John Chell tapped for NYPD chief of department, replacing accused sex pest Jeffrey Maddrey

John Chell has been tapped to permanently replace Jeffrey Maddrey as the NYPD’s chief of department after an explosive sex scandal led to Maddrey’s resignation.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the personnel move Tuesday night as well as new official appointments for chief of patrol and chief of internal affairs — all effective immediately.

Chell, who had taken over Maddrey’s former job on an interim basis, will now be the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer.

Chell’s former post, chief of patrol, was filled by Philip Rivera, the department’s ex-chief of transportation, according to Tisch.

Edward A. Thompson, a 38-year veteran of the department, was named the permanent chief of internal affairs after stepping in on an interim basis following the ouster of former Chief Miguel Iglesias.

“In 2025, the NYPD will build on the gains of the past year to make every New York City neighborhood even safer,” Tisch said in a statement announcing the appointments.

“These leaders will ensure we continue to drive down crime and improve quality of life, maintain honor and integrity across the Department, and strengthen the bonds of partnership between the police and the people of our great city.”

The promotions mark the latest reshuffling atop the nation’s largest police department after a scandal-plagued 2024.

The outspoken Chell raised eyebrows and rankled liberals throughout his tenure as chief of patrol, often through his social media account.

Chell used X to jab lefty City Council members, journalists and even a judge whom he misidentified as the jurist who let a “predator” loose in the Big Apple.

The vocal posts by Chell and other NYPD brass under former Commissioner Edward Caban were deemed by City Council leaders as “dangerous, unethical, unprofessional” during a heated proceeding in May.

But Chell appeared to emerge unscathed from the controversy, as well as a series of scandals that forced many of his close NYPD colleagues and superiors from the department.

Caban stepped down in September after the FBI raided his home, followed a few weeks later by Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, who also was targeted by the feds.

Maddrey abruptly resigned in late December after The Post exposed his subordinate Lt. Quathisha Epps’ bombshell accusations that he routinely preyed upon her, demanding sexual favors in exchange for eye-watering amounts of overtime.

The sex-for-overtime accusations — which Maddrey denied — appeared to have prompted newly installed NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to clean house.

She purged dozens of NYPD bosses, including the top cops in the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

Chell has been with the NYPD since 1994.

His tenure also saw $1.5 million civil settlement after he fatally shot Brooklyn man in the back during 2008 — an act he contended was accidental, but frustrated the victim’s family as they learned the cop ascended through the NYPD’s ranks without discipline, The City reported.