Mount Vernon mayor criticized after deputy police chief arrested for Bronx drive-by shooting

Mount Vernon’s Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, 49, was taken into custody on charges of attempted murder for allegedly serving as the getaway driver in a June 29 drive-by shooting in the Bronx. The incident involved her son, 20-year-old Chase Lackard, a self-identified gang member, who allegedly opened fire on rivals outside a courthouse. Lackard’s appointment in 2020 by Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard has drawn fire because she lacked policing background, had an ex-convict husband, and is a sorority sister of the mayor.

Critics, including Damon K. Jones of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, argue the mayor’s explanation that former Commissioner Glenn Scott recommended the hire is false, and they are calling for an independent probe. Local residents, such as grocer CB Griffin, describe the hiring as favoritism and say it undermines confidence in city leadership. The case adds to Mount Vernon’s history of political controversy and raises questions about accountability in local law-enforcement appointments.