NEW YORK Allegations have surfaced that the top uniformed officer in the New York Police Department sought sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to receive further compensation, leading to his resignation.
According to a department statement released on Saturday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey’s retirement on Friday evening, with immediate effect.
According to the NYPD, Philip Rivera will succeed Chief of Patrol John Chell as the head of the patrol division, while Chell will serve as the department’s acting chief.
In a statement released late Saturday, Tisch said that the internal affairs office, which looks into claims of police wrongdoing, must always be committed to upholding integrity and combating corruption in all of its manifestations. When Miguel Iglesias was dismissed of his leadership, she named Edward Thompson as the acting chief.
Other than stating that it takes all claims of sexual misconduct seriously and will look into this case thoroughly, the NYPD declined to comment on the accusations made against Maddrey.
Lt. Quathisha Epps, his accuser’s attorney, said the action was long time.
Attorney Eric Sanders stated over the phone on Saturday that this ought to have been done a long time ago. This type of conduct has been developing for years. Anyone who knows how this department operates won’t be surprised by this.
Epps filed a complaint against the city with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Saturday, alleging that Maddrey forced her to perform unwelcome sexual favors in return for overtime chances at work, so engaging in quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Epps, who works as an administrative assistant in Maddrey’s office, claimed that the department started a review after she finally resisted Maddrey’s requests and he responded by accusing her of misusing overtime.
Sanders claimed that even though his client had submitted her retirement notice earlier this week, she was subsequently suspended without pay.
According to local media sources, Epps earned over $400,000 in fiscal year 2024, more than half of which came from overtime pay, making him the department’s highest earner.
In a statement, Sanders claimed that Ms. Epps had suffered severe injuries at the hands of those who took advantage of their positions of authority for their own benefit. The reprisals she endured for confronting this abuse highlight the urgent need for changes to address the NYPD’s structural flaws.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said it is looking into the complaint, but department spokespeople declined to comment.
According to a statement from the office, these are very serious and unsettling allegations that reportedly happened within the Manhattan headquarters of the New York Police Department.
Tisch, who was appointed last month to calm a department roiled by inquiries, is undertaking her own departmentwide evaluation to make sure no high ranking officers are abusing their power, according to a representative for Mayor Eric Adams.
In a statement, Kayla Mamelak Altus stated, “We are deeply disturbed by these allegations,” but she would not speak further at this time.
A request for comment on the different charges was not answered by Lambros Lambrou, Maddrey’s lawyer. However, he rejected Epps’ charges as wholly unfounded in a statement to the New York Post.
Lambrou told the newspaper, “What a convenient time to accuse someone of misconduct after she’s been caught stealing time.” She is in the deep end of the pool without a lifeguard and is clearly drowning. Her goal is to eliminate as many individuals as possible.
Sanders retorted that Maddrey requested and he and other department executives approved whatever overtime his client worked.
Other accusations of misbehavior have been made against Maddrey in the interim, including one from a police captain who claims that she rejected his unwelcome approaches for years.
“Maddrey’s departure vindicates the police captain, who this week amended her sexual harassment lawsuit against another top officer to include Maddrey,” Gabrielle Walls’ attorney, John Scola, said in a statement.
In the file, Walls stated that she sometimes resorted to hiding with the door locked and the lights off because she hated interacting with Maddrey since he constantly wanted to kiss her.
Scola stated, “We hope that this well-publicized resignation is the first step toward a cultural change to eradicate the widespread culture of harassment and retaliation within the NYPD.”
According to the New York Post and others, a state judge denied the former officer’s claim that Maddrey forced her into a years-long romance while he was her boss last month.
An administrative trial judge in the department suggested earlier this year that Maddrey’s disciplinary case be dropped in connection with an event that occurred in November 2021 in which he directed officers to nullify the arrest of a retired cop who had previously worked for him.
According to his department profile, Maddrey began his career with the police in 1991 at the age of 20, progressed through the ranks to become chief of patrol in 2021, and was then promoted to chief of department in December.
According to Tisch’s announcement on Saturday, the department chief is responsible for managing the agency’s operational plans, quality-of-life programs, and crime-fighting tactics. The largest bureau in the department, with 15,000 uniformed patrol personnel and 3,000 civilians, is controlled by the chief of patrol.
“These roles are essential to keeping our communities safe, and the NYPD works tirelessly to protect New Yorkers,” Tisch said in her statement. The efforts to lower crime and disorder and foster public trust will continue to be led by the acting Chiefs of Department and Patrol.
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