Appointed as the 48th Police Commissioner of the NYPD on Monday, Nov. 25, by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Jessica Tisch has since announced a series of shake-ups within the top echelon of the City’s police department. As reported, Tisch, a former sanitation commissioner, replaces interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon in her new role.

 

On Tuesday, Dec. 31, Tisch announced that John Chell, former chief of patrol, was named interim NYPD chief of department where he will oversee crime-fighting strategies, quality-of-life initiatives and operational plans. According to the NYPD, Chell is a 30-year verteran of the department and replaces Jeffrey Maddrey, the former NYPD Chief of Department and highest-ranking uniformed police official.

 

According to an Equal Opportunity Employment discrimination claim filed against the City, as reported by The New York Post, Maddrey abruptly resigned on Friday, Dec. 20, amid allegations he offered overtime hours to NYPD Lt. Quathisha Epps in exchange for sexual favors between June 2023 and Dec. 16, 2024.

 

Epps was identified as one of the top NYPD overtime earners, pocketing around $200,000 in overtime payments according to media reports. Maddrey has denied the allegations saying the sexual encounters with his accuser were consensual. Separately, on Jan. 2, Tisch said, “At my direction, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the New York City Police Department is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations against former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.”

 

Tisch continued, “Maddrey was suspended from the Department this morning, as law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several locations, including his residence. Any further inquiries about this matter should be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.” Norwood News reached out to the Southern District of New York for more information on the rationale for the raid, and will share any updates we receive.

 

Separately, on Dec. 21, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams released a statement on the investigations by NYC Department of Investigations and the FBI into the allegations of “sexual abuses and overtime corruption in the NYPD,” saying, “These allegations are repulsive, and we are glad that the City’s Department of Investigation and FBI appear to be investigating them and potential overtime corruption. This should also probe any historical, systemic patterns of an abusive climate towards women in the NYPD.”

 

The speaker continued, “The use of taxpayer-funded overtime should be well managed and only used for the public interest. This is called into question by these allegations along with the department’s repeated extreme overtime budget overages. Every city agency should maintain a workplace that is respectful of all employees and protects them from abuse.”

 

Meanwhile, according to the NYPD, during Chell’s time as chief of patrol, New York City saw an overall reduction in crime and shooting violence. They said he led the crackdown on illegal ghost cars, mopeds, and smoke shops, and added that before becoming chief of patrol, Chell served as the commanding officer of the 61st, 75th, and 79th precincts, as well as Detective Borough Brooklyn North and Detective Borough Brooklyn South. They said in recognition of his courage and leadership, Chell was awarded the Medal for Valor in 2000.

 

As reported in March 2024, the mayor also had allegations of sexual misconduct brought against him by Lorna Beach-Mathura, a former NYPD employee, stemming from Beach-Mathura’s and the mayor’s time working in the NYPD’s Transit Unit, allegations which the mayor denies.

Beach-Mathura, a resident of Florida and former resident of Brooklyn, filed a lawsuit in the State of New York on March 18, 2024 under the Adult Survivors Act against Adams, citing an alleged sexual assault in 1993, when both she and the mayor were employees with the Transit Bureau of the NYPD.

 

According to court-filed documents, having been passed over for promotion, Beach-Mathura, a Black, female NYPD employee, alleges she sought help with her career from Adams, both in his capacity as a police officer at the time and as a leader in the NYPD Guardians Association, an organization which advocates for the rights of Black employees.

 

Beach-Mathura, who holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and who works in education according to her LinkedIn profile, alleges that instead of helping her, Adams allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on him after he allegedly drove her to a vacant lot. Court papers show the lawsuit was filed against the NYPD Transit Bureau, the NYPD Guardians Association, and three other “unknown” entities, which are also defendants.

 

The Adult Survivors Act is New York State legislation enacted in May 2022 which amended state law to allow alleged victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations had lapsed to file civil suits for a one-year period, from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023. Eyewitness News reported in August 2024 that according to the mayor’s lawyer, the sexual assault case against Adams is “fictitious” and will not be settled, prompting the plaintiff’s attorney to threaten him with a defamation lawsuit. As reported, the mayor has also sought to have the case against him dismissed.

 

Meanwhile, Tisch has also named Philip Rivera as interim NYPD chief of patrol. Rivera will oversee the nearly 15,000 uniformed officers and 3,000 civilian employees who work for the largest unit within the NYPD. Rivera most recently served as NYPD Chief of Transportation. Additionally, Edward Thompson was named by Tisch as chief of internal affairs and will be responsible for “preserving integrity and rooting out corruption within the department.”

 

According to the NYPD, Thompson joined the department in January 1986 and began his career as a patrol officer at the Bronx’s 52nd Precinct, which covers some or all of the Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Bronx Park, and University Heights.

 

A 38-year veteran of the NYPD, Thompson replaces former NYPD Chief Miguel Iglesias who, according to Tisch, was relieved of his duties on Dec. 21, at which time he notified the department of his intention to retire. According to reporting by The New York Post, Iglesias was forced out over the bureau’s handling of the sexual abuse allegations against Maddrey and other department issues that should have been probed.

 

Police officials said Thompson later served as commanding officer of IAB Zone 1, the Office of the Chief of Internal Affairs, the Fugitive Enforcement Division, and the Quality Assurance Section. He also served as chief of enforcement for NYC Department of Sanitation, and is a graduate of the 207th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

 

NYPD officials said that during his tenure as chief of transportation, Rivera implemented strategies that reduced fatalities, injuries, and collisions across the busiest corridors in New York City. They said prior to serving as chief of transportation, Rivera served as commanding officer of both Patrol Borough Bronx and Patrol Borough Manhattan North, as well as the 41st and 46th precincts in The Bronx. They said Rivera is a 29-year veteran of the department.

