Jennifer Lackard’s hiring in 2020 as a deputy police commissioner in Mount Vernon raised eyebrows.
She had no law enforcement experience and a husband who had just gotten out of prison after serving eight years for a federal drug conviction.
But at a time of much upheaval in 21st century policing in the the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minnesota she wasn’t hired to be a cop. Hers was a new civilian position in the department, deputy commissioner of special initiatives, tasked with improving the trust between police and city residents, developing police reforms and overseeing behavioral health and wellness programs for police officers and the community.
Now the administration of Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard is defending the hire after Lackard was indicted with her husband and 20-year-old son in the Bronx on charges including attempted murder. She and James Lackard are accused of driving their son Chase, a reputed gang member, to and from a June 29 shooting outside the Bronx Hall of Justice where he allegedly fired from their car at a group that included someone from a rival gang.
Lackard was fired Tuesday, Aug. 4, following her arrest.
In a news release Wednesday the city defended the vetting and hiring of Lackard and insisted “no employer can predict future personal conduct.”
“While the position was civilian in nature, Ms. Lackard was required to undergo a rigorous background investigation and employment screening, including fingerprinting, medical clearance, a driving abstract, financial disclosures, and a criminal background check,” the statement read. “Based on the background investigation, she met the qualifications for the civilian position. There was no information that disqualified her from employment.”
Lackard had worked for several years on helping those released from prison adjust to life after incarceration. She founded Re-Entry Link LLC, worked on Station of Hope, a re-entry program at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, one of Westchester’s most prominent churches. Through his assistant, the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson declined to speak about Lackard on Thursday.
On social media this week, there were references to Lackard and the mayor both being members of Delta Sigma Theta, the largest African-American sorority. But also circulated was an old post from Glenn Scott, the police commissioner who retired in 2023 and died two years later, who insisted it was he and not the mayor who determined Lackard was best for that job, that while she had not been in law enforcement she had worked with police and was the right person to bring needed services to the city.
“By providing these services the crime rates will drop,” Scott wrote. “I could have hired a police administrator to make my job easier, but I thought of Mt. Vernon first and hired DC Lackard.”
Lackard also served two terms on Bronx Community Board 9 and in 2019 was named to the Westchester County Probation Advisory Board. After her hiring in Mount Vernon, she was among the chairs of the city’s Police Reform Commission.
Turnover in Mount Vernon’s police administration is common but Lackard stayed put for six years, through the retirement of one commissioner and the resignations of an interim commissioner and a deputy commissioner.
The city’s statement also addressed James Lackard’s criminal history – that it was disclosed, reviewed and “deemed not to be disqualifying for (Jennifer Lackard’s) civilian position.”
Raised Jenna Ellison in the Bronx, Lackard had a parent who served as a clerk in the Bronx courthouse where years later she was arraigned, her lawyer Gail Gray said. She went on to graduate from the University of Michigan and receive a master’s degree from Cornell University.
She and James Lackard married in 2005 while he was on supervised release in North Carolina following a 4-year prison term for a 1998 federal conviction for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
His 8 years of supervised release ended three years early when probation officers determined he no longer needed their oversight, according to court records. The 400 hours of community service he was supposed to serve over the eight years was completed in less than two and other than speeding he had stayed out of trouble. And he was working in an auto detailing business his wife helped him start and the couple was managing rental properties they had bought in the Winston-Salem area.
Probation also referenced Ivy House, a program the couple started in 2007 to help the homeless and non-violent formerly incarcerated individuals with financial literacy and employment opportunities.
But Ivy House folded five years later after losing contracts when James Lackard was arrested again on federal drug charges. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, getting out a few months before his wife got the Mount Vernon job.
In court papers related to the 2012 arrest, James Lackard was accused of using the auto-detailing business to place hidden compartments in cars for transport of drugs and using some of the rental properties as heroin stash houses.
Jennifer Lackard was not implicated in any of her husband’s crimes.
Besides notifying city officials of her husband’s criminal background Jennifer Lackard talked openly once she was hired about how his experience had guided her to the re-entry work she was doing.
He was front and center outside City Hall at her hiring ceremony, holding the Bible as she was sworn in and pinning on her badge.
Jennifer and Chase Lackard pleaded not guilty at arraignments following their arrests at home in the Bronx on Tuesday. She was released on bail Thursday morning and he remains at Rikers Island on no bail.
James Lackard, 55, surrendered on Thursday. He pleaded not guilty and is being held at Rikers Island on $150,000 bail or $300,000 bond. All three Lackards are due back in court on Sept. 25.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon defends police hire charged with attempted murder
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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By Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
