Copyright The New York Times
The chairman of New York City’s police oversight board has resigned, citing intense pressure from the head of the city’s largest police union, whom he accused of waging a “campaign of lies” against him. The board chairman, Dr. Mohammad Khalid, submitted his resignation on Friday, leaving the position vacant less than two months before the inauguration of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has supported giving more power to the agency. The 15-member panel, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, reviews investigations of police officers accused of misconduct and votes on whether to recommend discipline. Dr. Khalid, a dentist with a practice on Staten Island, said he could no longer withstand the attacks of Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association. Mr. Hendry has spent the last several months criticizing Dr. Khalid in opinion articles and on social media, accusing him of prejudice against police officers. “Mr. Hendry’s attacks have been relentless and untrue, and they have negatively impacted me, my family and my health,” Dr. Khalid said in a resignation letter addressed to Mayor Eric Adams and to Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the City Council. (The mayor and speaker are not related.) “To be clear, I would have liked to continue my work with the C.C.R.B.,” Dr. Khalid wrote. “But I will not do so when he can brazenly lie about me without consequence.” Mayor Adams appointed Dr. Khalid, 77, as interim head of the board in December 2024. In an interview, Dr. Khalid said that in recent months he had lost sleep and been so stressed that he had to see a doctor. He said he felt he “had no other choice” but to resign. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
