BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2023: Commissioner Keechant Sewell, first woman at the helm of the NYPD

Of course, the job has its challenges, and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell is handling them.

There’s the increased deployment of officers that brought a welcome decrease in subway crime, but violent incidents on city streets remain the talk of the town, partly due to some hardcore criminals using and abusing reforms in the city’s criminal justice system, the commissioner and Mayor Adams agree.

And there’s more. The videotaped fatal beating of Tyre Nicholas in Memphis has once again sparked a national discussion on police reform, once again highlighting the generations-old apprehension about police experienced by people of color.

But despite the challenges, Sewell — a Queens native who returned to New York after an impressive and comprehensive career with the Nassau County Police Department — is well-equipped to handle the day-to-day matters, the major concerns, and even the annoying minutia of naysayers and the outright haters, who spout off on social media and in other arenas.

She has loads of support. Last December, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association named Sewell the police union’s Person of the Year — the first time a current police commissioner has received the honor. And in November 2022, the NYPD Policewomen’s Endowment Association recognized Sewell, who spoke at its 101st Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner Dance. She addressed the gathering with an inspiring speech in the form of an advisory letter to the next woman at the helm of the NYPD. Sewell is aware that everyone is not going to be welcoming and helpful to a woman in her position.

Her advice included:

“Don’t be offended when people who don’t know you tell others who you are.”

“Try not to take it personally when people you have never met tell others what you think.”

“Understand that you will be second-guessed, told what you should say, told what you should write by some with half your experience. They don’t know any better.”

“Your hairstyle is wrong. You look tired; already worn out in less than a year. You should wear different clothes. You’re not qualified; you are in over your head. None of this is true,” she said confidently.

Sewell’s confidence comes from experience. In mid-December 2021, then Mayor-elect Adams announced she was his choice for commissioner — to fill the post about to be vacated by NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, who was retiring on Dec. 31.

Born in Queens, she grew up in the city’s Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City, and the mayor-elect thought it fitting to unveil his pick for police commissioner at her old housing project.

“To lead this department into the next chapter of our shared history, I conducted a nationwide search of some of this country’s brightest talents. I am thankful to every candidate who was interested in this important assignment, but I am particularly proud of the historic choice we have made,” said Mayor-elect Adams, adding, “Chief Keechant Sewell is the right woman to lead New York’s Finest at this critical moment in our city’s history. She not only has the experience to step into the role of commissioner; she also has the emotional intelligence that is necessary for healing the divides between police and communities.”

Her appointment was historic on two levels. First, Sewell is only the third Black commissioner the department has had in its 176-year history. There was Benjamin Ward (who served under Mayor Koch from 1984 to 1989) and Lee Brown (who was commissioner under Mayor Dinkins, from 1990 to 1991). But beyond making Black history, Mayor Adams was also introducing the first woman to head the 33,000-plus police force in city history.

“For the past 25 years, I have immersed myself in the work of policing. My wide breadth of experience has shown me what works in law enforcement and what doesn’t,” said Chief Sewell in 2021. “We are at a pivotal moment for New York, as our city faces the twin challenges of public safety and police accountability.”

She also made it a point that inclusion will be part of her game plan for the NYPD. “I am firmly committed to making sure the department looks more like the city it serves, and elevating women and Black and Brown officers into leadership roles. The NYPD is the best of the best — and it’s about to get better.”

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And given her law enforcement history, Sewell is well equipped for the post. At the announcement, Mayor-elect Adams referred to Sewell as “Chief,” because she was leaving Nassau County as its chief of detectives. And her new beginning with the NYPD marked the end of an impressive career across the Queens border in Nassau County.

She joined the Nassau County Police Department in 1997, excelled in the academy, and was class speaker at the graduation. After patrol assignments, she had undercover duties before being promoted to detective, sergeant and then detective sergeant, overseeing narcotics and vice units. After a few more supervisory posts, including heading a Major Case Bureau, she was promoted to chief of detectives. She also launched and headed Nassau’s Department of Professional Standards Bureau.

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A longtime FBI trained hostage negotiator, Sewell was elected class spokesperson in the 235th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and was named the Nassau County Detectives Association’s 2021 Person of the Year.

In 2021, as she accepted Mayor-elect Adams’ assignment to head the NYPD, Sewell proclaimed she understood the difficulties and was willing to accept the challenges. Affirming her commitment to Adams’ vision for the city, she said, “The NYPD has an important role to play in making our communities safer, but we cannot do it alone,” Sewell said. It was her first public plea to New York residents to get involved with the policing of the city.

Last month, with the release of the NYPD Strategic Plan 2023, her appeal for New Yorkers to get actively involved in policing was reinforced. Half of the main goals laid out in the NYPD plan are community related.

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According to the plan, the NYPD wants what most New Yorkers do — to “fight crime and improve the quality of life.” The NYPD wants to achieve this by “working in partnership with the community.” And pathways for New Yorkers to get involved include participation in Precinct Community Councils, which each neighborhood precinct has.