“I bring a different perspective, to make sure the department looks like the city it serves.”
New York City’s police force will be led by a woman for the first time in its 176-year history, Mayor-elect Eric Adams has announced.
Keechant Sewell, 49, is a 23-year veteran of the Nassau Police Department in nearby Long Island.
For Mr Adams, the move fulfils a campaign pledge to name a female commissioner.
The NYPD is the largest police force in the US, employing nearly 35,000 police officers, of whom approximately 18% are women.
Speaking to media on Wednesday morning, Mr Adams – a former NYPD captain- said that women often are “sitting on the bench” and “never allowed to get in the game” when it comes to policing, but “that is stopping today”.
Sewell is stepping into the role at a tense time for the NYPD – tap the link in our bio to read about the struggling relations between the police force and residents of New York City.
