NEW YORK (WABC) — New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced his departure in a letter to NYPD members on Monday, and now the big question is why and what’s next.
After a year and a half on the job as the first woman to hold the position in NYPD history, Sewell is stepping down.
Sewell received an impromptu round of applause Tuesday when his name was announced at the start of the Police Commissioner’s Honorary Event for a Day at police headquarters in Lower Manhattan.
The entire auditorium stood for a solid minute as a smiling Sewell motioned for them to sit down.
Rising crime and five officers shot in her first month in office were all the commissioner faced when she was appointed in January 2022. During her tenure, she deployed controversial new security teams from neighborhood that some credit with the reduction in the crime rate. Sewell also worked to achieve historic raises for officers.
Mayor Eric Adams seemed surprised by the abrupt announcement, but took the time to applaud their accomplishments. Sources say that there had been tension behind the scenes for months and that the commissioner felt micromanaged by the mayor’s team.
“I think she had the support and backing of the rank and file, but I think she wanted more autonomy with running the police department, which she deserves as police commissioner, I think that may have been a problem,” she said. Robert Boyce, retired NYPD Chief of Detectives.
Boyce strongly believes that Sewell understood and addressed issues such as morale and recruitment, the biggest challenge.
Adams declined to speculate on Sewell’s successor or whether he will name another woman.
“Make the right decision for the department, listen, New Yorkers need to be safe,” Adams said.
The mayor declined to say why Sewell told him he was leaving, but said he wouldn’t stand in his way.
When Adams ran for office in 2021, she promised to appoint the NYPD’s first female police commissioner. Eighteen months after taking office, it’s time to pick someone else to lead the nation’s largest police department, and the immediate front-runners are all men.
Once Sewell leaves the department, First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban will likely take over, at least temporarily.
He is a leader to fill the position full time. Caban would be the NYPD’s first Hispanic police commissioner, responding to longstanding concerns by some community leaders that Latinos have not reached the highest levels of the department.
Department head Jeffrey Maddrey is close to the mayor and should be at the top of the list as well. Maddrey has had controversy in the past, most recently when Sewell docked her with six to 10 days of vacation time to overturn a November 2021 arrest of a retired NYPD officer.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks is also close to the mayor and oversees all public safety in his current role at City Hall.
Banks resigned as department head in 2014 and was later named an unindicted co-conspirator in one of the biggest NYPD corruption scandals in recent years. He denied any wrongdoing and is currently holding a weekly public safety briefing.
All of this could be moot if the mayor again promises to appoint a woman police commissioner. Last time, he looked outside the department, with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and former Newark Police Chief Ivonne Roman.
Recently, one of the top NYPD women close to the mayor, Juanita Holmes, was transferred as parole commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Police Benevolent Association and Detectives Endowment Association said Sewell’s leadership and legacy will not be forgotten.
“This is a great loss, this is a truly outstanding leader,” Boyce said. “Men and women respected her greatly. And she carried herself with such grace and discipline, and genuine sincerity.”
Sewell will officially step down at the end of the month.
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