NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell resigns

New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Monday she would resign. She did not give a reason for her departure.

“While my time here comes to an end, I will never relinquish my advocacy and support for the NYPD, and I will always be a champion for the people of New York City,” she said in an email to the department provided. . by two officers.

Ms. Sewell, who was appointed to her position by Mayor Eric Adams and began in 2022, was the first woman to head the nation’s largest police force.

“Her efforts have played a leading role in this administration’s tireless work to make New York City a safer place,” the mayor said in a statement. “The commissioner worked almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a year and a half and we are all grateful for her services. New Yorkers are indebted to her.”

As Commissioner, Mrs. Sewell was an enigmatic figure, hardly deviating from her script during press conferences and revealing little of her personality, unlike her eloquent predecessors. Instead, Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety, gave weekly briefings on the state of crime and safety in the city.

Ms. Sewell also had to navigate difficult politics within the department. Last month she drafted a punishment proposal for one of the department’s top chiefs: she wanted to deprive Jeffrey Maddrey, the top officer in uniform, of 10 vacation days after allegations that he interfered in the arrest of a retired officer who killed three boys while he was armed. used to be.

Chief Maddrey would plan to challenge the charges in a departmental lawsuit, starting a battle over what constitutes an unacceptable use of power for the officers he oversees.

Mrs. Sewell had previously served as chief of detectives for Nassau County and worked in a department with approximately 2,400 uniformed officers, less than one-tenth the size of the New York Police Department’s uniformed contingent.

In 23 years with the Nassau Police Department, Chief Sewell, who grew up in Queens, worked in narcotics and major cases units, and as a hostage negotiator. In September 2020, she was promoted to Chief of Detectives.

Jeffery C Mays reporting contributed.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.