Chell, a key ally to Mayor Adams who was on the time the division’s chief of patrol, took the journey to Texas in March 2024 to do an interview with Dr. Phil about New York’s “migrant crime wave.”
Chell, a registered impartial voter, didn’t violate guidelines or legal guidelines by having his Texas tab picked up by Dr. Phil. Chell additionally repeatedly seems on media shops seen as much less partisan, together with native and nationwide TV stations.
Nonetheless, Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer, a Democrat who’s the chairwoman of the Council’s Oversight Committee, argued Chell showing on overtly pro-Trump shops takes on a probably problematic political overtone.
Ken Frydman, a longtime New York media marketing consultant who has labored for a number of of the NYPD’s labor unions, agreed with Brewer, calling Chell’s Dr. Phil look “not only bad optics” but in addition “inappropriate.”
Senior police officers like Chell, Frydman added, shouldn’t have interaction in actions that might be construed as “public political positions” as that might ship a sign that the NYPD as a complete is partisan.
Mayor Eric Adams with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Chief of Division John Chell (proper) in December. (Barry Williams/ New York Every day Information)
The disclosure, which solely gives a variety versus a precise greenback determine, says the journey had a “city-related” function, which means Chell’s journey was thought of an official authorities exercise. Adams’ workplace has routinely mentioned the town pays for expenditures associated to official actions municipal staff have interaction in.
However an NYPD spokesperson famous the Metropolis Constitution permits for officers to just accept journey prices as a present when “the trip is for a City purpose and therefore could properly be paid for with City funds.”
“The purpose of the trip was to exchange views regarding policing in America, including discussion regarding the challenges facing New York City amid the migrant crisis,” mentioned the spokesperson, who didn’t present the precise price of Chell’s lodging and airfare.
Earlier this yr, the Division of Investigation decided that Chell violated NYPD tips by utilizing his official social media accounts to go after political critics on-line, a discovering that got here after Chell had deliberate to ship remarks at a Republican membership assembly in Queens.
Then, earlier this month, it emerged the Division of Investigation has individually began trying right into a criticism alleging Chell misused police assets by bringing his safety element together with him as he traveled to his Trump golf outing final month.
That criticism was filed by Rev. Kevin McCall, a Brooklyn civil rights activist and pastor. In response to Dr. Phil paying for Chell’s Texas journey, McCall mentioned NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch ought to “get a hold of this media monger.”
“This is an insult to every New Yorker who expects NYPD to be a public institution not a personal brand platform,” McCall mentioned. “John Chell is being allowed to run rogue.”
Since Chell’s Texas journey, Dr. Phil has grown more and more shut with Adams and his administration.
Final month, the New York Occasions reported Dr. Phil launched Adams to Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar,” who then proceeded to coordinate with administration officers on deportation raids that have been referred to as off by Tisch amid issues they might have violated native sanctuary legal guidelines.
Just lately, Dr. Phil’s TV community additionally signed a take care of Adams’ workplace to do a documentary referred to as “Behind the Badge,” which is predicted to spotlight the work of the NYPD, particularly specializing in Chell and Kaz Daughtry, Adams’ deputy mayor for public security.
Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak declined this month to share a replica of the Dr. Phil contract.
Initially Revealed: July 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM EDT
