New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced her resignation on Monday, according to the New York Post.
“I have made the decision to step down from my position,” Sewell wrote in an email. “While my time here will come to a close, I will never step away from my advocacy and support for the NYPD, and I will always be a champion for the people of New York City.” (RELATED: Largest NYPD Union Threatens Lawsuit Over De Blasio’s Vaccine Mandate)
Sewell held the position for roughly a year and a half after New York City Mayor Eric Adams swore her in on January 1, 2022.
“Since I joined you almost a year and a half ago we have faced tremendous tragedy, challenges and triumphs together,” Sewell wrote in an email, according to New York Post.
“I have witnessed your compassion, heroics and selflessness on a daily basis,” Sewell added. “They have reaffirmed to me what people around the globe have always known: you are an extraordinary collective of hard-working public servants dedicated to the safety of this city, engaging our communities and sharing what we know with our partners for the benefit of the world.”
BULLETIN from @createcraig: Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell quits. Comes just hours after Post revealed City Hall yanked her control of staff in retaliation for Sewell pushing ahead with a discipline case against an Adams ally, Jeffrey Maddrey — https://t.co/5aUw8WZrYb
— Nolan Hicks (@ndhapple) June 12, 2023
New York City experienced a double-digit decline in shootings over the course of Sewell’s short-lived time in the role. From 2021 to 2022, murders dropped by 13% from 481 to 418 and shootings dropped by 17% from 1,543 to 1,280, according to New York Post.
Sewell had reportedly been frustrated with her role as NYPD Commissioner. The Commissioner typically has wide-ranging control over staffing decisions including promoting to detective and higher-ranked positions. Sewell reportedly needed approval from City Hall to make such moves, the outlet reported.
City Hall allegedly removed Sewell’s ability to make promotions in retaliation over her disciplining Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, for having a friend’s gun arrest cancelled, the outlet reported. Maddrey reportedly helped intervene on behalf of Kruythoff Forrester, a former police officer accused of chasing three minors down the street with a gun, according to The City.
New York Post reporter Nolan Hicks tweeted that Sewell’s announcement was a “jaw-dropper.”
“You’ve got to think that finding a new police commissioner is going to be a challenge amid the many reports of City Hall micromanagement (Phil Banks, Tim Pearson and Maddrey), ending with the showdown over disciplining Maddrey for cancelling a friend’s arrest,” he added.