New York — Elected Mayor of New York City Zahran Mamdani It was announced Wednesday that the city’s current police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, has agreed to remain in the position, a major coup for the incoming mayor as he moves to allay concerns about his past criticism of the New York Police Department.
In a statement, Mamdani praised Teich for “suppressing corruption at the top levels of the police department” while also helping to reduce crime in the city.
Tisch’s decision to stay on as commissioner will likely provide some level of comfort to city business leaders and others who are concerned about it. Mamdani’s harsh speech in the past Converting the department during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests would translate into sweeping changes for the NYPD.
The appointment also represents a political alliance between two leaders with opposing views and very different backgrounds.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, campaigned for Transformative social and economic change In the city. Tish is heiress to a multi-billion dollar family fortune and is considered a steady, moderate establishment.
Tisch said she and Mamdani “share many of the same public safety goals as New York City: reducing crime, making communities safer, rooting out corruption, and giving our officers the tools, support and resources they need to carry out their noble work.”
Tish took control From the city’s police department, which was rocked by scandal last November. She has overseen shooting downs and several categories of major crimes, drawing praise from the business community and some police reform groups.
In a debate weeks before the election, Mamdani announced that he intended to ask Tisch to stay on as police commissioner. But Tisch declined to discuss the offer before and immediately after Mamdani’s victory, saying she was focused on leading the department under Mayor Eric Adams.
“Commissioner Tisch took on the broken status quo and set out to bring accountability, root out corruption and reduce crime in the five boroughs,” Mamdani said at the discussion.
But the new mayor and police commissioner also have clear political differences. Tesh strongly criticized the changes to the state’s bail laws, which Mamdani supports. While the mayor-elect has previously called for defunding the police, Tisch has called for expanding its ranks, saying earlier this year: “We need more cops, and I’m not going to exaggerate that.”
Mamdani has since retracted his comments calling for a reduction in funding for the department and said he would keep staffing at its current number.