Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard was fired Tuesday following her arrest and indictment, along with her husband and son, on charges including attempted murder and conspiracy related to a gang shooting. The dismissal comes amid questions about her hiring for a key role in the police department's wellness unit.
Lackard, who was appointed to head the newly created Police Department Wellness Unit in 2020, was terminated after authorities arrested her, her husband James Lackard, and their 20-year-old son Chase Lackard. Prosecutors allege that Jennifer Lackard drove her son and husband to the Bronx to participate in a botched drive-by shooting of a gang rival on June 29. Chase Lackard is accused of firing from the SUV while his parents circled the block. All three face charges of attempted murder, conspiracy, attempted assault, and gun charges.
Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard initially stated that Lackard was hired for her 15-year background in mental health and substance abuse services, which aligned with the wellness unit's mission. The mayor's office also stated that Lackard underwent a rigorous background check, and her husband's past conviction for federal drug charges in the late 1990s did not disqualify her. The wellness unit was established to assist officers in managing volatile encounters with emotionally unstable or intoxicated individuals.
Reports have surfaced indicating that Mayor Patterson-Howard and Lackard were sorority sisters, both reportedly members of Delta Sigma Theta, and also attend the same church. However, a spokesperson for the mayor's office denied any personal relationship between Patterson-Howard and Lackard prior to or during her employment, stating that Lackard was hired by former Police Commissioner Glenn Scott through the city's established hiring process. Despite these denials, a photograph posted on Facebook reportedly shows the two women together at an event.
Lackard's son, Chase Lackard, a reputed member of the "Slutty Gang," faces multiple pending gun cases in the Bronx and Manhattan. Her husband, James Lackard, served prison time in the late 1990s for federal drug charges and co-founded a nonprofit with Jennifer Lackard in North Carolina that served criminal defendants with mental health or drug issues. Jennifer Lackard also founded a separate nonprofit in the Bronx before her appointment in Mount Vernon.
Chase Lackard was ordered held without bail. Jennifer Lackard posted $75,000 cash bail or a $150,000 bond, while James Lackard was being held on $150,000 cash bail or a $300,000 bond. Mount Vernon is a city of approximately 72,000 people bordering the Bronx.