Questions swirl over how NY police bigwig accused of driving son to gang shooting landed cushy job
She wasn’t just breaking the law — she was advocating against it.The Westchester County police bigwig accused of chaperoning her gangbanging son to an attempted murder had spent years rubbing elbows with criminals, both through controversial inmate aid programs she founded and in her former marriage to a drug-peddling ex-con.Somehow, Jennifer Lackard landed a cushy job as a deputy police commissioner in Mount Vernon even as she looked the other way while her gang-banging son started wreaking havoc in the Big Apple.Lackard, 49, is now facing attempted murder charges for allegedly driving her troublemaking son to a drive-by gang shooting outside a Bronx court last month, with her ex-con hubby along for the ride.The disgraced and newly fired cop was indicted in the brazen June 29 shooting, along with her son, 20-year-old Chase Lackard — a reputed member of the “Slutty Gang” once charged for pointing a gun at NYPD cops — and her drug-peddling husband, James Lackard, 47, who remains on the run from police.Jennifer Lackard was hired in 2020 to head up the Mount Vernon Police Department’s Wellness Unit by Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, a position reportedly created for her.She had no real law enforcement experience but instead had resume that showed she worked in inmate re-entry programs and as an advocate for accused criminals.Lackard landed the gig, which carried a $125,000 base salary for this year, with records showing she had never been arrested herself.In a statement Wednesday, Patterson-Howard said Lackard underwent a “rigorous background check” that included a check of prior employment, fingerprinting, financial disclosers, medical clearance and a criminal background check — and was deemed qualified.
“There was no information that disqualified her from employment,” the mayor said.“As part of the hiring process, information regarding her husband’s prior criminal history was disclosed and reviewed and deemed not to be disqualifying her f...