NY Police Deputy’s Son Caught in Bronx Gang Drive‑By – Democrats Stay Silent While Republicans Cry Foul

When a Westchester police leader’s family gets tangled in a Bronx gang shooting, the fallout isn’t just legal—it’s political. Ex‑Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard was arrested on June 29 and charged with attempted murder after prosecutors say she drove her 20‑year‑old son, Chase Lackard, to a suspected rival’s block and set off a botched drive‑by.

Chase, who has been linked to the so‑called “Slutty Gang,” allegedly fired from the family SUV, missing the intended target before the car sped away. The trio – Jennifer, her ex‑husband James Lackard, and their son – were later taken into custody.

The story, already explosive, has quickly become a litmus test for local politicians. While Republicans have seized the moment to lambast the former official, many prominent Democrats from the area have either declined to comment or issued vague statements about “public safety.”

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre told The Post, “Democrats preach ‘no one is above the law’ until it hurts them politically. This thug‑hugging mom had no business being a police commissioner.”

Only a handful of Democrats have offered more than a generic press release. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office reminded everyone that “public safety is the top priority,” and State Senator Jamaal Bailey called the charges “unacceptable and incredibly serious,” while still noting that the alleged conduct didn’t occur on duty.

Other high‑profile Democrats – Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart‑Cousins, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, and Rep. George Latimer – simply did not respond to requests for comment.

Jennifer Lackard’s rise to the deputy chief of Mount Vernon’s Wellness Unit in 2020 raised eyebrows. She was hired by Mayor Shawyn Patterson‑Howard, a sorority sister, despite having no prior law‑enforcement experience. Patterson‑Howard defended the hire, saying a “rigorous background check” showed no disqualifying issues and pointing to Lackard’s 15‑year stint in mental‑health and substance‑abuse work as qualification.

Westchester County, home to roughly 4,500 county employees, has chosen to stay out of the fray, with a spokesperson saying the focus should remain on their own workforce, not on personnel matters in neighboring municipalities.

Mount Vernon itself is a Democratic stronghold – over 31,000 of its 44,000 registered voters are Democrats. That makes the city a prize in local, county and even congressional races, which may explain the careful, sometimes silent, handling of the scandal by party officials.

As the legal process unfolds, the case underscores a broader question: when a police official’s family is implicated in violent crime, how quickly do the political allies step aside, and when do they speak up?