NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell gave an impassioned speech before hundreds of female police officers, months before she announced her resignation, laying bare her professional battles with sexism during her time in the Adams administration.
Speaking at a November 2022 event for the Police Women's Endowment Association, Sewell, the first woman to hold the post, framed her remarks as a letter to the “second woman to be the New York City police commissioner,” and referred to being “second-guessed” and portrayed as “difficult.”
“I write to you having taken stock in the 11th month of my tenure,” she said.
She then proceeded to tell her hypothetical successor: “You are different and you will be treated as such.”
The six-minute speech, which can be viewed on Instagram, was first reported by the New York Post back in December. In the current context, her words can be heard as a strikingly personal and defiant rebuke foreshadowing her decision to leave her post as the head of the country’s largest police force.
Sewell’s abrupt resignation on Monday represents the most high-profile exit to date from the administration of Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer who touted her historic appointment. The mayor has pushed back against reports that his hand-picked commissioner left because she felt powerless and undermined by him and his inner circle at City Hall.
Although Sewell did not mention the mayor in her speech, she outlined a litany of examples of sexist comments.
“You will get free unsolicited personal advice: ‘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,” she said.
“None of this is true,” she added.
A spokesperson for the mayor suggested the videotaped speech was a “false story.”
“Congratulations to Gothamist for regurgitating the same false story the New York Post wrote over six months ago,” said Fabien Levy, the mayor’s press secretary. “The outlet refused to reach out to the NYPD until after its stated deadline and after being called out for not doing so, while simultaneously trying to put words into the Police commissioner’s mouth only after attacking the NYPD repeatedly.”
Prior to seeking comment from City Hall, Gothamist made several unsuccessful attempts to reach Sewell directly, and then reached out to the NYPD’s public information office, following a series of email exchanges with Levy.
Levy did not respond to a follow-up question regarding Gothamist's coverage of the NYPD. The NYPD's press office did not respond to Gothamist's inquiries.
“When you are no pushover, you will be called difficult,” Sewell continued in the speech. “When you do things your own way — ‘You don’t listen, you are paranoid.’ Your very existence is a problem for many.
“But I, every woman in this room, and every woman with dirt on her face in this arena is counting on you,” Sewell said. “You are no experiment. You are no box checker. This is no social promotion and this was no gift.”
During several moments of her speech, women in the audience could be heard erupting into cheers and applause.
The police commissioner, who has been reticent with reporters, is a commanding speaker who was reportedly popular among rank-and-file officers. In April, Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, the city’s largest police union, praised Sewell during a news conference for negotiating more flexible shifts for officers.
But Sewell never enjoyed the same spotlight as her predecessors. She held few crime briefings even while public safety was a major concern for many New Yorkers. Although Sewell technically reported to the mayor, two former NYPD officers — Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Timothy Pearson, a senior adviser — appeared to hold significant sway in City Hall, according to news reports.
Earlier this year, Banks began leading weekly public safety briefings, which Sewell only joined occasionally. Over the weekend, the Post reported that Sewell did not have the ability to make certain promotions without the mayor’s consent. Adams later told reporters that he does weekly reviews of those considered for senior roles at city agencies
In a public statement from her office on Monday, Sewell thanked the mayor. But the initial news of her resignation came through an internal email that notably made no mention of her boss.
After he was peppered with questions about her resignation earlier this week, Adams refused to address the topic any further on Thursday.
“That book is closed. There's no more conversations I'm having on that,” he said when asked by a reporter whether his administration was making any effort to keep Sewell.
But the mayor did praise Banks, saying he was “doing an amazing job.”
Prior to becoming police commissioner, Sewell spent more than two decades working in the Nassau County Police Department. But she was portrayed as a homegrown New Yorker.
In December 2021, the mayor announced her appointment at the Queensbridge Houses, a public housing development where she grew up.
As she spoke at the podium, Sewell blinked back tears.
“Queensbridge Houses is part of my story,” she said. “To all the little girls within the sound of my voice, there is nothing you can't do, and no one you can't become.”
“In this city, in this moment,” she added, “I have come full circle.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
