Departing NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell stays mum about her abrupt resignation, however she’s slightly voluble about her historic appointment only a year-and-a-half in the past. At a pre-Juneteenth presser simply days after her announcement, she thanked Mayor Eric Adams for taking an opportunity on her, with vast smiles on stage regardless of the prevalent hypothesis of his position in her stepping down.
“Look the place we’re,” mentioned Sewell. “It takes a person of historical past, custom, [and] values to consider that he can put me on this place after 176 years of individuals not trying like me on this place. I can not thank the mayor sufficient for giving me this extraordinary alternative.”
Professionalism or a real absence of unhealthy blood? The info stay that Sewell is the primary girl and third Black particular person sworn in as the highest cop of the nation’s largest police drive, incomes the excellence on January 1, 2022, when Adams took workplace. She out of the blue stepped down final Monday, June 12.
The Black Legislation Enforcement Alliance’s Marq Claxton mentioned it’s vital to acknowledge the historic significance of Sewell heading the NYPD. He added that she confronted extra challenges as an outsider from the neighboring Nassau County Police Division.
“It’s the premier legislation enforcement company within the nation…so there’s at all times a troublesome [and] difficult transition to go the NYPD,” mentioned Claxton. “I believe she navigated fairly effectively. Challenges for anybody who comes as an outsider into the NYPD to be the commissioner [include knowing] who’s round you, who the important thing personnel are, and what stage of authority you have got. It’s important to rapidly decipher and put collectively trusted advisors. And hopefully [they] will likely be effectively revered [and] educated, and lead you in a correct means.
“However there’s no getting round [it]—while you’re an outsider and also you come into the NYPD, you’re going to have a tough and difficult transition to the highest of the helm.”
Beneath Sewell, the NYPD noticed marked decreases in shootings and homicides, which disproportionately have an effect on Black and brown New Yorkers—each as victims and suspects. However normal index crime numbers rose, spurred by upticks in property-related felonies like grand larceny and housebreaking citywide, driving public security issues, particularly in neighborhoods the place gun violence is uncommon or non-existent.
Final September, a block affiliation in Greenwich Village, which encompasses a precinct the place no shootings or homicides occurred this yr, employed its personal armed safety guards. Misdemeanor arrests, which regularly inform the total story of the town’s public security, are usually not tallied within the NYPD’s presentation of city-wide crime stats and as a substitute are delineated within the lesser-employed summons information.
Simply in January, Sewell delineated her plan for the NYPD’s 2023 “Step Ahead” initiative, which aimed to extend division variety, psychological well being sources, and group engagement.
Most officers, even those that didn’t see eye-to-eye with the commissioner, acknowledged her unprecedented appointment and dealing with of subsequent challenges she inherited.
“Commissioner Sewell broke obstacles as the primary girl, and first Black girl, to steer the biggest police drive within the nation,” mentioned Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “I empathize with the distinctive challenges she confronted which are so acquainted to many people in positions that haven’t historically been held by those that seem like us. Regardless of variations about NYPD disciplinary insurance policies, we shared a bond and mutual respect as professionals.”
“From exceptional drops in total crime to bettering police and group relations, we’re perpetually grateful for Commissioner Sewell’s service to our metropolis,” mentioned Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
However for critics, shattering the glass ceiling is simply one other model of damaged home windows policing. Simply days earlier than her resignation, Sewell contested the variety of illegal NYPD stops lately reported by the federal monitor assigned from the Floyd stop-and-frisk litigation. The findings mentioned New Yorkers stopped are overwhelmingly Black and nearly 1 / 4 of encounters are nonetheless unconstitutional.
In an announcement, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams mentioned whereas inspiring, Sewell’s appointment was not a “panacea” for poisonous police tradition, though he mentioned his criticisms have been extra indicative of the “pervasiveness of those issues than her management.”
“I hope that the subsequent particular person to take this position is able to be a real companion in public security, who acknowledges the position police play with out inflating it, and is prepared to sincerely undertake higher transparency and significant accountability,” mentioned Williams. “Except there’s actual dedication to constructing new methods, slightly than reviving failed ones, the subsequent commissioner will likely be certain by the prevailing and repeated patterns of pointless stress round public security, violence, and the way legislation enforcement is used.”
In an announcement, Brooklyn Motion Middle Government Director Anthonine Pierre additionally questioned the latitude Sewell was afforded as commissioner, particularly when recommending self-discipline for high-ranking members like Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, when he reportedly intervened within the arrest of an ex-NYPD colleague for allegedly menacing a trio of Black youngsters with a gun.
“Commissioner Sewell’s historic appointment and up to date resignation following disciplinary motion in opposition to Chief of Division Jeffrey Maddrey painfully exposes Mayor Adams’s disregard for NYPD accountability,” Pierre mentioned. “Sewell’s once-celebrated management was marginalized by Metropolis Corridor exactly when she addressed Maddrey’s abuse of energy throughout the division. This exit speaks to a price of tokenized management over public insurance policies that ship security and dignity for Black and brown communities harmed by police violence.
“No matter who’s on the helm of the NYPD, management alone can’t be the reply to systemic abuse and a bloated finances that siphons funding from life-affirming sources in different metropolis businesses.”
Sewell’s reticence is constant together with her time as commissioner, not often talking to the press in comparison with her predecessor Dermot Shea. In consequence, theories are circulating about why she stop and snippets of what she has mentioned at the moment are one of the best understanding the general public has of her tenure. Just a little-publicized speech final yr at an NYPD Policewomen’s Endowment Affiliation occasion noticed her addressing a hypothetical “second feminine police commissioner,” vaguely mentioning sexist feedback and private challenges. Whereas this speech is now being hyper-examined on account of Sewell’s resignation, there isn’t a proof the occasions she talked about are tied to her time within the NYPD, a lot much less what led to her stepping down.
Talking of hypothesis, what does life after the NYPD seem like for Sewell? There are different careers in legislation enforcement. No matter what’s subsequent for Sewell, Claxton is fairly certain it’ll be a candy gig.
“They’ve executed extraordinarily effectively, these police commissioners [and] high-level executives within the NYPD—they go on to vibrant, good, [and] well-paid second careers,” he mentioned. “Folks select the personal sector as a result of they understand that there’s much more cash to be made they usually can take this talent set, [which] transfers over fairly effectively…[or] you possibly can really handle any police division within the nation. If that’s your will [or] need and there are openings, you have got a leg up on different people who find themselves making use of for those self same positions.
“However it’s possible you’ll be overqualified for many of the positions which are open. However at the very least you have got the talent set and also you now have the résumé the place you possibly can handle to go any legislation enforcement division in the USA.”
