New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will remain in her post, a move seen as a significant win for the incoming administration as it works to reassure skeptics of his past criticism of the NYPD.
According to The Associated Press, Mamdani praised Tisch in a statement, calling her a leader who is “cracking down on corruption in the upper echelons of the police department” while helping drive down crime across the city.
The decision is expected to calm concerns among business leaders and others who feared Mamdani’s sharp rhetoric during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement would translate into sweeping changes within the NYPD. Tisch staying on offers continuity at a moment when some worried the department might face instability under new leadership.
The partnership also reflects an unexpected political alignment between two figures with sharply contrasting backgrounds and viewpoints.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, campaigned on ambitious promises to reshape the city’s social and economic systems. Tisch, an heiress to a multibillion-dollar family fortune, has been viewed as an establishment moderate who emphasizes stable governance.
Despite their differences, both leaders said they want to see crime continue to fall and corruption rooted out.
Tisch emphasized that point in her own statement, saying she and Mamdani “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 took over a scandal-plagued NYPD last November and has since presided over reductions in shootings and other major crime categories. Her approach has earned respect from business groups and some police reform advocates.
During a debate several weeks before Election Day, Mamdani surprised observers by announcing he would ask Tisch to stay on if he won. Tisch avoided commenting at the time and immediately after the election, saying her focus remained on the job under Mayor Eric Adams.
Mamdani reiterated his earlier praise, saying Tisch “took on a broken status quo, started to deliver accountability, rooting out corruption and reducing crime across the five boroughs.”
Still, the mayor-elect and the commissioner remain divided on several key issues. Tisch has strongly opposed recent changes to state bail laws that Mamdani supports. And while Mamdani previously called for cutting the NYPD budget, Tisch has pushed for more officers, arguing earlier this year, “we need more cops, and I’m not going to sugarcoat it.”
In recent weeks, Mamdani has softened his earlier stance, saying he no longer plans to reduce the department’s headcount and intends to keep staffing levels where they are as he prepares to take office.
