The NYPD announced a major change of guard Saturday morning following the sudden resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, on Friday.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, John Chell, the NYPD’s often outspoken chief of patrol, is moving up to become chief of the department on an interim basis. Meanwhile, Chief of Transportation Philip Rivera will take Chell’s place as chief of patrol, also on an interim basis.
“The NYPD works tirelessly to protect New Yorkers, and these roles are critical to keeping our communities safe,” Tisch said in a statement. “The interim Chiefs of Department and Patrol will continue to lead the efforts to reduce crime and disorder and build public trust.”
The New York Post reported Saturday morning that Maddrey unexpectedly gave his notice amid the paper’s investigation into a sexual misconduct claim — namely that he allegedly demanded sexual favors from a female NYPD lieutenant in exchange for “massive amounts of overtime.”
A NYPD spokesperson, when reached for comment by amNewYork Metro, said, “The police commissioner has accepted Chief Maddrey’s resignation.” At first, no comment was provided on the Post report.
But after this story went live Saturday morning, the NYPD spokesperson followed up that, “The NYPD takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously, and will thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Both the FBI and the city’s Department of Investigation are now looking into the latest Maddrey accusations, particularly the alleged abuse of overtime corruption. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, in a statement issued Dec. 21, said the investigation “should also probe any historical, systemic patterns of an abusive climate towards women in the NYPD.”
“The use of taxpayer-funded overtime should be well managed and only used for the public interest,” Adams said. “This is called into question by these allegations along with the department’s repeated extreme overtime budget overages. Every city agency should maintain a workplace that is respectful of all employees and protects them from abuse.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Saturday that his office is also investigating “extremely serious and disturbing claims that allegedly occurred at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan.”
A year of upheaval
The shakeup occurred less than a month after Tisch became commissioner — and toward the end of a year that has seen massive upheaval among the NYPD brass.
Tisch is the third different commissioner this year to lead the 34,000 men and women of the NYPD; Edward Caban had been a top cop for most of 2024 before resigning in September amid a scandal. Mayor Eric Adams then appointed Tom Donlon, a former FBI counterterrorism expert, as interim commissioner; Donlon would serve roughly two months before Adams named Tisch, the former sanitation commissioner, to the post.
Maddrey, meanwhile, was appointed chief of department by then-Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell in December 2022, having previously served as chief of community affairs. The chief of department post is responsible for managing the NYPD’s crime-fighting strategies, quality-of-life programs and operations.
Six months later, Maddrey was hit with departmental charges for voiding the arrest of a colleague in 2021, which Sewell concluded was an abuse of his power. The then-commissioner moved to penalize him 10 vacation days. Maddrey protested the charges, and this past August, Caban — who took over for Sewell in the summer of 2023 — ultimately dismissed them.
Chell, meanwhile, has managed the NYPD’s 15,000 uniformed personnel and 3,000 civilian members while serving as chief of patrol. During his tenure, the 30-year NYPD veteran gained a reputation for his outspoken brash style, and irked progressive lawmakers for his fiery social media posts and appearances on right-wing outlets like Newsmax.
Nonetheless, the NYPD, in its Dec. 21 statement, noted that “New York City has seen an overall reduction in crime and shooting violence” during Chell’s tenure, and that he led a crackdown “on illegal ghost cars, mopeds and smoke shops.”
And Mayor Adams himself is a big Chell fan.
“I’m a fan of Chief Chell, you know, I just like his style,” Adams told reporters in May 2024. “He’s very honest and candid, and I know people are not used to people being honest and candid. I think he’s a hard worker.”
Taking Chell’s place as chief of patrol is Rivera, who has been responsible for the NYPD’s operations involving road, bridge and highway safety around New York. The 29-year NYPD veteran previously served as commanding officer of both Patrol Borough Bronx and Patrol Borough Manhattan North.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Thomas Alps will take the reins as interim Chief of Transportation until Tisch names a permanent replacement.
With reporting by Ethan Stark-Miller
Updated at 5:21 p.m. on Dec. 21 with additional comments from Speaker Adams and DA Bragg.
