(NewsWorthy.news.com) – A police watchdog leader in New York stepped down from her position this week following months of pressure to do so.
Arva Rice, head of the Civilian Complaint Review Board—which serves as a watchdog group for the New York Police Department (NYPD)—sent her letter of resignation to the city’s Mayor Eric Adams on Monday July 22. She will complete her tenure in the role on August 15.
Although provided the opportunity to stay on as a member of the organization’s board, Rice has decided not to do so, as outlined in her resignation letter. According to sources close to the situation, Rice rescinded her involvement in the watchdog group “on her own terms,” which is believed to be how she “wanted to go out.”
Rice’s decision was not ultimately a surprise, but it did come suddenly for some people within the organization, who heard the news via media reports. She has yet to have her replacement named, according to sources who are under the impression that the Adams administration was also not prepared for her resignation.
Tension between Rice and the administration has been ongoing since she was asked to resign by Deputy Mayor Phil Banks in April. The newly resigned watchdog leader previously thought she would be fully appointed to her board leader role from her interim position. She was named interim leader of the oversight board by Adams in 2022, after first joining the group under his predecessor, Bill de Blasio.
However, Rice’s future with the group became hazy when she persisted in her controversial statements of criticism related to the NYPD and the mayor’s office. She had blasted the administration for cutting her budget, leaving her little resources to investigate complaints from civilians. Rice also condemned law enforcement’s management of a 2019 fatal shooting of a black man who was killed by police after refusing to put down a knife.
In the spring, Rice reportedly attempted to meet with Adams following Banks’ request for her resignation. But the mayor’s chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, said at the time that the administration “need[ed] to make a change.”
Copyright 2024, NewsWorthy.news
