Four former NYPD chiefs claim in separate lawsuits filed Monday that top department leaders close to Mayor Eric Adams forced them out after they complained about promotions and plum assignments being awarded to unqualified associates or called attention to other potential misconduct.
They say the retaliation against them violated civil service protections and are seeking damages for their financial losses.
Among the allegations contained in the lawsuits filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by former NYPD chiefs Matthew Pontillo and James Essig and former assistant chiefs Joseph Veneziano and Christopher McCormack are that top department officials placed unqualified or unvetted detectives in the Criminal Task Force Division, which conducts major investigations alongside federal law enforcement entities…