,’ he said. “She just said, ‘It was time to move on.'”
In the days leading up to Ms Sewell’s resignation, she spoke at the annual Police Foundation gala at the Intrepid Museum. Two days later, in Manhattan, she attended Saturday Night Lights, anti-violence community events held throughout the city.
On Sunday, about 30 hours before making her announcement, Ms. Sewell marched down Fifth Avenue in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Mr. Corey said he saw Ms. Sewell at 8 a.m. Monday at a charity golf event in the Bronx, hours before she announced her resignation.
There was no indication of what was to come, he said. But she did ask if he had one New York Post story that ran on Sunday citing anonymous sources who described her “loss of strength” to City Hall.
Mr. Corey had done it and told her, “If that’s true, it’s terrible.”
She simply replied that they would talk later. Hours later, he saw the news that she had resigned.
He was shocked but not completely surprised.
“She’s anything but a figurehead,” Mr. Corey said. “She’s either going to do the job she was hired to do, or she won’t,” he added.
Just after 10 a.m. Tuesday at One Police Plaza, the department’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Ms. Sewell received a standing ovation at the Police Athletic League ceremony.
About 200 people, including Chief Maddrey, applauded Mrs. Sewell for about two minutes before Mrs. Sewell, smiling, motioned for everyone to take their seats.
Ms. Sewell then gave a four-minute speech encouraging the students to consider making law enforcement their lives.
“We call on you to stay involved with the police,” she said, adding that the department needs young people who think “carefully and creatively”.
“I look forward to the day after you graduate high school or college when you can consider a career with the NYPD”
Shortly after, she was led off stage.