NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell receives standing ovation on her final day at helm of department
NEW YORK -- NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell welcomed new recruits at the police academy Friday, as she said goodbye to the force.
It was her final day on the job, approximately 18 months after she became the first woman to lead the NYPD.
CBS New York's John Dias was at the academy in College Point, Queens, as Sewell shared wise words with the newest members of the department, telling them to decide what their legacy is going to be.
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"Be the detectives a victim deserves," she said.
She said joining the NYPD is an extraordinary opportunity and told them to never be just a number, because they never will be to her.
"I am thankful to the members of the NYPD and our family and our friends that are here for your commitment to the protection of our city ... I ask you to lead and serve with integrity, courage and compassion. I will be watching," she said.
Sewell was surprised during the ceremony with a video followed by a sustained standing ovation that brought her to tears.
Sewell made a name for herself and made history as the first woman to take the job. She spent her entire career in Nassau County before coming to the NYPD.
She was welcomed into a city still reeling from the pandemic, with lingering tensions between police and the public and major crime trending upwards.
Her 18-month tenure was relatively short, compared to the national average for a police commissioner, which is three years. Though it may have been a brief run, she leaves with most major crime categories lower than when she came in.
Neither Mayor Eric Adams nor the commissioner have spoken publicly about why the 51-year-old is leaving now, but Adams praised her in an interview Friday.
"She inherited a city that violence was trending in the wrong direction," he said. "I want to thank her for sending a message, one, that she was a real crime fighter; two, to women across the entire country, they know now they can run major law enforcement agencies."
Watch John Dias' report
Also on hand at the promotion ceremony was the mayor's City Hall female posse, including his chief advisor, Ingrid Martin Lewis, and his deputy mayors. The lone male was Chief Counsel Brendan McGuire, who, according to the rumor mill, is interested in being considered as Sewell's replacement.
"She broke the glass ceiling. She made a way for young girls to know that anything is possible, and we wanted to let her know that we love her," Lewis Martin said.
Sewell was also praised by her chief of staff, Oleg Chernyavsky.
"Authentic, determined, inspirational, dedicated, exceptional," Chernyavsky said.
The mayor said he will eventually announce Sewell's replacement, but that likely won't happen Friday. In the meantime, First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban will serve as interim commissioner.
While rumors have been swirling about who will take her job, there's no official confirmation just yet.
