MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — Blacks in Law Enforcement of America (BLEA) is calling on Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard to accept responsibility for what the organization describes as a growing pattern of leadership failures within the Mount Vernon Police Department following the arrest of Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Lackard.
Lackard, the department’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Reform, was arrested Tuesday alongside her son, Chase Lackard, after Bronx prosecutors alleged she drove the getaway vehicle following an attempted gang-related shooting outside the Bronx Criminal Courthouse on June 29. Both face multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment. The charges are allegations, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
In a statement released Tuesday, BLEA said the arrest of one of the department’s highest-ranking executives should force City Hall to answer difficult questions about leadership, oversight, and accountability.
Federal Findings Already Warned the City
BLEA argues that the latest arrest cannot be viewed in isolation.
The organization pointed to the U.S. Department of Justice’s December 2024 findings, which concluded that the Mount Vernon Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. Federal investigators cited deficiencies in supervision, training, accountability, use-of-force practices, investigative procedures, and leadership oversight.
According to BLEA, those findings should have served as a blueprint for reform.
“Instead,” the statement reads, “the City now finds itself confronting yet another crisis involving one of the department’s highest-ranking officials.”
The organization questioned what reforms have actually been implemented since the DOJ report and whether those reforms have been effectively measured.
A Growing List of Officer Arrests
BLEA also highlighted what it described as a troubling series of criminal cases involving members of the department during the past year.
Among those cited were:
- Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, arrested on multiple felony charges related to the Bronx investigation.
- Detective Kyren Braunskill, indicted in a Suffolk County investigation involving conspiracy and financial crime allegations.
- Officer Brandon Hunter-Carney, charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
- Officer Steven Moreano, arrested on misdemeanor DWI charges while off duty.
- Officer Frank Lucadamo, arrested in Florida on stalking allegations involving a retired Mount Vernon police officer.
While some of the alleged conduct occurred before certain officers joined the department, BLEA said the cumulative effect of these cases has damaged public confidence and raises questions about hiring standards, background investigations, supervision, and executive leadership.
Questions Remain About the Wellness Division
The organization also connected the latest arrest to broader concerns surrounding the department’s Wellness Division, which Deputy Commissioner Lackard oversaw as part of her role leading public safety reform.
Only days before her arrest, Mount Vernon officers responding to a court-ordered mental health commitment shot 58-year-old Ulysses McGhee after hours of negotiations failed. Officers reportedly used less-lethal force before a firearm was discharged. The New York State Police continue to investigate the shooting.
BLEA emphasized that it is not alleging any connection between Lackard’s criminal charges and the McGhee shooting. Still, it said her leadership responsibilities make it appropriate to examine whether the City’s reform initiatives were adequately implemented.
The organization is calling for answers to several questions, including:
- Were nationally recognized Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) standards followed?
- Were DOJ recommendations fully implemented?
- Who evaluated the effectiveness of the department’s Wellness Division?
- What accountability measures exist when reform efforts fail to prevent controversial outcomes?
“Leadership Must Be Accountable”
BLEA said the issues now facing the department extend beyond individual misconduct.
“When a police department has been the subject of a federal civil rights investigation, receives findings of unconstitutional policing from the U.S. Department of Justice, experiences multiple officer arrests, faces repeated controversies involving the use of force, and now sees one of its highest-ranking executives arrested on serious felony charges, the conversation must move beyond individual misconduct and toward executive accountability,” the organization stated.
BLEA is calling on Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard to publicly explain what reforms have been completed since the DOJ report, how those reforms have been measured, what changes have been made to leadership and supervision, and why serious controversies continue to emerge.
The organization concluded by saying that public trust cannot be restored through silence.
“The honorable men and women who wear the badge deserve ethical leadership, effective supervision, and a department they can be proud to serve,” the statement reads. “The residents of Mount Vernon deserve a police department that reflects professionalism, constitutional policing, transparency, and accountability.”
BLEA said meaningful reform requires “honest leadership, measurable accountability, and transparency at every level of government.”
