By: Meyer Wolfsheim

Mark Stewart, the recently retired NYPD deputy commissioner for community affairs, has been awarded a generous ¾ disability pension, the NY Daily News has learned — following a similar payout to departed Chief of Department John Chell. Stewart, a former detective who rejoined the department as a civilian in February 2022 under Mayor Adams, retired again on October 8. He was approved for an accident disability pension worth $18,241 a month, or $218,893 annually, largely tax-free. In fiscal 2025, he earned a $275,577 salary, the Police Pension Fund confirmed to the Daily News.

Lawyers told the Daily News that it is unusual for a civilian to receive such benefits. Jeffrey Goldberg, who has represented officers in pension disputes for decades, said, “It’s highly unusual.” Stewart’s pension follows a pattern set by Chell, who retired on the same type of pension worth $295,919 a year, citing an ankle injury sustained during a 2024 operation on Randall’s Island. While Chell told the Daily News, “The system is the system,” pension lawyers note that rank-and-file officers with similar injuries often face initial denials and years of litigation.

The Daily News also reported that Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes, a former NYPD chief, has applied for a ¾ disability pension. Her retirement papers were filed on October 30, effective November 28. It remains unclear what job-related injury qualifies her, and her representatives did not respond to inquiries.

All three officials are longtime allies of Mayor Adams, though city spokespeople would not confirm any involvement in their pension approvals. Pension attorneys said the rapid approval of Stewart and Chell’s benefits contrasts sharply with the arduous process ordinary officers face. Tim McEnaney, a pension lawyer, told the Daily News, “There’s no way these people are entitled to a 3/4 pension especially when they routinely deny police officers the same type of pension who were actually seriously injured while doing actual law enforcement.”

Stewart’s career path has been atypical. He began as a transit cop from 1984 to 1988, served in multiple NYPD units, and at one point worked as Chief Philip Banks’ driver. He retired in 2004 with a standard pension, later worked at the Manhattan DA’s office, and returned to the NYPD in 2022 to lead the Community Affairs Bureau — a largely civilian role overseeing administrative functions. Stewart retired after nearly four years, but the basis for his disability pension remains undisclosed.

By contrast, rank-and-file officers face extensive delays. Dennis O’Brien, who sustained multiple on-the-job injuries over 16 years. Despite being permanently disabled, he was repeatedly denied a ¾ pension, endured six years of litigation, and remains in the process of seeking approval. Pension board records indicate that while dozens of officers may receive approval in a given month, the majority of applicants are initially denied or repeatedly reviewed.

The NYPD Police Pension Fund, established in 1940, is overseen by a medical board and a Board of Trustees.