Holly MatkinNew York, NY – New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced her resignation on Monday in an internal email to staff.
Commissioner Sewell, the first woman to lead the NYPD, was appointed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the New York Post reported.
She has led the nation’s largest police force since Jan. 1, 2022.
“Since I joined you almost a year and a half ago we have faced tremendous tragedy, challenges and triumphs together,” the outgoing police commissioner’s letter, obtained by The Police Tribune, read.
“I have witnessed your compassion, heroics and selflessness on a daily basis,” she continued. “They have reaffirmed to me, what people around the globe have always known: you are an extraordinary collective of hard working public servants dedicated to the safety of this city, engaging our communities and sharing what we know with our partners for the benefit of the world.”
Commissioner Sewell provided no specific reason for her departure.
She said she was hopeful the programs she put in place to assist the city’s officers with a better work-life balance and opportunities for advancement will be “lasting hallmarks” of her focus on their wellbeing.
“I was acutely aware of the challenges you faced both before I arrived and what you experience daily. That is why I made your wellness one of my priorities,” she wrote to the NYPD rank-and-file.
“We 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,” the commissioner added.
Commissioner Sewell urged the city’s officers to stay the course.
“Please continue to do what you do well to secure this city,” she wrote. “Thank you for stepping forward and as always, stay safe. Please.”
Commissioner Sewell was working as the Nassau County Police Department’s chief of detectives when Adams appointed her to take the helm of the NYPD in December of 2021.
“Keechant Sewell is a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve,” Adams told CNN in a statement at the time. “Chief Sewell will wake up every day laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and improving our city, and I am thrilled to have her at the helm of the NYPD.”
Adams called Chief Sewell’s appointment an “historic choice,” the New York Post reported.
“Chief Sewell’s appointment today is a powerful message to young girls and women across the city – there is no ceiling to your ambition,” Adams said.
NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell has just resigned pic.twitter.com/e4ctMhHlsx
— Angel L Maysonet🇵🇷🇺🇸👮🏻♂️💙🖤 (@bigricanman) June 12, 2023
Breaking News: Keechant Sewell, the first woman to lead the NYPD, announced her resignation in an email to the department. pic.twitter.com/rGBZfVloC2
— Quicktake original (@quicktakeorigin) June 12, 2023
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