New York City’s incoming mayor will appoint Keechant Sewell as the city's next police commissioner, making her the first woman to head the country’s largest police department, sources said Tuesday.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams is expected to appoint Sewell after Police Commissioner Dermot Shea retires at the end of the year, six sources told NBC News and NBC New York.
Sewell would also become the first Black woman to lead the police department.
Sewell was promoted in September 2020 to chief of detectives for the Nassau County Police Department, where she has worked for 22 years.
A spokesman for Adams declined to comment Tuesday night. A formal announcement is expected Wednesday morning.
Adams, a former New York City police captain and Brooklyn borough president, was elected mayor last month, beating Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Sewell, who is originally from Queens, is well-liked in her department and impressed Adams during their meetings, sources told NBC New York.
Sources also said Sewell beat out several candidates, including former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.
Best, who retired last year, tweeted that she was “honored to have been a finalist.”
“Congratulations to Keechant Sewell on her appointment as NYPD’s next police commissioner,” Best wrote.
CORRECTION (Dec. 15, 2021, 6:21 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when Sewell was promoted to Chief of Detectives. It was Sept. 2020, not last September.
