NEW YORK — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday he will keep Jessica Tischas the city’s police commissioner, relieving many local leaders who believe the city needs continuity in its fight against crime and police corruption.
Mamdani, a democratic socialistwho has taken several positions at odds with Tisch, had signaled shortly before the November election that he planned to retain Tisch. But it had been unclear whether Tisch, who was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams (D), would stay on in the new administration.
In a news release Wednesday morning, Tisch announced she had recently spoken to Mamdani “several times” and had accepted his offer to remain.
“That’s because he and I share many of the same public safety goals for New York City: lowering crime, making communities safer, rooting out corruption, and giving our officers the tools, support, and resources they need to carry out their noble work,” Tisch said.
Mamdani praised Tisch, who took over as commissioner last year, for driving down crime, including a nearly 20 percent reduction in homicides this year.
“Together, we will deliver a city where rank-and-file police officers and the communities they serve alike are safe, represented and proud to call New York their home,” Mamdani said.
Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine (D), several City Council members and New York-area members of Congress quickly issued statements praising Mamdani’s choice.
In an interview, William J. Bratton, who served as New York’s police commissioner in the mid-1990s and again from 2014 to 2016, said rank-and-file police officers were also heartened that Tisch would remain.
“Thanksgiving and Christmas came early for the city and the NYP,” Bratton said. “They are off to a good start in a sense that they share a common goal of continuing the success that she has had.”
In addition to the drop in homicides, Mamdani noted that more than 4,800 illegal guns have been removed from city streets this year. He praised Tisch for “cracking down on corruption in the upper echelons of the police department.” As commissioner, Tisch has forced out or reassigned several high-ranking police officials who have been accused of misconduct.
Tisch, who comes from a billionaire family that founded Loews Corp. and is part owner of the New York Giants football team, is well-regarded by business leaders. Before serving as police commissioner, Tisch, who has degrees from Harvard’s law and business schools, served under Adams as the city’s sanitation commissioner.
As police commissioner, Tisch has been scrutinized by liberal groups who questioned police tactics against youth offenders and protesters of Israel’s war in Gaza. Some activists also believe Tisch has not been forceful enough in halting cooperation between police officers and federal agents conducting immigration enforcement in the city.
In recent weeks, some left-wing podcasters and activists had urged Mamdani not to reappoint Tisch.
But on Wednesday, progressive organizations, who were a backbone of Mamdani’s election success, were relatively muted in their criticism of her reappointment.
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of New York noted it is “a longtime critic of the NYPD and will remain so” but appreciated Tisch’s vocal opposition to President Donald Trump’s suggestions that he could send the National Guard to New York.
“In the new administration, the NYCLU hopes that the commissioner places a renewed emphasis on officer accountability, cooperating with the [Civilian Complaint Review Board], and lowering racial disparities in enforcement,” said Donna Lieberman, the organization’s executive director.
One pro-police-reform organization, the Justice Committee, did issue a statement accusing Mamdani of turning his back on supporters.
“Our city is crying out for a new, transformative approach to public safety,” the group said. “Mayor-elect Mamdani’s decision retain to Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner raises serious questions about his ability to deliver this.”
It remains unclear how Tisch’s appointment could affect Mamdani’s ambitious plan to create a new Department of Community Safety. The proposed $1.1 billion department would be tasked with deploying mental health counselors and violence interrupters to some 911 calls while also conducting preventive outreach to juvenile offenders, people experiencing homelessness and transit riders.
Alex Vitale, a sociology professor at Brooklyn College who helped Mamdani draft early stages of his plan, said in an interview that he “certainly has concerns” about Tisch’s appointment but that he assumes she and the mayor “have made arrangements” to work together to fulfill his goals.
“Even though the department would be separate from the police department, there are areas of activity that overlap with the police department, so an understanding is going to need to be reached,” Vitale said. “There needs to be an understanding on everything from 911 dispatch, to how to handle crime scenes when community violence interrupters show up, and the flow of information from police and community groups.”
The post Mamdani will keep Jessica Tisch as New York police commissioner appeared first on Washington Post.
