The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned after being accused of demanding sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted the resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey on Friday night, effective immediately, according to an email from the department Saturday. John Chell, the department's chief of patrol, will take over as interim chief of department, the statement said. The department did not address the allegations other than to say it will investigate them, the AP reports.
A lawyer for his accuser, Lt. Quathisha Epps, said the move was overdue. On Saturday, Epps filed a complaint against the city with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that Maddrey engaged in "quid pro quo sexual harassment" by coercing her to "perform unwanted sexual favors in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace." Epps, who holds an administrative post in Maddrey's office, said that when she finally pushed back at Maddrey's demands, he retaliated by claiming she was abusing overtime, prompting the department to launch a review. Her lawyer said she was then suspended without pay despite putting in her retirement notice earlier this week.
Epps was the department's top earner in fiscal 2024, at more than $400,000, according to media reports—most of it overtime pay. Eric Sanders, Epps' attorney, said any overtime his client worked was at the request of Maddrey and approved by him and other department officials. Maddrey's attorney, Lambros Lambrou, told the New York Post that Epps' claims are "completely meritless." The chief of patrol manages the department's largest bureau, which consists of 15,000 uniformed patrol officers and 3,000 civilians.
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