By: Benyamin Davidsons

The outspoken head of the NYPD watchdog has resigned from her position, leaving on “her own terms” following months of pressure from the Adams administration pushing her to step down. As reported by The NY Post, on Monday morning Arva Rice submitted her resignation in a letter to Mayor Adams, stepping down as interim chairwoman of the Civilian Complaint Review Board as of Aug. 15. She did not cite the reason for her departure. She also will not stay on the board, according to the letter. In her resignation letter, Rice thanked the mayor for the opportunity and applauded her team for reducing the backlog of cases and improving transparency, communication and accountability within the NYPD.

“I think she wanted to go out on her own terms,” one source for the Post said, noting the fallout with City Hall. Many inside the agency were taken by surprise, some finding out about her departure from the news. A replacement for the position has yet to be named, according to sources, who said that her exit, although not unexpected, caught the administration by surprise.

Rice had joined the top NYPD watchdog agency under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and in 2022 had been named interim head of the police oversight board by Mayor Adams. The interim board leader believed herself to be on the path to a full appointment, but her scathing public statements about the administration led to frustration in City Hall. Tension with the administration escalated in the spring when Deputy Mayor Phil Banks asked her to step down. Per the Post, Banks had reportedly given Rice the option to stay on as a board member. “The CCRB is an independent board, and the mayor made it clear to the interim chair that she is more than welcome to serve on the CCRB board to continue to do this important work for New Yorkers,” said City Hall spokesperson Amaris Cockfield. “We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Per the Post, Rice had slammed Adam’s administration for cutting her budget, which she said made it difficult to investigate civilian complaints. She also heavily criticized the police department’s handling of the 2019 police shooting of Kawaski Trawick, a black man who was shot in his home when he refused to surrender a kitchen knife he was allegedly yielding.

The NYPD’s top union leader commented, welcoming the change at the CCRB, having long accused the review board of overstepping its authority. “The PBA has been calling for new appointments to CCRB’s board who can instill fairness in its decision-making processes and bring it in line with its City Charter mandate,” said PBA President Patrick Hendry. “Unfair treatment at CCRB doesn’t just destroy police officers’ morale — it jeopardizes public safety by driving even more cops out of the NYPD amid the ongoing staffing crisis.”