NEW YORK (AP) — The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded sex from a subordinate.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted the resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey Friday night, effective immediately, according to an emailed statement from the department Saturday.
John Chell, the department’s chief of patrol, will take over as interim chief of department and Philip Rivera will assume Chell’s duties as the head of the patrol division, the department said.
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.”
Lawyers for Maddrey and his accuser didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment Saturday.
But the officer, 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.
She told the paper her lawyer plans to file a notice of claim with the city comptroller’s office Saturday outlining her allegations.
Maddrey’s attorney, Lambros Lambrou, dismissed the claims as “completely meritless” in a statement to the Post.
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 last December, 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.
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The judge ruled at the time that the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, a police watchdog agency, lacked jurisdiction to pursue the case.
The chief of department is charged with overseeing the department’s “crime-fighting strategies, quality of life initiatives, and operational plans,” according Tisch’s Saturday announcement. The chief of patrol manages the department’s largest bureau, which consists of 15,000 uniformed patrol officers and 3,000 civilians.
“The NYPD works tirelessly to protect New Yorkers, and these roles are critical to keeping our communities safe,” Tisch said in her statement. “The interim Chiefs of Department and Patrol will continue to lead the efforts to reduce crime and disorder and build public trust.”