NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell stepping down

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the first woman to lead the largest police department in the nation, is stepping down from her position, NBC New York has learned.

In a memo to NYPD staff put out Monday afternoon, Sewell said she would be resigning, telling members of the department that she was "aware of the challenges you faced both before I arrived and what you experience daily."

"I have made the decision to step down from my position," the memo reads. "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."

It was not immediately clear when Sewell would be leaving the position, nor was a reason for the decision given. She praised the work of officers she oversaw since taking the job in Jan. 2022, hailing the department as "the gold standard in law enforcement."

Mayor Eric Adams delivered a statement thanking Sewell for her service to the city, work he said earned her a "debt of gratitude."

"Her efforts played a leading role in this administration’s tireless work to make New York City safer. When we came into office, crime was trending upwards, and thanks to the brave men and women of the NYPD, most of the major crime categories are now down," Adams said.

During her brief tenure, she oversaw a decrease in some categories of crime – including murders – while contending with several high-profile crises, including the fatal shooting of two officers during her first month on the job. In a statement, Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, said her leadership would be “sorely missed.”

Sewell shied from New York's spotlight, rarely making herself available to press, even as Adams has made crime-fighting a centerpiece of his administration.

She also faced speculation that she was not truly in control of the department, fueled in part by Adams’ decision to appoint a former NYPD chief and key ally, Phillip Banks, as a deputy mayor of public safety. Banks has been holding weekly public briefings on crime, often without Sewell in attendance.

Sewell became the 45th police commissioner after serving as chief of detectives in the Nassau County Police Department where she was based for 25 years.

"Since I joined you almost a year and a half ago we have faced tremendous tragedy, challenges and triumphs together I have witnessed your compassion, heroics and selflessness on a daily basis," Sewell wrote in the memo. "They have reaffirmed to me, what people around the globe have always known: you are an extraordinary collective of hard working public servants dedicated tot he safety of this city, engaging our communities and sharing what we know with our partners for the benefit of the world."

Sewell, originally from Queens, was a 22-year police veteran in Nassau County. She spent her entire policing career in suburban Nassau County before becoming the NYPD’s first outside leader in more than two decades.

Sewell started with the Nassau County Police Department as a patrol officer in 1997, then became a precinct commander, head of major cases, a top hostage negotiator and finally chief of detectives, where she oversaw a staff of about 350 — about 1% the size of the NYPD's unformed ranks.

Sewell beat out several candidates for the commissioner post, including former Seattle top cop Carmen Best.

In her letter to the department, Sewell also told officers that she "made your wellness one of my priorities," adding that rank-and-file "cannot be expected to deliver the type and quality of police services that New Yorkers deserve unless we care for and protect the guardians of this city."

Sewell was just the third Black person to run the NYPD after Benjamin Ward and Lee Brown, who served in the 1980s and 1990s.

NYPD commissioners often serve abbreviated tenures in one of the highest-pressure, most politically challenging jobs in policing. Sewell’s predecessor, Dermot Shea, was in the post for two years. His predecessor, James O’Neill, lasted three. Before that, William Bratton served less than three years in his second stint as commissioner, having served for just over two years under Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The notable exception is former commissioner Raymond Kelly, who served for 16 months under former Mayor David Dinkins, then returned and was commissioner for all 12 years that Michael Bloomberg was mayor.

The Adams’ administration has seen a series of high-profile departures in recent weeks, including his top housing official, Jessica Katz, and the city’s efficiency officer, Melanie La Rocca.