Police commissioner talks crime and bail reform, says NYPD does not need a residency requirement

BY CAROLINE SPIVACK

She opposes a residency requirement for police o cers, city Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told Crain’s Wednesday morning, emphasizing that “as long as they’re connected to the community” where they work, that’s more than adequate for her.

“If you work in a city and you have a post in the city, that is your home,” Sewell said at a Crain’s Power Breakfast in Midtown during a discussion with Editor-in-Chief Cory Schouten. “I want an o cer to have that investment in that community no matter where he or she lives.”

Sewell con rmed that she herself lives in Long Island’s Nassau County “six or seven blocks” beyond the Queens border. She lives in the Valley Stream home she purchased 16 years ago. Sewell added that because of the time she spends in the city, “I think I live here in New York City more than anywhere else.”

On the campaign trail, Mayor Eric Adams supported a requirement for police o cers to live within the ve boroughs. In January

2022, Adams said he believed a city residency requirement for new ocers is “a smart idea,” and questioned why the city would use its tax dollars to “pay for an o cer to be here for eight hours and then 16 hours he’s going to one of our ve neighboring counties and protecting them.” e mayor reiterated that he is “a big believer in the residency requirement” at a Wednesday press conference.

Residency requirment

City lawmakers and government watchdogs have long called for a residency requirement for uniformed members of the New York Police Department, arguing that having a police force made up of more city residents would improve accountability and public safety.

Currently, ocers must live in the ve boroughs or in suburban counties east and north of the city.

Sewell said she’s instead focused on ensuring a greater mix of New Yorkers are represented by the city’s police force through recruitment. About 18% of the Police Department’s 52,000 employees are women.

“I think in ve to ten years the NYPD is going to be the most diverse police department in the world,” Sewell said. “I plan to make the NYPD the most public facing,

POLITICS accessible police department in the world.”

In January the Police Department released the agency’s 2023 strategic plan with four primary goals: strengthening its workforce with diverse talent, innovating policing methods, better engagement with community partners and promoting public safety through neighborhood policing initiatives.

Sewell touted a recent dip in crime, pointing to department data of a 5.6% drop in major crime compared to the same month in 2022. e dip was mostly driven by a 28% decrease in murders, 22% fewer rapes and 15% fewer burglaries. But not all crime has trended downward.

Sewell acknowledged that the department has seen “some stubborn numbers” around felony assaults and car thefts, which were both slightly up in February compared to the same time last year. Crime on the city’s subway and buses also edged up, by 1.9%, which comes after the mayor and Gov. Kathy Hochul praised a recent short-term decline in crime on mass transit.

Other takeaways include:

● Sewell described the Police Department’s shutdown of the recent in ux of unlicensed pot shops as

“Whac-A Mole” and said better regulation would likely be needed. “We’ll still keep whacking those moles,” she said. “ ey are absolutely a nuisance to the city and they are also victims of robberies as well so they bring crimes to those locations.”

● Sewell said she is “optimistic” that Hochul’s proposed tweaks to bail reform will result in meaningful changes. She reiterated—to applause—that judges should have the ability to determine whether a person is a public safety risk when they set bail, remand or release.

● For those taking on leadership roles, Sewell advised them to sur-

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Location: 180 Central Park S. CrainsNewYork.com/pb_williams round themselves with people who know more than they do. “Coming in, you have to take a back seat,” she said. “You have to gure out where the car keys are, where to put your jacket, where to park your car, and see what’s working and what isn’t.”

● To blow o steam, Sewell said, she enjoys cooking when she can nd the time, often while pumping artists like Gregory Porter, Sadé and Phil Collins through her iPod speaker. One of her favorite dishes to cook is a re-creation of her mother’s broccoli casserole that is her go-to for pretty much every family event. ■