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The NYPD has implemented a major shift in how it handles internal complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination. Moving forward, these allegations will be directly overseen by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Eyewitness News ABC 7 reported Monday. The department announced this week that the investigative arm of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, which manages employment and harassment investigations, has been placed under Tisch’s supervision.
This internal restructuring comes as Deputy Commissioner Wendy Garcia, who previously led the Office of Equity and Inclusion, has been reassigned to the Department of Corrections. While the NYPD insists the two developments are unrelated, the timing closely follows a whistleblower interview with retired NYPD Lieutenant Quathisha Epps, who alleges that former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey sexually harassed her.
Epps told Eyewitness News that during the 18-month period she says the harassment occurred, she had no safe place to report it. “Who’s going to believe me,” Epps asked. “Who can I talk to? Who can I tell?” As the department’s former personnel officer, Epps said she had insight into how harassment complaints were handled internally. According to her, complaints filed through Internal Affairs or the Office of Equity and Inclusion were ultimately routed back to Maddrey, the very person she was accusing.
“The head of our office sitting with others who file complaints through either IAB, an integrity complaint or a sexual discrimination complaint, to see that these complaints are being handed to them,” Epps said. “People are supposed to feel comfortable, to be able, to come and speak their truth as to what’s going on. And as these complaints are coming in, the heads of these bureaus are working it over and showing who’s saying what about who.”
Epps previously filed an EEOC complaint accusing Maddrey of quid pro quo sexual harassment. In the months following that complaint, the NYPD underwent significant restructuring. In December, the chief of Internal Affairs stepped down, and over a dozen top officials were reassigned. Epps said Garcia did contact her after the complaint was filed, but she chose not to engage.
“Knowing how this works, you’re supposed to be the head of Equity and Inclusion and keeping things fair and just,” Epps said. “And you’re giving a heads up when things come down that are being said about these executives and I’m supposed to sit and speak with you. Absolutely not.”
Garcia has not been accused of any misconduct and her reassignment is not tied to any public allegations. Maddrey, for his part, has strongly denied all claims made against him.
The NYPD’s decision to place oversight of harassment and discrimination investigations under Commissioner Tisch could signal an effort to restore trust within the department and provide a more transparent and accountable process for handling complaints. Whether this change leads to meaningful reform remains to be seen, but for many, it represents a critical step toward addressing long-standing concerns about how internal abuse allegations are managed in one of the country’s largest police departments.
