NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 8, 2026) — Sean Kane has resigned from the New Rochelle Police Department effective March 30, 2026, and has joined the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
In a letter titled “Exit Interview” shared with members of a retired New Rochelle Police Department online group, Kane announced his departure and reflected on the past 20 months as a period of faith and personal growth.
Kane wrote that he chose “acceptance over a victim mindset” and viewed his experiences as a test of faith. He said he had no regrets about his service, writing that he “dedicated half of my life giving 110% of my effort to the City of New Rochelle,” and hoped to be remembered as “a selfless leader who cared about people.”
The resignation comes two weeks after Kane was demoted from lieutenant to police officer. On March 18, 2026, Police Commissioner Neil K. Reynolds announced that, after a full review of an internal affairs investigation and disciplinary hearing, Kane had been demoted two ranks and assigned to retraining, re-orientation and review of department rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
The disciplinary case stemmed from a May 29, 2024, narcotics arrest in which department officials determined Kane had tampered with evidence, an incident captured on his body-worn camera. The arrest involved Ivin Harper, described in coverage as a Black former New Rochelle resident; Harper’s drug charges were later dismissed. Kane was suspended with pay on July 29, 2024. Three days later, on Aug. 2, 2024, he filed an application for accidental disability retirement with the New York State and Local Retirement System, citing prior on-duty injuries.
Kane’s continued active employment, including the March 2026 demotion to police officer, assignment to retraining, and subsequent resignation rather than retirement on disability, indicate the application appears to have been denied or withdrawn. Freedom of Information Law requests have been filed with the New York State Office of the State Comptroller and the City of New Rochelle/New Rochelle Police Department seeking records on the pension application and its status.
A Westchester County grand jury declined to indict Kane on related criminal charges in December 2024. The internal affairs investigation resumed after the grand jury decision, leading to the March 2026 demotion.
Kane’s resignation letter does not mention or apologize to Harper.
Harper, a fitness trainer and aspiring actor, was arrested in New Rochelle. He on has alleged that evidence was planted and has filed a notice of claim against the city, a precursor to a potential lawsuit. He has said the incident derailed his career.
“The system is not broken,” said Harper on learning of Kane’s demotion. “It’s working exactly as it’s supposed to. Now we understand it’s not just one bad apple the whole apple tree is rotten to the core.”
Kane has received numerous NRPD citations and awards and promotions over the past 17 years. He also had numerous disciplinary issues: as of 2021, prior to the evidence tampering incident, Sean Kane had 7 Command Disciplines: 4 Letters of Reprimand and 3 Loss of Leaves for a total of 5 days.
Kane signed the letter with his new affiliation: “All heart, no chat. Sean Kane Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.”
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.
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Full text of Kane’s “Exit Interview” letter:
Subject: Exit Interview
My Brothers and Sisters in blue,
I write to inform you of my official resignation from the City of New Rochelle Police Department effective Monday, March 30th, 2026.
I’ve spent the last 20 months choosing acceptance over a victim mindset. That shift has been intentional, and it’s important to me that you understand how I approached this. In all honesty, life is not fair and if anybody ever tells you that trials and tribulations will not be faced, they are lying to you.
My life has been blessed and I believe that God wanted to test me, as he should. It was my time to prove to Him that my faith was real. Am I a punk who’s going to stop believing just because things were going bad? Or am I the person who I’ve claimed to be for the past 40 years? Passing this test was never a question, even when there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. My choice was to always believe.
The purpose of me opening up to you is not to invite sympathy, but to offer a perspective, one where instead of being defined by my struggles, I chose to place my worries and fears into the hands of God. I’d rather be seen as an example of faith and surrender, than someone to feel sorry for. Every day I prayed and asked God to give me one last chance, one last chance to do what I love to do.
God did exactly what He promised he would. He gave me another opportunity. The one I begged and pleaded for so how do I dare complain? I cannot and I will not.
What I can do is take this lesson, take this opportunity that I’ve been blessed with, and make the absolute best of it. If you know anything about me, you know that I will do just that. I can also share some of the life lessons that I’ve learned along the way so that when you are faced with adversity, and you will, my words might offer encouragement. I believe that part of my next assignment is to be there for others, as so many of you have been there for me.
Perspective is important. In my opinion, it’s one of the keys to a successful life. I’ve tried my best not to complain because there are far greater issues and challenges in the world compared to my circumstances. Admittedly though, at times it did feel like the worst possible situation ever. I’ve learned that everything in life is happening FOR YOU, not TO YOU. The greatest version of yourself, the version God is preparing you to be, is right on the other side of that intentional struggle, but you must remain faithful.
One thing l am most proud of is that I never once wished bad on any of the evil people who sought to destroy me with lies. My response was to spread love, peace, joy and practice self-discipline. If I decided to live with anger and hatred in my heart then I would have allowed evil to prevail. That was never an option for me and don’t let it be an option for you either.
I dedicated half of my life giving 110% of my effort to the City of New Rochelle and my accolades prove it. I am proud of everything that I’ve accomplished and the people who I was able to achieve greatness with. I have no regrets. Most importantly though, I hope to be remembered as a selfless leader who cared about people and treated the janitor in the same manner that I treated the Police Commissioner. That is a successful legacy to me. I believe that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be in life right now. I’m being rebuilt and preparing to receive the next blessing which is all part of God’s plan for me. This is not the end, but rather a new beginning for me.
Lastly, I want to thank everybody for your genuine love and support over the last 20 months. God has strategically placed certain people around me and it’s felt like the biggest blessing in life. It’s one that I do not take for granted. With that said, I want to publicly thank two people because this letter would be a lie if I didn’t acknowledge how I made it through some of my darkest of days.
Dwayne Jones, my brother! You have a special talent. You put your entire life on hold to care for the troubles of your loved ones and you do it with your full and undivided attention. You took on my problems as if they were your own. You set the standard for what a brotherhood truly is. That is who you are as a person though and I expected nothing less because you are exactly who you say that you are. Somebody special to me throughout my career once said, “You’re a friend to the end”, and it feels appropriate that I use her line to describe you.
Andrea Cannon, you are one of the most genuine and considerate people that I’ve ever known. You checked on me at least once a week for 78 weeks and spoke positivity and prayer into me every single time. You refused to allow my thoughts to turn negative and your messages always came at the right time. I’ll forever appreciate your genuine heart and the lessons you taught me.
I end this with a Kobe quote, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get back to work with the same belief, same drive, and same conviction as ever. If you see me in a fight with a bear…”, you know the rest.
All heart, no chat.
Sean Kane
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office