 

It was further confirmed that Deputy Chief Thomas Alps, a former commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, will assume command of the Transportation Bureau until the police commissioner designates a replacement for the role. Meanwhile, in response to the news of Rivera’s appointment, 52nd Precinct Community Council President Brenda Caldwell-Paris said, “Congratulations to our former 52 Pct Executive Officer, Chief Philip Rivera, who has been appointed NYPD Chief of Patrol, a well-deserved honor.”

 

In a press release announcing the internal shake-up, Tisch said, “In 2025, the NYPD will build on the gains of the past year to make every New York City Neighborhood even safer.” She added, “These leaders will ensure we continue to drive down crime and improve quality of life, maintain honor and integrity across the department, and strengthen the bonds of partnership between the police and the people of our great city.”

 

The shake-up began on Thursday, Dec. 19, when the NYPD announced that Delaney Kempner, the former director of communications for New York State Attorney General Letitia James, was to be named the new deputy commissioner of public information for the police department, effective Jan. 13.

 

Kristine Ryan was named deputy commissioner of management and budget effective Jan. 2 and will return to the job she held from February 2020 through December 2023. Yisorel Hecht was named deputy commissioner of information and technology. It was also announced on Dec. 19 that Alex Crohn will serve as the deputy commissioner of strategic initiatives and that Steven Harte will serve as deputy commissioner of support services.

 

In reference to the Dec. 19 announcements, Tisch said, “This group of skilled and experienced leaders will answer the public call to transform NYPD technology, modernize our fleet, and elevate the department’s voice to make Courtesy, Professionalism, and Respect central to our communication and interaction with the people we serve.”

 

Tisch is the second female police commissioner in the department’s history, after former Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell abruptly gave her resignation to the mayor in June 2023 after just around a year and a half in the job, and amid rumors the mayor had overruled her when she attempted to discipline Maddrey over a personnel-related issue.

 

Former Interim Police Commissioner Eddie Caban of The Bronx was appointed to the role in July 2023, the first Hispanic to hold the position, following Sewell’s resignation. Caban resigned just over a year later amid a federal corruption probe. The suprise announcement came following news of an investigation by federal agents during which the homes of four top Adams administration officials were raided on Sept. 4, Caban’s among them.

 

In August 2024, MK Kaishian, founding partner at Kaishian & Mortazavi LLC, released a statement in response to Caban’s prior dismissal of department charges against Maddrey for voiding the arrest of Kruythoff Forrester, a retired NYPD officer, who chased and menaced three youth in Brooklyn with his gun.

 

“‘Don’t believe your lying eyes’ is hardly a novel defense against allegations of NYPD misconduct, but it is particularly obscene to deploy it in this case,” Kaishian said at the time. “Award-winning investigative reporting and clear video footage fully corroborate the young victims’ accounts. Whether the NYPD cares to hold its high-ranking officials accountable is a separate matter entirely.”

 

The statement continued, “The system works overtime to protect powerful people, so it’s even more unfortunate that the Chief and his advocates have gratuitously chosen to vilify child victims of violence and denigrate honest NYPD members instead of simply asking for what they want: to keep all the Chief’s vacation days.”

 

Kaishian & Mortazavi LLC represent the three youths in pending litigation against Forrester and Sharifa Management LLC. According to the court documents, on Nov. 24, 2022, the three youth, identified only as B.S., K.M., and K.B., were walking near their homes in their Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. The three boys, aged 12 and 13, were bouncing and tossing a basketball between them as they walked along Saratoga Avenue.

 

According to the complaint, around 6 p.m., the basketball struck or nearly struck a camera mounted to the store front at 285 Saratoga Avenue. This location was the site of the real estate business owned and/or operated and/or possessed by Forrester and his family and owned and/or operated and/or possessed by Sharifa Management LLC. Forrester emerged from the location, and allegedly threatened the three young boys with a gun, and pursued them.

 

According to Kaishian, the young boys fled south along Saratoga Avenue, fearing imminent harm and death, and K.M fell and injured his ankle while running and attempting to hide. All three boys felt certain they were about to be shot. As they ran, the young boys heard Forrester fire his gun, and he continued to yell threats as he pursued them across several blocks, as they frantically contacted their family members and reported that an adult man was chasing them with a gun.

Members of the NYPD responded to the scene and Forrester was found to be in possession of a gun which matched the description provided by the three young boys. Forrester was subsequently arrested but was not charged after Maddrey and other high-ranking members of the NYPD intervened. Lawyers for the boys said they and their families wanted Maddrey to be held accountable for not bringing charges against Forrester.

 

Meanwhile, Donlon, also a Bronx native, was appointed interim police commissioner when Caban resigned in September 2024. On Sept. 21, as reported, Donlon, who grew up in Norwood, announced that he was also the subject of a separate raid on his home by federal agents, less than a week into his new job. In his statement, the interim commissioner said, in part, that the raid was unrelated to his work as police commissioner and that documents that had come into his possession around 20 years ago were removed during the search.

 

As reported, during his announcement of Donlon as interim police commissioner, the mayor said Donlon had served as New York’s director of the Office of Homeland Security, ran the FBI National Threat Center and the FBI NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force, and worked as the cold case agent investigating the 1993 Twin Towers bombing, as well as the attacks in U.S. embassy in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen by al-Qaeda. When questioned about the raid on Donlon’s homes during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 24, the mayor referred to the case as “a private matter.”

 

Of the latest NYPD shake-up of the top brass, Tisch said, “New Yorkers should have every confidence that these appointments make their police department stronger, our service better, and our city safer. I thank these professionals, and I look forward to working with them as we further reduce crime and increase public trust.”

 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story mixed up some references to Thompson and Rivera’s past service with the NYPD. This has since been corrected and we apologize for this error.