The NYPD has made a major change in how it handles sexual harassment and discrimination complaints, placing those investigations under the direct supervision of Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The move comes as part of a broader shake-up at the department’s Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI), whose investigative arm—responsible for handling internal employment and harassment claims—was officially shifted under Tisch’s oversight this week.
As part of the transition, Deputy Commissioner Wendy Garcia, who led the OEI, has been reassigned to the Department of Corrections. While the NYPD says the two moves are not connected, the timing has raised eyebrows following explosive claims from retired NYPD Lt. Quathisha Epps, who recently came forward with allegations of sexual harassment by former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.
In a televised interview, Epps said she felt helpless and isolated during the alleged harassment, unsure where to turn.
“Who’s going to believe me? Who can I talk to?” she said.
Epps claims that during the 18 months she endured harassment, Internal Affairs and the Office of Equity and Inclusion routinely routed complaints directly to Maddrey, the man she was accusing.
“The very people supposed to protect us were reporting to the person I was filing complaints against,” Epps alleged, describing a culture of intimidation and a lack of accountability at the highest levels of the department.
She said high-ranking officials would sometimes discuss active complaints in closed-door meetings, revealing sensitive details about who was speaking out and what was being said.
This marks the second significant round of internal restructuring since Epps filed a detailed EEOC complaint last year, accusing Maddrey of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
In December, the chief of Internal Affairs resigned, and more than a dozen senior officials were reassigned.
Epps also noted that Wendy Garcia reached out after the complaint was filed, but she declined to engage, citing distrust.
“You’re supposed to be the head of Equity and Inclusion, protecting fairness,” Epps said. “And yet you were giving heads-up warnings about internal complaints. I couldn’t trust that process.”
To date, Garcia has not been accused of any wrongdoing and her reassignment has not been linked to misconduct. Meanwhile, Maddrey has categorically denied all allegations.
The NYPD has not commented further on whether the ongoing restructuring is linked to the Epps case, but with Commissioner Tisch now taking direct control, the department appears to be tightening its oversight of internal misconduct investigations amid rising calls for transparency and reform.
