NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday said the allegations against Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey are “extremely concerning and alarming.”
The mayor spoke a day after Maddrey resigned.
“The police commissioner is doing a full review of all personnel,” Adams said. “[Maddrey] resigned, and that resignation was handed in immediately.”
Maddrey is facing allegations from Lt. Quathisha Epps, who holds an administrative post in Maddrey’s office, that he engaged in “quid pro quo sexual harassment” by coercing her to “perform unwanted sexual favors in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace,” according to a complaint filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch appointed Edward Thompson as interim chief of internal affairs, effective immediately. John Chell will become the NYPD’s interim chief of department and Philip Rivera will backfill his position as Chief of Patrol, Tisch announced.
"I have 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," Adams said.
Tisch is promising to rid the department of corruption after accepting Maddrey’s resignation Friday.
Maddrey has been the subject of other sexual misconduct allegations in the past, including one from an NYPD captain who filed an amended complaint in a lawsuit against the city last Wednesday, alleging that Maddrey sexually harassed her from 2015 to 2022.
Maddrey joined the police force in 1991 at the age of 20 and rose through the ranks to become chief of patrol in 2021, before being promoted to chief of department last December.
Maddrey’s attorney did not immediately respond to PIX11’s request for comment.
Other elected officials, including New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, responded to the shakeup over the weekend.
“These allegations are repulsive,” Adrienne Adams said. “Every city agency should maintain a workplace that is respectful of all employees and protects them from abuse.”
This story comprises reporting from the Associated Press.
