Keechant Sewell to take charge as New York's first female police commissioner

New York will pick Keechant Sewell as its first-ever female police chief to lead the nation's largest force, according to US media reports. After Mayor-elect Eric Adams chose Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell to lead the nation's largest police department, New York City will have its first female police commissioner in the new year.

Sewell is expected to rebuild public trust in a police force that has been accused of harbouring aggressive, racist, and corrupt officers. At a news conference in Queens on December 15, Adams, a retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) captain who was elected mayor last month, formally presented Sewell. During the Democratic primary this summer, Adams embraced a public-safety agenda and campaigned on a promise to strengthen and reform the NYPD in light of recent increases in violent crime.

Since spring 2020, Sewell has been in charge of a department that has struggled to contain an alarming increase in gun crime and killings. According to NYPD figures, there have been 443 murders in NYC so far this year, surpassing last year's total and representing a 45% spike from just two years ago.

Sewell to be in charge of around 36,000 police officers

Sewell, 49, will be in charge of around 36,000 police officers in the United States' greatest metropolis, shouldering the tremendous task of maintaining safety in New York at a time when the coronavirus outbreak has been followed by an increase in crime. Sewell is currently the chief investigator in Nassau County, New York, which is located east of the city.

Sewell stated that she would concentrate on reducing violent crime, with a focus on weapons, and that public safety and police accountability were intertwined issues, according to CNN. Emotional intelligence is the top priority for both Sewell and Adams, the media agency reported. This approach is being implemented, according to both Adams and Sewell, through policies that look beyond penalising people for crimes and instead look at the needs that lead to a particular crime. 

Commissioner Dermot Shea will hand over the reins of the NYPD to Sewell. When she takes office next month, she will be the first Black commissioner since 1992, when then-Mayor David Dinkins replaced Lee Brown as NYPD commissioner with Ray Kelly.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP