New York City

Suit: Thomas Donlon’s first NYPD conflict? Cops’ aggro social media use

The former interim commissioner alleges his attempts to root out corruption were blocked or ignored by City Hall – starting with a conversation about how police were tweeting.

Thomas Donlon was appointed NYPD commissioner on Friday, Sept. 13. By Monday morning, his authority was already being undermined, according to a new lawsuit.

Thomas Donlon was appointed NYPD commissioner on Friday, Sept. 13. By Monday morning, his authority was already being undermined, according to a new lawsuit. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

A bombshell lawsuit filed Wednesday by former New York City Police Department Commissioner Thomas Donlon sheds new light on how Mayor Eric Adams – a self-styled police reformer – handled concerns about rampant corruption, allegedly undermining Donlon’s attempts to clean up the department.

The lengthy lawsuit, filed in the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, gives a disturbing and detailed picture of Donlon’s extremely rocky two months as interim commissioner in the fall, alleging Donlon took over a police department in which “a coordinated criminal conspiracy had taken root.” According to the lawsuit, promotions were rigged, Donlon was constantly surveilled and malfeasance amounting to racketeering was covered up. He urged that there should be a federal takeover of the NYPD in which a monitor is appointed to oversee the department’s disciplinary process and promotion decisions. 

Adams was elected mayor in 2021 on a public safety platform – one that balanced a need to combat crime while also reforming policing. The latter is something he’d said he spent more than two decades pursuing from within the NYPD as a police officer. Since taking office however, the Adams administration – in particular the NYPD – has been beset with corruption allegations and complaints of micromanagement of police leadership from City Hall. Just last week, four former police chiefs filed separate whistleblower lawsuits against top department leaders alleging they’d been pushed out in 2023 for speaking out against wrongdoing. 

“These are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who – when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world – proved himself to be ineffective,” City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement. “We will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven.” A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

The inciting incident for Donlon’s conflicts within the department was seemingly low-stakes: leadership’s X posts.

During his first weekly Monday meeting after stepping into the commissioner role, Donlon urged NYPD leaders to exercise caution when using social media, reminding them that their individual public statements were reflective of the department as an institution, the lawsuit says. He also said they needed to obtain the NYPD Legal Bureau’s approval before sending out individual messages on social media – a standard department procedure. Then-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, former top spokesperson Tarik Sheppard, then-Chief of Patrol John Chell and then-Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry had a history of getting into heated online exchanges online with members of the public, including a City Council member and journalists.

“The moment he gets in there the first day, he holds a meeting to try to reign in the social media posts,” Donlon’s attorney John Scola told City & State. “Then within an hour of that meeting, separately, Daughtry, Chell and Sheppard all have private conversations with Adams, and then Adams calls Donlon and summons him through his office and basically says, ‘don't discipline these guys.’”

In January the city’s Department of Investigation found that Chell, Daughtry and other top police officials had violated the NYPD’s social media policy. According to the lawsuit, Donlon told the men that their posts were “unprofessional, unauthorized, and controversial,” reiterating that “there needs to be one voice” enforcing the department’s policies, procedures and guidelines.

“This usurping of power was indicative of the relationship between Donlon and the Individual Defendants from this point forward,” the lawsuit says of Chell, Daughtry and Sheppard going to Adams following the meeting. “No matter what Donlon tried to do to rein in the abuse of power, the Individual Defendants were allowed to ignore Donlon’s Orders as they had a direct access to Defendant Adams.”

Donlon’s short tenure as commissioner came to an end when Adams appointed then-Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch to replace him in November. The new commissioner, who is widely respected, has been unresponsive to Donlon’s repeated outreach, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Donlon was not officially informed that Tisch would be replacing him until Adams called him into his office ten minutes before the press conference when her appointment was announced. Adams allegedly told Donlon, “you can either leave or stay for the conference.” The lawsuit says that every former police commissioner was invited to Tisch’s swearing-in ceremony and given a seat except Donlon, who “stood on the sidelines.”

After he was demoted to a position in the mayor’s Office of Public Safety, Donlon alleged he repeatedly reached out to Tisch to advocate for the NYPD officers he tried to promote who were allegedly passed over, and he never heard back. 

“Despite being fully aware of the misconduct and injustice committed against these officers, neither Defendant Adams nor Police Commissioner Tisch has taken any steps to remedy this gross abuse of power,” the lawsuit said.