New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea has filed for retirement, sources confirmed to WNYC/Gothamist, ending a two year run as the NYPD’s top cop that’s been marked by disruption and controversy.
Shea, 52, will remain in his position until January 1st, when Mayor-elect Eric Adams officially takes office. The departure, which was first reported by the New York Post, was widely expected, as Adams has vowed to appoint a woman as head of the department.
A veteran of the NYPD for three decades, Shea was appointed by the mayor in late 2019. The third man of Irish descent to lead the department under de Blasio, and a registered Republican, he raised eyebrows at the time as a status quo pick. In response, de Blasio defended the commissioner as a data-driven “change agent” who would further reduce the city’s historically low crime rate.
Shea’s tenure atop the nation’s largest police force coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in American policing, as the department contended with a pandemic and nationwide crime increase, as well as widespread protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As demonstrations against racist policing roiled the five boroughs, Shea faced harsh criticism over the NYPD’s heavy-handed response, and for spreading misinformation about protesters.
As calls for Shea’s resignation mounted, de Blasio stood by his commissioner, even as Shea privately lashed out at proponents of police reform as “cowards.” He opposed a bill signed by de Blasio that banned chokeholds, and routinely blamed an uptick in shootings on state bail reform, despite a lack of evidence.
While some in the de Blasio administration regarded Shea as a “cop’s cop,” the commissioner also faced off with rank-and-file members and police unions, who blasted his decision to eliminate the anti-crime unit, and accused him of fostering a demoralizing environment that led to a surge in retirements from the department.
He will be joined in retirement by at least two other senior NYPD leaders: Benjamin Tucker, the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner, and Chief of Department Rodney Harrison, the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, will also leave the department this month.
Harrison had replaced Terence Monahan in that role earlier this year after Monahan stepped down amid controversy over his handling of Black Lives Matter protests.
Adams is expected to announce his pick for commissioner in the coming days. The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
