Bklyn Detective Kaz Daughtry Said to Be Running NYPD, Not Commissioner Sewell

Bklyn Detective Kaz Daughtry Said to Be Running NYPD, Not Commissioner Sewell

By:  Benyamin Davidsons

When New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced she was leaving the role as top cop, it came as a shock.  Inside sources, however, say she hasn’t been the one really running the department of late.

As reported by the NY Post, first-grade Detective Kaz Daughtry has been the department’s go-to guy for the past six months.  “He calls and everybody jumps,” one police source told the Post. “He’s literally running the department.”  Daughtry is a 17-year veteran, has been working in the office of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey since December 2022.  He is the highest rank of detective and he can often be seen in a leading role on episodes of “True Blue: NYPD’s Finest,” the department’s YouTube series.  The Post reported that insiders said he has an elevated role in Maddrey’s office, with department brass going directly to him instead of Commissioner Sewell.  “In the past, the people below the police commissioner didn’t have more juice than the police commissioner,” said the source. “Everyone went to the police commissioner, who went to the mayor.”

Daughtry is “one of the detectives designated as a NYPD City Hall Liaison,”  the NYPD said in a comment.  “This team was created to better facilitate direct and immediate communication between City Hall and the NYPD,” per the department.

Sewell, 51, served as commissioner of the largest police force in the United States since Jan 2022, having been appointed by Mayor Eric Adams.  “I have made the decision to step down from my position,” Sewell wrote in an email to the department last Monday afternoon. “While my time here will come to a close, I will never step away from my advocacy and support for the NYPD, and I will always be a champion for the people of New York City.”  She did not give a reason for her early departure.  Sources said that Sewell was “fed up”, because she had to get clearance for everything she wanted to do.  “They tied her up,” a source for the Post said. “There’s no executive choices on her behalf. If a cop distinguishes himself and she wants to promote him, she can’t do it.”  It is unclear who will take over the role.  Per the Post, the immediate succession would be for her first deputy, Edward Caban, to take over the role of top cop.

Sewell, a Queens native, who is a 22-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, had spent most of her career policing on Long Island before being appointed as the first ever female NYPD commissioner, succeeding Dermot Shea.  Following her resignment, Mayor Adams had lauded her service.  “The commissioner worked nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a year and a half, and we are all grateful for her service. New Yorkers owe her a debt of gratitude,” the mayor said.  During Sewell’s tenure, NYC saw a decline in shootings, despite an overall increase in crime, as per NYPD data.