New York City is poised for significant change as reform-minded Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office amid a period of stability and declining crime rates within the NYPD.
New York City is entering a pivotal political moment as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office. He steps into this role at a time when the New York Police Department (NYPD), the nation’s largest police force, is experiencing rare institutional stability and measurable progress in public safety. Recent reports indicate sharp declines in shootings and homicides, suggesting that Mamdani will inherit a police department operating under consistent leadership and a unified crime-reduction strategy for the first time in years.
Central to this stability is Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will remain in her position under the incoming administration. Her decision to stay marks a significant departure from the turbulence of recent years, during which the NYPD cycled through four commissioners amid corruption scandals and internal upheaval under former Mayor Eric Adams.
The continuity at the top signals a strategic shift for the NYPD. Tisch’s retention has reassured business leaders, security experts, and rank-and-file officers who were concerned about potential disruptions with a progressive mayor known for his criticism of the police department. Since taking over, Tisch has halted controversial promotions, reinstated respected former executives, and tightened oversight of leadership decisions—moves that have helped restore credibility within the department.
“I’ve had a number of great conversations with the mayor-elect and his team,” Tisch said during a December briefing focused on subway safety. “They are committed to public safety and are very pleased with the results they’re seeing, both below ground and above ground.”
Mamdani echoed Tisch’s sentiment in a statement announcing her retention. “I have admired her work 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,” he said. “Together, we will make sure police focus on serious and violent crime.”
The NYPD’s latest year-end data underscores the importance of this continuity. As of late December, shootings were down nearly 24% year-over-year, with 674 incidents compared to 886 at the same point last year. Shooting victims also fell by almost 22%, while homicides dropped nearly 21%, from 375 to 297.
According to the department, the first 11 months of the year recorded the lowest number of shooting incidents and victims since records began, surpassing previous lows set in 2018.
“These historic gains are the result of precision policing,” Tisch stated. “Our plan is working, and the progress is real.”
Chief of Department Michael LiPetri credited the decline to advanced data analysis and targeted deployments. By utilizing density-based clustering tools to identify violent crime hot spots, the department deployed up to 2,300 officers nightly across 72 high-risk zones, particularly on weekends when violent crime typically spikes.
The NYPD also launched its Quality of Life Division in August, responding to more than 530,000 non-emergency 311 calls and cutting response times by about 20 minutes. While supporters argue that this initiative addresses community concerns more efficiently, critics contend it resembles a revival of “broken windows” policing.
“They are responding to calls for service from the community,” LiPetri explained. “When it takes two hours to respond to disorder complaints, that’s a problem. Now, we’re doing better.”
Despite these advances, the department faces challenges in staffing and retention. The NYPD hired over 4,000 new officers in 2025, marking the largest intake in its history and bringing total strength to approximately 34,700 uniformed members. However, retirements and resignations—more than 3,400 in the past year—have offset much of that growth, according to the Police Benevolent Association (PBA).
Union leaders have expressed concerns over workload, oversight bodies, and quality-of-life issues, which continue to affect morale. “The commissioner staying has helped, but morale is still low,” said PBA President Patrick Hendry. “Officers are thinking about their families, pay, and the grind of the job.”
Mamdani’s past calls to defund the police and harsh critiques of the NYPD have been noted by law enforcement agencies nationwide, which are attempting to recruit New York officers. Police unions and departments in states like Texas and Florida have publicly pitched themselves as alternatives, arguing that officers may face reduced support under the new mayor.
However, Mamdani has distanced himself from those earlier statements, visiting the police memorial in Lower Manhattan shortly after the election and reiterating his commitment to enforcing the law.
For now, Tisch’s continued leadership appears to be a stabilizing force during this politically sensitive transition. A career public servant and former sanitation commissioner, she is widely viewed as an apolitical administrator focused on governance rather than ideology.
As New York balances its reform ambitions with the realities of public safety, the coming months will test whether the alignment between a progressive mayor and a data-driven police leadership can sustain recent gains. For a city long defined by cycles of crime, reform, and backlash, the stakes could hardly be higher, according to Global Net News.