Mamdani’s Appointment of Jessica Tisch is a Rebuff of His Promises to New Yorkers

Justice Committee responds to Jessica Tisch’s Acceptance of Appointment as Police Commissioner

After running a historic, people-powered campaign for a more livable New York City, Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Jessica Tisch as Police Commissioner is a rebuff of his promises to New Yorkers and a disturbing endorsement of NYPD’s ongoing violence and corruption. Within moments of her acceptance of the position, Tisch has already indicated that she will split from Mamdani, calling into question his ability to deliver the bold public safety promises his supporters voted for and New Yorkers need.  

For four long years, our communities have endured Mayor Eric Adams’ corrupt and harmful regime: police misconduct and stop and frisks have surged to their highest in over a decade, officers who have taken lives have been protected at the highest levels, and billions in public funds have been funneled into criminalizing Black, Latine, immigrant, and low-income communities – while the already meager services we rely on have been defunded, and the investments our communities need have not been made.

Our city is crying out for a new, transformative approach to public safety. Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s decision to retain Jessica Tisch as NYPD Commissioner raises serious concerns about his ability to deliver this. In spite of the image she has attempted to cultivate for herself as a reformer, Tisch has maintained the NYPD’s violent and corrupt status quo. Her promotion of John Chell to Chief of Department is case in point. On top of this, she has repeatedly protected abusive officers, expanded surveillance, and doubled down on broken windows policing. As New York braces for escalating federal hostility, we need leaders who will do what it takes to protect all New Yorkers – unlike Tisch, who knew about the horrific Canal St. ICE raid in October and did nothing to protect those the NYPD is supposedly supposed to serve. 

In under a year, Tisch already blocked at least 25 misconduct cases from being prosecuted by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) – including at least six in which the CCRB substantiated excessive force charges – more than triple former Commissioner Sewell’s retentions in her first year. Just a few months ago, Tisch outrageously overturned her own deputy commissioner’s guilty verdict - defying common sense and the law - and refused to fire Allan Feliz’s killer, NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera. It’s inexplicable why Tisch went out of her way to shield an officer with 39 misconduct allegations, including pending fireable charges stemming from misconduct he committed after killing  Allan. The Police Commissioner is currently tasked with determining if Officer Wayne Isaacs will face a discipline trial for killing Delrawn Small, and will soon be tasked with deciding whether to fire Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco for killing Bangladeshi teen Win Rozario. These families and all New Yorkers deserve just leadership, not loyalty to the NYPD’s culture of impunity. 

Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s campaign promised a new direction for this city. To realize this vision, Mamdani must start by replacing Commissioner Tisch, firing abusive officers, dismantling the NYPD’s entrenched impunity, ending broken windows policing, removing the NYPD from mental health response, and ensuring radical transparency and accountability. We also call on Mayor-Elect Mamdani to govern in partnership with those who know the stakes best: the families of loved ones killed by NYPD, survivors of police violence, and the grassroots organizations led by and accountable to them.”