Critics blasted Democrats for “embarrassing” a majority black Westchester County city after a police bigwig was arrested for joining her gangbanger son on a drive-by shooting in the Bronx.
Locals said Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard has left the residents of Mount Vernon with more questions than answers after the Democratic leader blamed Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard’s hiring on deceased former Commissioner Glenn Scott — and countrywide police reforms following George Floyd’s killing.
Now one fiery law enforcement activist and others are calling for a formal probe.
Lackard, 49, a sorority sister of Patterson-Howard, was hired by her for the high-up position in 2020 when she had zero police experience, an ex-con hubby and a troubled son in a Bronx street gang.
“This should be an opportunity to demonstrate what professional Black leadership, accountable government and effective community-based policing can look like,” Damon K. Jones, a representative for Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, railed in a press release.
“Instead, the failures coming from City Hall and police leadership have repeatedly embarrassed the department and overshadowed the work of the many dedicated officers who continue to serve the community professionally.”
Locals blasted the mayor, who sources told The Post may have been urged to hire Lackard by Democratic powerbroker Rev. Franklyn Richardson of Grace Baptist Church, where they both attended services.
“It’s favoritism,” charged CB Griffin, 54, a Mount Vernon grocer. “You’ll probably find a lot of that in this city government.”
Mount Vernon, a city of 72,000 people and a known Democratic stronghold, is no stranger to controversy.
The arrest is the latest stain on the troubled city, which has seen two sitting mayors arrested while in office and multiple police department controversies.
The mayors — Ernie Davis and Richard Thomas — left office after being charged with federal tax evasion and state grand larceny charges.
Thomas, who has blamed his charges on politics, called for President Trump to open up a probe in the beleaguered city.
“Letting the rigged Mt. Vernon machine operate above the law is like ignoring Iran building nuclear weapons,” he said in a statement.
“The simple truth is, at this point, only President Trump has the power to stop terrorism abroad and restore liberty right here at home, especially in Mt. Vernon.”
The calls for probes come after Lackard was busted by the NYPD for allegedly driving the getaway car for her son and reputed “Slutty Gang” member Chase Lackard, 20, as he tried to gun down a rival or rivals outside a Bronx courthouse earlier this summer.
The now fired deputy commissioner has been charged with attempted murder for the June 29 shooting.
Her husband, James Lackard, an ex-convict who spent nearly a decade behind bars for dealing heroin, was also arrested a few days later.
The family orchestrated the shooting, with the doting mom even texting the son instructions, according to a shocking indictment.
“You can’t just sit directly outside,” she allegedly texted her son while he waited for rivals outside the courthouse.
“It has to be timed right.”
Law enforcement activist Jones, who is also publisher of the Mount Vernon-centric newspaper Black Westchester, also said the mayor failed in her leadership and lied when blaming Scott, who died in 2024, for Lackard’s hiring.
“Glenn Scott would never have recommended placing an individual with no policing background or police experience into the position of Deputy Police Commissioner,” he said.
“Mount Vernon deserves leadership that accepts responsibility — not leadership that rewrites history.”
