The sudden, unceremonious resignation of Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell has caused a shift of seismic proportions throughout the NYPD and City Hall.
During an unrelated event at One Police Plaza on Tuesday, top police brass gave Sewell — who will remain on the job through June 30 — a standing ovation for several minutes, prompting her to beg for the uniforms to take their seats. She didn’t address her resignation during Tuesday’s event, which celebrated the participants in the Police Athletic League’s “Police Commissioner for a Day” essay contest.
According to several high-ranking police officials, Sewell is well-liked and admired behind the scenes, with some citing several undisclosed disagreements with Mayor Adams dating back to early in her tenure as reasons for the sudden resignation.
Pushing back on tension ‘narrative’
During a separate unrelated press conference on Tuesday, the mayor said Sewell was one of his “proudest appointments.”
“I have confidence in the commissioner today,” the mayor told reporters. “I think that as I stated, it was one of my proudest appointments … As I stated when I was campaigning, I wanted to show the expertise of how women in law enforcement can actually run the largest police department in the country.”
He also pushed back on reports that his administration was undermining Sewell’s ability to effectively run the department, charging that reporters were spinning a “narrative” that didn’t come from Sewell herself.
“Because it’s reported, you automatically assume it must be fact. I mean that’s problematic for me,” Adams said in response to a reporter’s question about the perception that Sewell left because she was being undermined by the men around her.
“There’s a whole lot of things that are reported, especially tweet on Twitter,” he continued. “If the commissioner wants to tell you why she’s leaving, then you should speak to her, she’s not disappearing. But for you to assume that was she’s leaving because of A, B, C and D … because it was reported, come on, let’s stop this. Let’s stop creating the narrative.”
Who comes next?
The NYPD just gave @NYPDPC a standing ovation less than 24-hours after she announced she would be stepping down from her position. pic.twitter.com/M3ArUwkyoE
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 13, 2023
Meanwhile, there’s already speculation as to who will succeed Sewell as the city’s top cop.
Police and City Hall sources noted that First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban, currently next in line to Sewell, is a front-runner to succeed her. Beginning his career in 1991, Caban currently serves as second in command and is the highest-ranking cop of Hispanic descent.
A political insider who acknowledged conversations inside the amdinistration around Sewell’s possible replacement, speaking on the condition on annonymity to dicuss the matter freely, told amNewYork Metro Caban “looks to be the likely one.”
Should the mayor not appoint a successor to Sewell by June 30, Caban would become the city’s acting police commissioner until an official announcement is made.
Another possible but somewhat unlikely name is the current Chief of Department Jeffery Maddrey — against whom Sewell sought disciplinary charges for allegedly abusing his power in a 2021 gun case. While Maddrey, the NYPD’s top uniformed member, is viewed as a top contender by some, it is unlikely he will take the role anytime soon due to the ongoing controversy.
Former Chief of Patrol and current New York City Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes, a 35-year-old veteran, is a long shot candidate but was the first black woman to hold both aforementioned roles — as is Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks. However, like Maddrey, Banks harbors his own set of controversies, including having ties to the NYPD’s largest corruption scandal bribery scheme.
A government source, who spoke on the condition of annonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly, told amNewYork Metro that while they don’t have direct knowledge of who’s being considered, Banks wouldn’t make much sense considering he’s already a deputy mayor.
“Why would Phil go from being a deputy mayor to being the commission? Makes no sense,” they said. “If the mayor had wanted him to be commissioner, he would have made him commissioner.”
Sewell says goodbye
Later in the afternoon commissioner Sewell issued an open letter to New Yorkers that was tweeted from the NYPD’s official account, in which the top cop looked back over her time as the department’s leader. Sewell championed the decrease in shootings and homicides, while also stating that over ten thousand illegal guns were taken off the streets under her watch. However, she also paid close attention to the bond between cops and civilians.
“I have always strived to bring you and your officers closer. Ensuring that the services we provide exceed your expectations. While there will always be challenges, I believe we have charted a course and implemented initiatives that will have a lasting impact on that relationship,” Sewell wrote.
Sewell went on to advocate for summer youth employment programs that she believes has helped close the gap between officers and community members while also thanking those she was able to meet along the way on both sides of the thin blue line.
“Please continue to have faith in the work of the NYPD that ensures the fairest, most effective, and most compassionate policing is delivered. Thank you for this extraordinary honor to serve the people of this great city,” she wrote.
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