Ouster of NYPD Internal Affairs chief is latest in whirlwind shakeup of police brass

Graham Rayman, Rocco Parascandola and John Annese, New York Daily News on Dec 22, 2024

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Top staff shakeups are par for the course under a new police commissioner, but the storm of resignations and reassignments at the NYPD over the past three days — including Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey stepping down amid bombshell sexual misconduct allegations — served as a shock to the system with the head of the Internal Affairs Bureau the latest high-ranking cop to get the ax.

Chief of Internal Affairs Miguel Iglesias “was relieved of his command and has notified the department of his intent to retire,” the NYPD announced in a statement Saturday night — just hours after news broke that Maddrey had resigned abruptly.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch appointed Chief Edward Thompson to replace Iglesias as the interim IAB boss.

Maddrey’s quick exit came after former NYPD Lt. Quathisha Epps alleged he repeatedly demanded sex from her “in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace,” according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

That led to revelations that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was investigating Maddrey’s conduct, and that the city Department of Investigation and federal authorities were looking into the overtime abuse claims.

The probes are expected to focus on possible misuse of the budget codes officers use to designate the reasons for overtime, the sources said.

Epps filed for retirement last Monday after the Daily News reported she earned more than $400,000 in fiscal 2024, including $204,000 in overtime for 1,626 hours in the year. She was suspended Wednesday and has retained attorney Eric Sanders, a former cop who specializes in representing police officers in claims against the city.

After the reports about Epps’ overtime, the NYPD ordered up an internal review of her hours, as well as her role in promotions and transfers in the department, police sources said. That review predates Epps’ allegations against Maddrey.

Maddrey began forcing Epps, a cancer survivor, “into performing unwanted sexual favors” beginning in June 2023, usually in his office at Police Headquarters, according to her complaint.

When Epps “finally developed the courage to reject Chief Maddrey’s advances,” he retaliated by doctoring a monthly overtime report to falsely portray her as an overtime cheat, she alleges.

She also alleges the overtime list was constantly edited to protect top overtime earners, including Maddrey, Chief of Patrol John Chell and NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry. Chell has been named interim chief of department after Maddrey’s departure.

On Saturday, the department transferred a lieutenant, a sergeant and 16 detectives from bureaus at Police Headquarters, according to transfer orders shared with The News.

Three of the detectives were from Maddrey’s office, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the move had anything to do with Epps’ allegations.

The transfers came just two days after Tisch made a number of administrative appointments, including new heads of the department’s public information and technology bureaus.

Tisch named Delaney Kempner as the new deputy commissioner of public information, replacing controversial top spokesman Tarik Sheppard. Kempner has spent the past four years as director of communications for New York State Attorney General Letitia James.