The New York City Police Department has confirmed a shake-up at the top of the department following the Friday night departure of its highest-ranking uniformed officer.
Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey resigned suddenly amid allegations he demanded sex from a subordinate. Maddrey is being replaced by Chief of Patrol John Chell, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed in a statement.
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Tisch's statement did not mention Maddrey by name. A spokesperson for the department declined to comment on the allegations against Maddrey other than to say it “takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and will thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Lieutenant Quathisha Epps, who holds an administrative post in Maddrey’s office, told The New York Post that her boss routinely demanded sex from her and other favors since being elevated to chief of department.
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Epps told the paper her lawyer plans to file a notice of claim with the city comptroller’s office Saturday outlining her allegations.
The lieutenant's sexual misconduct claims against Maddrey come after a report that she was suspended this week amid an internal affairs investigation looking into potential overtime abuse that helped her bring in more than $400,000 last year.
Maddrey's attorney, Lambros Lambrou, told NBC New York that his client "denies the allegations of any sexual interaction," “let alone sexual interaction in exchange for overtime."
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Lamdrou went on to say his client had plans to retire soon because he had recently become a lawyer and decided to step down early amid the sexual misconduct allegations. Maddrey has plans to go into private practice, his lawyer said.
The Department of Justice and Southern District of New York are now investigating the claims surrounding substantial overtime payments to Epps and her allegations to the Post alleging sexual harassment, a source familiar with the matter told NBC New York. Spokespeople for the DOI and SDNY declined to comment.
Maddrey's lawyer said he was unaware of any investigation. Messages left with Epps and her attorney were not immediately returned on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed his office was also looking into allegations of wrongdoing surrounding Maddrey.
“These are extremely serious and disturbing claims that allegedly occurred at N.Y.P.D. headquarters in Manhattan. We are investigating," the spokesperson told NBC New York.
Mayor Eric Adams said the allegations made against Maddrey were "extremely concerning and alarming."
“The police commissioner is doing a full review of all personnel, but she’s also doing a full review of this issue," Adams told press at an unrelated event in Brooklyn.
“I have a great deal of faith and the city has a great deal of faith in Police Commissioner Tisch, she’s conducting her review internally, and we’ll make the determination on how we’re moving forward with these allegations.”
Maddrey served two years as chief of department. In that time, he worked under four different police commissioners. Former Commissioner Keechant Sewell appointed Maddrey in December 2022 -- she was preceded by Eddie Caban, Tom Donlon and Tisch, who has been on the job for less than a month.
Maddrey joined the police force in 1991 at the age of 20 and rose through the ranks to become chief of housing in 2021 and then chief of patrol later that year, before being promoted to chief of department, according to his department biography.
Earlier this year, an administrative trial judge in the department recommended dropping a disciplinary case against Maddrey regarding a November 2021 incident in which he ordered officers to void the arrest of a retired officer who previously worked for him.
The judge ruled at the time that the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, a police watchdog agency, lacked jurisdiction. to pursue the case.
Tisch announced that Chief of Transportation Philip Rivera will step into the role of chief of patrol.
“The NYPD works tirelessly to protect New Yorkers, and these roles are critical to keeping our communities safe,” Tisch said. “The interim Chiefs of Department and Patrol will continue to lead the efforts to reduce crime and disorder and build public trust.”
According to the NYPD, the chief of department is tasked with overseeing the department's "crime-fighting strategies, quality of life initiatives, and operational plans."
