New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday that Jessica Tisch has accepted his offer to remain as commissioner of the NYPD, securing one of his highest-profile appointments ahead of taking office in January. Tisch was appointed by outgoing mayor Eric Adams and has led the nation’s largest police force through a record drop in crime, including reductions in shootings and homicides.“Leading this department is the greatest privilege of my life, and I am proud to continue doing it,” Tisch wrote in a letter to the NYPD obtained by CNN. “Now, do the Mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don’t. 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. We also agree that you deserve the city’s respect and support.”The decision required compromise from both Tisch and Mamdani, both of them have differing views on policing. Mamdani once supported defunding the police and later apologised to officers during his mayoral run. Tisch is known as a technocrat who has pushed to roll back criminal justice reforms.On Wednesday, Mamdani and Tisch appeared together at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lower Manhattan. They were joined by officers who shook hands with the mayor-elect while paying tribute to those killed in the line of duty. “I appreciate the moments I just shared with Commissioner Tisch and a number of officers here with us to pay our respects to NYPD officers who lost their lives in the line of duty and to learn a little bit more about the names that so many New Yorkers have come to know,” Mamdani said. Tisch praised the visit as meaningful, saying, “To me it is very meaningful that he asked to come here as our first public venture to visit the memorial.”Mamdani’s proposed reforms include creating a Department of Community Safety to respond to non-violent emergency calls such as mental health crises, domestic violence, and homelessness. He suggested Tisch supports the plan. “It’s untenable for officers to be asked to respond to the 200,000 mental health calls they receive every year… The commissioner and I share a belief that in order for police officers to be able to do their jobs we also need to create a Department of Community Safety,” he said.Despite Tisch’s acceptance, concerns persist among NYPD officers about morale and retention. Police union leaders have warned of rising departures, citing a 35 per cent increase in October compared to last year.Tisch is an heiress to the Loews family fortune and previously served as commissioner of the sanitation department and the city’s chief technology officer. She has overseen efforts to remove thousands of illegal guns from city streets and has avoided commenting on politics or the mayoral race during the campaign.
