Keechant Sewell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keechant Sewell
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Commissioner Sewell in 2022
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| 45th New York City Police Commissioner | |
| In office January 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023 |
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| Appointed by | Eric Adams |
| Preceded by | Dermot Shea |
| Succeeded by | Edward Caban |
| Chief of Detectives of the Nassau County Police Department |
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| In office September 24, 2020 – December 31, 2021 |
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| Commissioner | Patrick Ryder |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Ferro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1972 New York City, U.S. |
Keechant L. Sewell (born April 2, 1972) is an American leader in security and a former police officer. She is currently a Senior Vice President for the New York Mets baseball team. Before this, she was the 45th New York City Police Commissioner. She was the first woman and the third Black person to hold this important job. She announced she was stepping down from the commissioner role on June 12, 2023.
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Early Life and Growing Up
Keechant Sewell grew up in the Queens area of Long Island City, New York. She lived in places like the Queensbridge Houses. Later, she also lived in the Queens neighborhoods of Corona and Jamaica.
A Career in Law Enforcement
Working for Nassau County Police
In October 1997, Sewell started her police career. She became an officer with the Nassau County Police Department. She worked her way up through different roles. She became the leader of the 7th Precinct. By 2016, she was in charge of the major case squad.
Sewell also attended the FBI National Academy in 2008. This is a special training program for law enforcement leaders. She worked in departments that check police conduct. She also trained with the FBI to become the county's main hostage negotiator. This means she helped talk to people in difficult situations. On September 24, 2020, Sewell was promoted. She became the chief of detectives for Nassau County. She led about 350 officers in this role.
She was also part of a special team. This team was called the New York–New Jersey Joint-Terrorism Task Force. They worked to prevent terrorism.
Leading the New York City Police Department
On December 14, 2021, a big announcement was made. Keechant Sewell would become the 45th New York City Police Commissioner. Mayor-Elect Eric Adams chose her for this job. This was a historic moment. She became the first woman to lead the New York Police Department. She was also the third Black commissioner.
As commissioner, she was in charge of a huge team. This included 35,000 uniformed officers. She also oversaw 18,000 civilian staff members. On January 1, 2022, Sewell officially started her new role. She was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the NYPD.
In May 2023, Commissioner Sewell and others created a plan. They wanted to use a website to get help from the public. This help was for solving old, unsolved cases.
On June 12, 2023, Sewell decided to step down. She resigned as the Commissioner of the NYPD. While no official reason was given, news reports suggested she felt frustrated. She felt that City Hall needed to approve many police decisions. This included promotions for officers.
Mayor Adams thanked Commissioner Sewell for her hard work. He said her efforts helped make New York City safer. He noted that crime had gone down during her time. PBA President Pat Lynch also praised her. He said she cared about the police officers. He also said she was always open to working with them.
Edward Caban took over as the new Commissioner. He had been the first deputy commissioner under Sewell.
Personal Life
When she was appointed as the New York City Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell lived in Valley Stream, New York.
