Keechant Sewell Will Be First Woman NYPD Commissioner, Adams Says

NEW YORK CITY — A woman will lead the New York Police Department for the first time in its history.

Keechant Sewell is mayor-elect Eric Adams' pick for NYPD commissioner — a selection first reported by the New York Post.

Adams formally introduced Sewell during a news conference Wednesday morning. He said she "crushed every glass ceiling" throughout her career.

"Today, she has crashed and destroyed the final one we need in New York City," he said. "We have a strong, powerful police commissioner."

I ran for Mayor on a promise: I will never ask NYers to decide between the safety we need & the justice we deserve.

I'm incredibly proud that Chief Keechant Sewell, a Queens native, will be working with me every day to deliver on that promise as the next @NYPDnews Commissioner. pic.twitter.com/zzuMN864yA
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) December 15, 2021

Sewell hails from Queens and has served 22 years with the Nassau County Police Department, where she is chief of detectives.

She praised Adams for deciding, even before his election, to pick a woman to be the NYPD's 45th commissioner. She said she'll work with Adams — who previously served as an NYPD captain — to make the city safer and more inclusive.

"Where the community feels more connected, heard and served, no matter where they live or work," she said.

Sewell will replace Commissioner Dermot Shea, who presided over a tumultuous period in the NYPD's history defined by the coronavirus pandemic, massive protests against racism and police brutality and reforms designed to increase the department's transparency and accountability.

Following news that he will select Keechant Sewell as the NYPD’s next commissioner, @ericadamsfornyc sent a message directly to the men and women of the dept this morning by email: “I know you will be as excited as I am about welcoming her to our ranks.”https://t.co/28p5xrNqi6
— Evan Thies (@EvanThiesNYC) December 15, 2021