One of Eric Adams's most important appointments as incoming mayor was the appointment of Ms. Sewell, the Nassau County chief of detectives.
Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell will become New York City's first female police commissioner, taking command of the country's largest police force at a critical juncture.
Chief Sewell's appointment, which is likely to be announced on Wednesday, is considered as one of the most crucial decisions for incoming Mayor Eric Adams as he prepares to assemble his government.
Evan Thies, a spokesperson for Mr. Adams, confirmed her nomination on Tuesday evening. Chief Sewell, 49, was picked from a pool of supposed applicants from the NYPD and major police departments across the country.
Mr. Adams, a veteran police captain, ran in the Democratic primary as a centrist, promising to confront a disturbing surge in crime and police brutality. Chief Sewell will be enlisted to assist him in achieving that balance. "A experienced crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the protection New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve," Mr. Adams said in a statement.
Chief Sewell comes from a department of about 2,400 uniformed officers, which is less than a tenth of the size of the New York Police Department, which employs around 35,000 officers.Chief Sewell's confidence, expertise, and experience operating covertly, according to a source close to Mr. Adams, pleased him. Her interview process was thorough, according to the source, and included a simulated news conference involving a white police officer shooting an unarmed Black guy.
Chief Sewell, a Queens native, worked in the narcotics and big cases departments as well as as a hostage negotiator during his 23 years with the Nassau Police Department. In September 2020, she was promoted to Detective Chief. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, which advises departments on best practises, described Chief Sewell as a rising star in policing circles.
"This is an example of someone recognising her early in her career and promoting her," he explained. "From patrol to internal affairs, this is someone who has seen it all."
Mr. Adams will make the announcement in Queensbridge Houses, where Chief Sewell grew up in Long Island City, Queens. On Tuesday evening, The New York Post broke the news of the appointment. In a video interview with The Post, Chief Sewell stated, "I grew up in Queens." "I feel like I've come full circle now that this is my city and this is my department."
According to two persons familiar with the situation, Mr. Adams has mentioned Philip Banks as a possible deputy mayor for public safety, and Mr. Banks assisted in the hiring of the police commissioner. Mr. Banks, a former chief of department, stepped down in 2014 after being accused of wrongdoing. He was never put on trial for anything.
Chief Sewell will assume command of the New York Police Department in January, in what could be the most pivotal time in the department's history. Even though murder and gunshot rates remain higher than they were before the pandemic, a national crisis of trust in American enforcement has bolstered efforts to decrease the department's footprint. The department's relationship with the city's police unions is strained, and calls for greater transparency in policing techniques and disciplinary procedures are growing.
Mr. Adams, who will be the city's second Black mayor, has slammed the left-wing push to defund the police and promised to remove guns from the streets; he has also stated that the city will be more proactive in removing abusive officers from the force. Chief Sewell will also be the city's third Black police commissioner, marking a significant shift for a department whose senior ranks have remained mainly white and male.
Chief Sewell was chosen to lead the Police Department at a time when the city was coping with the pandemic, criminal justice reform, and social justice demands, according to Joyce A. Smith, the interim district attorney in Nassau County. Ms. Smith said she first met Chief Sewell last year and was immediately struck by her ability to hold her own in an intimidating environment where Black women are uncommon.
"She demonstrated that she is not just aware of the challenges, but also capable of resolving them," Ms. Smith added. "It's one thing for us to notice the problem; it's another to know how to repair it swiftly." That was more important than ever at this point."
Mr. Adams has promised significant changes to the Police Department, including the reinstatement of plainclothes police units that were disbanded last year, the diversification of a department where Black officers are underrepresented, and the acceleration of the disciplinary process for officers accused of wrongdoing.
Mr. Adams had hinted for months that he would appoint the department's first female leader in its 176-year history, and he had evaluated several candidates, including Carmen Best, the former Seattle police chief, and Juanita Holmes, the current New York chief of patrol. For the top role, Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat in his second term, chose three Irish American veterans of the department.
In a statement, the Legal Aid Society, which represents low-income FreshYorkers and has advocated for police accountability, said it hoped Chief Sewell would bring a "new perspective" to the department because policing in the city "remains fraught as ever."
According to the group, the future commissioner should "show a knowledge that many community concerns do not require a law enforcement response" and that "police misbehaviour must be treated severely and remedied immediately."
Chief Sewell was a "great choice" to lead the New York Police Department, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in an interview on Tuesday. "I'm overjoyed for her and for the city," Ms. Curran said, adding that Chief Sewell had "all of the abilities and the temperament to do the job and do it well."
Mr. Adams has stated that he will treat plainclothes units, often known as anti-crime squads, differently in response to criticism about their harsh tactics. During the George Floyd protests, the elite forces were disbanded in order to prevent a deadly shot, but officials had no backup plan as gun violence increased.
Mr. Adams recently stated, "It's not an anti-crime team, but an anti-gun one." "It's having well-trained officers who will use their body cameras to record their contacts so that we can see what's going on." They'll focus on gangs and gun violence in particular."
While Mr. de Blasio had a tense relationship with the cops, who once turned their backs on him at an officer's burial, Mr. Adams was one of three candidates endorsed by the city's biggest police union during the Democratic primary.
Ms. Sewell will almost certainly have to lead the agency through one of the most substantial reorganisations since September 11th. Mr. Adams has slammed the defunding movement, stating that he would lower the police budget by reducing overtime and transferring more routine jobs to a civilian workforce.
The president of the largest police union, Patrick J. Lynch, said officers were excited to work with her on Tuesday night. n a statement, he said, "We welcome Chief Sewell to America's second-toughest policing job." "Of course, becoming a street cop for the New York Police Department is the most difficult."
