NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ordered the New York Police Department to conduct a thorough review of how officers use force against civilians, to address growing discord among progressives who want democratic socialists to exert stronger control over the nation’s largest police department.
In a press release, Mamdani announced a series of additional police oversight measures, including increased funding for the NYPD’s Office of Inspector General and policies to increase accountability when officers are accused of misconduct.
“When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standards of accountability must be the highest. Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary,” the mayor said in a statement.
Mamdani, a Democrat, ran for office last year promising to reshape the police department by shifting some responsibilities from officers to mental health care teams. But the plan has been slow to come to fruition, attracting attention from its supporters who have called for a more substantial overhaul.
He also faced increased scrutiny from Liberals over his decision to retain Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a holdover from the previous administration, is considered an establishment moderate. Last week, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist ally of Mamdani and a Democratic candidate for a House of Representatives seat in Manhattan and the Bronx, called for Tisch’s resignation after federal immigration agents shot a man in the city. Democratic Socialists of America called on Mamdani to fire Tisch in response to the filming.
City Hall said Monday’s announcement followed the retirement of an officer facing internal disciplinary charges following the death of Win Rozario, 19, who was fatally shot by officers in 2024 during a mental health crisis. The officer, who was no criminal chargeswas able to withdraw before a disciplinary procedure.
Tisch said the department should have informed the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Commission during the retirement process. “Due to human error we were unable to do this and I apologize for this error,” she said. A police spokesperson directed questions about Monday’s announcement to City Hall.
The police department has since implemented a new system to prioritize the completion of its disciplinary process before an officer can retire, Mamdani said Monday. The department will also formalize its practice of notifying state officials when an officer retires while disciplinary proceedings are still pending, to prevent the officer from being hired by another police department.
The review of the police department’s use of force policies, which City Hall said was the first of its kind in a decade, will take place over the next few months and will include community input, officials said.
Patrick Hendry, president of a New York police union, rejected the city’s plan in a statement, saying that “the mayor’s radical base wants a complete dismantling of the New York Police Department, and it is clear that this announcement is an attempt to appease them. It will not work and it will not make New Yorkers safer.”
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