Arva Rice said there were a couple of reasons why she stepped down as the interim president for the NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board.

As the current president and CEO of the New York Urban League, she said that she wants to focus on the upcoming election. 

“We are about to enter into an election that will have momentum consequences for Black New Yorkers. And so I want to devote my time and my energies on organizing individuals to be involved in that election,” Rice told NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Wednesday in her first interview since announcing her resignation. 

Along with stepping down, she said that she also wanted to make a point for there to be a permanent chair for the agency.

“This entity is so important to New Yorkers. New Yorkers need to be able to have a place and a space where they know they can come to and have their cases really reviewed and seriously taken,” she said. 

“This entity is so important to New Yorkers. New Yorkers need to be able to have a place and a space where they know they can come to and have their cases really reviewed and seriously taken,” she said. 

Rice has been in the position since February 2022 and will step down Aug. 15.

As part of her role, she investigated complaints of NYPD misconduct and pushed for more transparency following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

Her resignation comes after reports say Mayor Eric Adams asked her to step aside after she criticized the NYPD for delaying the investigation into the fatal shooting of Kawaski Trawick in the Bronx.

Adams denies reports of her being pushed out. 

Looking ahead to the future of the CCRB, Rice said she encourages the next chair to fight for the agency and police accountability.

“When they’re fighting for police accountability, we’re not fighting against the NYPD, we’re not fighting against police officers. We’re fighting against those times and those places when police officers are one of the bad apples, right?” she said. “So we want to make sure that there is an intensity that is strong, that is in place, that is respected and that we’re able to push forward on behalf of New Yorkers.”