Journalism of Courage
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will remain in her post under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, ending weeks of speculation about whether the incoming administration would retain her. The announcement came Wednesday morning in a joint statement from both.
Tisch, a former Department of Sanitation chief and the NYPD’s second woman commissioner, was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams. A Harvard-trained lawyer and MBA, she previously ran the NYPD’s information technology division, overseeing 911 operations and the rollout of body-worn cameras.
She is also part of the prominent Tisch family, whose business concerns started with Loews Hotels and now include insurance and the New York Giants football team.
In her statement, she credited the NYPD for delivering “historic reductions in crime” in the past year and said she was ready to continue the work under Mamdani, aligning with his goals of reducing crime, strengthening community safety, rooting out corruption, and ensuring officers have the resources they need.
“He’s asked me to serve as police commissioner in his administration, and after several conversations with him, I have agreed,” Commissioner Tisch said in an email sent to officers on Wednesday morning, the New York Times reported. “Leading this department is the greatest privilege of my life, and I am proud to continue doing it.”
The dynamic between Mamdani and Tisch will be one of the most closely watched relationships as his administration begins on 1 January. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, once called for defunding the police.
As per a report by the NYT, Tisch acknowledged their ideological differences in an internal email to NYPD officers, but stressed that shared priorities mattered more than disagreements. “Do the mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don’t,” she wrote. “But in speaking with him, it’s clear that we share broad and crucial priorities: the importance of public safety, the need to continue driving down crime and the need to maintain stability and order across the department.”
She told officers that Mamdani values a leadership team with a range of perspectives and assured them of her commitment. “You can trust that I will be a fierce advocate for you,” she said, signalling her intent to bridge political divides while maintaining continuity in the department’s operations.
Mamdani’s broader public safety agenda includes creating a $1 billion Department of Community Safety, staffed with mental health responders who would take the lead on cases involving emotionally distressed individuals. He has said the NYPD’s current headcount is “appropriate,” arguing that shifting certain responsibilities to specialised teams would allow officers to focus on violent and serious crimes.
