NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he will keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in place when he takes office in January, extending her tenure at the head of the nation’s largest police force.
During his campaign, Mamdani had pledged to retain Tisch—who was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in late 2024—and reiterated that commitment as he formally announced the decision. The mayor-elect, who has faced scrutiny over past remarks criticizing the NYPD and supporting calls to “defund” police, framed the move as an affirmation of Tisch’s record and a message that his administration intends to prioritize safety.
Mamdani praised Tisch, 44, for “cracking down on corruption in the upper echelons of the police department, driving down crime in New York City, and standing up for New Yorkers in the face of authoritarianism.” Mamdani added that “Together, we will deliver a city where rank-and-file police officers and the communities they serve alike are safe, represented, and proud to call New York their home.”
Tisch later confirmed she had accepted the offer, saying in a statement, “I’ve spoken to Mayor-elect Mamdani several times, and I’m ready to serve with honor as his Police Commissioner.” She noted that although they differ on some issues, “we 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.”
In an email to NYPD personnel Wednesday, she acknowledged those differences directly: “Now, do the Mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don’t.” But she emphasized broad alignment on maintaining safety and stability, writing that officers could “trust that I will be a fierce advocate for you and for this department.” Calling the role the “greatest privilege of my life,” she said she is “proud to continue doing it.”
Tisch brings nearly two decades of government experience, beginning her public service career in 2008 in the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau. She previously served as the city’s sanitation commissioner and ran the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, where she oversaw significant technology modernization efforts. Her appointment as Police Commissioner in 2024 followed months of turmoil inside the NYPD, when former Commissioner Edward Caban resigned amid an FBI probe, an interim commissioner filed suit alleging the department had been run as a racketeering enterprise, and other senior public-safety advisers to Adams stepped down during federal investigations. Tisch became the second woman to lead the NYPD, following Keechant Sewell.
Adams, who opted not to seek re-election, praised the decision to keep her on, saying the move affirmed the administration’s public-safety strategy and ongoing crime reduction efforts.
Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
