NYC’s Police Commissioner Abruptly Resigns; Days After Baltimore’s Top Cop’s Sudden Departure

In less than one week, the top cops from two major metro areas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have suddenly resigned with no explanation. Last Thursday, Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison stepped down as the progressive-run city struggles with homicides, a drug crisis, and a troubling rise in violence involving teenagers. Now NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced her resignation on Monday, an abrupt decision that has left “the nation’s largest police department shocked,” ABC7 New York reported. 

Sewell was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022 after he pledged to nominate a Black woman to head the department with over 36,000 uniformed officers during his campaign. The sudden resignation was announced at City Hall on Monday afternoon. 

“I want to thank Police Commissioner Sewell for her devotion over the last 18 months and her steadfast leadership,” Adams said in a statement. He added, “Her efforts played a leading role in this administration’s tireless work to make New York City safer.”

Sewell did not explain her abrupt departure in her resignation letter to the mayor. 

As Bloomberg suggested, there could have been an internal power struggle between Sewell and Philip Banks III, who was appointed Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.

Questions have swirled for months about whether Sewell’s authority was being undermined by Adams. He appointed Philip Banks III as deputy mayor for public safety, creating what was effectively another senior-level layer of supervision over the city’s law enforcement agencies. 

The New York Post also noted an internal ‘power struggle.’ 

ABC7 said, “The mayor was said to be surprised by the news” of Sewell’s resignation. Still, it’s unclear why she is departing. 

In a recent interview, Sewell was asked about any book she was reading and replied, “stats.” 

Perhaps out-of-control crime could be another reason for her resignation. New police data shows even though murders have slowed — there has been a jump in felony assaults and car thefts. 

And as we noted in the beginning, Sewell’s resignation comes right after Baltimore City’s top cop abruptly resigned. 

Progressive metro areas are realizing they must get a handle on crime after backfiring social justice reforms or risk ending up like imploding San Francisco.