January 1, NYPD Commissioner Hangs Up the Badge: A Reflection of Failed Leadership?

Folks, there’s a time for change and then there’s a time for sticking to your guns. It appears that New York’s first female Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell, has decided it’s time for the latter. She abruptly announced her departure on Monday after a year and a half in the NYPD saddle. The circumstances of her resignation illuminate the disarray within City Hall and raise serious questions about the leadership, or lack thereof, by Mayor Eric Adams.

Sewell, who took the oath on January 1, 2022, has seen her share of trials and triumphs. But isn’t that what being a police officer is all about? The rough-and-tumble of everyday life on the beat, the cycle of tragedy and triumph that makes up the fabric of law enforcement? Well, it appears Sewell wasn’t just battling the mean streets of New York but rumor has it the overpowering puppetry of City Hall as well.

Sources suggest the Commissioner was increasingly hamstrung when it came to making key departmental decisions. It’s as if someone put a lock on her holster. If these sources are to be believed, she was frustrated at being a puppet on a string, dancing to the tune of City Hall.

Now I’ve always believed that you give a person a job, you let them do it. But it seems Adams believes in a different philosophy. Maybe there is reason for this approach though, perhaps Sewell was a blatant disgrace to the badge?

This is a perfect example of the convoluted mess of bureaucracy and politics that’s turning our public service institutions into a circus. Remember this debacle:

Am I being too hard on Sewell? Let’s look at the facts: Under Sewell, shootings dropped by 17% and murders by 13%. But overall crime jumped by a staggering 23%.

Adams was elected Mayor, not police commissioner. And I can understand how a power struggle can lead to declines in efficiency. As a retired NYPD captain himself, maybe he knows better.

New York owes a debt of gratitude to the Police that do their job well. It’s possible Sewell might have done a better job if she’d been given the reins to run her department her way. Then again this all could be a clear example of what happens when meritocracy is placed behind competence. When leaders can’t lead, the ship sinks. It’s as simple as that.

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