Police Watchdog Leader Resigns Amid Tensions With Mayor

(NationRise.com) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a tough job on his hands, balancing the needs of New York City residents and the growing number of illegal aliens populating the city streets and luxury hotels. The huge presence of illegal aliens in the city has forced local government to slash budgets for city services, prompting some members of his team to become publicly critical of his handling of the crisis.

Now, the outspoken NYPD watchdog leader Arva Rice has submitted her resignation in a public letter to Adams. Rice leaves her role as interim chairwoman of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and will not maintain any role within the board after her departure on August 15.

A source close to the story said that Rice wanted to leave “on her own terms,” referring to the very public arguments she had with the rest of City Hall.

The news follows months of controversy, with Mayor Adams having reportedly been working behind the scenes to oust the chairman over a series of complaints made against her. An adviser to the NYC mayor, Philip Banks, is understood to have asked Rice to resign from her position over her public criticism of the impact of budget cuts across the NYPD. Rice was also vocal about the handling by the NYPD of a 2019 police shooting of a black man in his home.

Sources say that a replacement for Rice has not yet been named. While her departure was expected at some point, her resignation took some people in City Hall by surprise—including Mayor Adams himself.

Rice has long worked with the New York City government, first joining the agency during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s leadership. She first joined the NYPD oversight board in 2022 after being appointed by Adams, but she has been at odds with his leadership since the spring. Earlier this year, Rice was asked to step down by Deputy Mayor Phil Banks.

Rice represents millions of New York City residents concerned about police budget cuts, which she says make it virtually impossible to investigate complaints filed by city residents.