A suburban New York police official accused of serving as the getaway driver in her son’s alleged gang-related shooting reportedly had ties to the mayor’s office before she was appointed to a senior department role.
According to court records, Jennifer Lackard, 49, and her son, Chase Lackard, 20, were arrested Tuesday by the New York Police Department in connection with a June 29 drive-by shooting targeting alleged rival gang members near Bronx Criminal Court.
Before her arrest, Lackard served as deputy commissioner of wellness for the Mount Vernon Police Department.
Jennifer Lackard, 49, faces charges after police said she drove the getaway car while her son allegedly carried out a gang shooting. (City of Mount Vernon)
Mount Vernon sits directly north of New York City and borders the Bronx.
Lackard and Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard are members of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the New York Post reported.
In her Mount Vernon police leadership post, Lackard’s responsibilities included police reform efforts, implementing a civilian complaint review board and overseeing officer wellness initiatives.
Jennifer Lackard previously held a deputy police commissioner position with the Mount Vernon Police Department. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News via Getty Images; Mt. Vernon Police Department)
When she was hired the city said, “Lackard brings a wealth of knowledge and resources to the City of Mount Vernon has worked on the community level as President of the Station of Hope prison re-entry ministry at Grace Baptist Church and organizer of the Re-Entry Meetup for Westchester County since 2015.”
NYPD officers and detectives investigate after Chase Lackard, 19, was shot and wounded by police on White Plains Road near Lafayette Ave. in the Bronx on Nov. 22, 2024, in New York City. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News via Getty Images)
In a 2020 interview with Gothamist, she “acknowledged the leap of faith it took for the department to give her the position,” and she had “never worked for a police department,” prior to landing the position.
The City of Mount Vernon hired Jennifer Lackard in July 2020. (Getty Images: Ward Dewitt)
She previously held advisory roles on the Westchester County Probation Advisory Board and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Implementation Task Force.
In a statement posted on social media, the City of Mount Vernon said in part, “Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lackard’s employment. The allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department and do not stem from any conduct associated with the Department or the performance of her official responsibilities.”
NYPD officers and detectives investigate after Chase Lackard, 19, was shot and wounded by police on White Plains Road near Lafayette Ave. in the Bronx on Nov. 22, 2024, in New York City. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News via Getty Images)
News Outlet has reached out to Patterson-Howard and Delta Sigma Theta for comment.
Attorneys for Jennifer and Chase Lackard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
