NYPD bombshell lawsuit: Retired deputy commish says Donlon suffered ‘cognitive issues,’ but insiders say ex-top cop was sabotaged

Now-retired NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard responded to former Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon‘s bombshell lawsuit, painting the ex-FBI official as an incompetent leader suffering from “cognitive issues” — an accusation other department insiders disputed when speaking with amNewYork.

The fallout continued on Thursday from Donlon’s legal filing that called the NYPD, under Mayor Eric Adams, “criminal at its core.” Naming the likes of Sheppard, current Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, disgraced former Chief of Department Jeffery Maddrey, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, and current Chief of Department John Chell, Donlon alleged a culture of rampant corruption and racketeering. He also went on to charge that he was given little to no power as head of the department.

Sheppard responded to claims by telling amNewYork that Donlon is a disgruntled employee who could not handle the job, walked around in a “fog,” and would often forget meetings they had together.

former Chief of Department Jeffery Maddrey, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, and Interim Police Commissioner Thomas DonlonPhoto by Dean Moses

“He was a man who was going through some cognitive issues with his memory, he sort of believed that there was this conspiracy against him, and I thought he was suffering some kind of disorder, I honestly did,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard, a veteran of the force for over two decades and now retired, alleged Donlon was a man well past his prime who could not grasp new technology.

“He couldn’t remember things, he was constantly like, almost in a fog, you know,” Sheppard said. “The executive staff knew that he was not equipped to be police commissioner. They knew that he didn’t know what he was doing. He was in over his head.”

Donlon’s attorney, John Scola, dismissed Sheppard’s accusations as being nonsensical and undermining Mayor Adams’ judgment in hiring Donlon as the interim top cop last year.

“It’s strange credulity that Donlon would have cognitive issues, and then Mayor Eric Adams would place him in a senior advisor position on public safety to the mayor. It just doesn’t make any sense,” Scola said. “Seems like it’s a revisionist comment to try to avoid being indicted for the crimes.”

Insider: Brass was ‘f**ing with’ Donlon

One department insider who worked closely with Donlon throughout his time in the position and asked not to be named told amNewYork that he saw a very different situation than what Sheppard described, instead saying that this very executive staff preyed upon Donlon.

According to the source, Kaz Daughtry, Jeffrey Maddrey, Tarik Sheppard were all jockeying for the title of police commissioner and were looking to sabotage Donlon by feeding him contradictory information about events in order to set him up for failure.

“Maddrey would give him some line, and then Kaz would do something, and then Sheppard would do something. And he was getting it from all different angles of people, just like, f**king with him,” said the source, whose name has been withheld for this story. “Donlon became skeptical of everybody because people were telling him this person’s lying to you, that’s not how this works.”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard. Photo by Dean Moses

The source said police brass were seeking to make him appear incompetent to City Hall so he would not be kept on in the position permanently and instead be replaced by one of them. The source added that he never saw evidence of him appearing to be in a fog or having cognitive issues; however, he did say he saw him angry.

“They were all like taking advantage of him, and everyone kind of made him look bad and look crazy,” the source said. “It wasn’t a fog, he just became more agitated quicker at things that were going on, because he was the PC, and he would submit names for promotions, and then they wouldn’t come on the list. And then people were giving him the runaround, and then City Hall was kind of giving him the runaround.”

Forgotten promotions

Sheppard also commented on Donlon‘s apparent lack of authority and the dismissal of the promotion list, claiming that he simply forgot about the promotion.

“We send him a promotion email, we put it on his calendar, and we email him, and then we personally remind him that, hey, we got a promotion. He missed the promotion meeting. He goes out, forgets about it,” Sheppard said. “I handle the meeting. The promotions happen, and he’s angry that the people that he wanted didn’t get the promotion, and I have to go and say, ‘Commissioner, you didn’t come to the promotion meeting. You blew it off, remember?’”

Sheppard not only believes that Donlon is a disgruntled employee who could not handle the position, but he also charges that he is attempting to take advantage of the election session. Another police source who worked with Donlon said he was simply a “nice guy” in a backstabbing culture.

“He was a nice guy, like he was not from this PD culture. It takes years to learn that culture. He was too nice,” the source said.

Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon and Mayor Eric Adams. Photo by Dean Moses