Zohran Mamdani, Running for NYC Mayor, Promises to Retain Commissioner Jessica Tisch Despite His Own Anti-NYPD Past — Major U-Turn in Public Safety Stance
Mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani has revealed that if he is elected mayor of New York City, he plans to ask Jessica Tisch to remain the city’s top police commissioner — a decision that marks a significant recalibration of his campaign’s public-safety message and addresses lingering concerns over his past anti-police remarks.
The move comes as Mamdani faces heightened scrutiny over his commitment to law enforcement and public order. The campaign decision appears to be a strategic response to business-group pressure and concerns among city residents that crime could surge under a mayor who once backed policies to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD. Sources said Mamdani’s team quietly met with Tisch’s representatives in recent days and that a public statement could come during the final mayoral debate.
Tisch, appointed commissioner in 2024 amid a series of leadership shake-ups in the NYPD, has earned a reputation for tech-driven reform, the expansion of body-camera programs, and a reported decline in several major crime categories. Her tenure has been praised by both public officials and law enforcement insiders for bringing a steady hand to operations — a qualification many voters now say they value above political ideology. Mamdani’s willingness to signal retention of her leadership underscores how important the issue of safety has become in what will be the November 4, 2025, mayoral election.
Still, many remain skeptical. Critics point out that Mamdani’s prior public calls to “defund the police” and his description of the NYPD as “a major threat to public safety” may not be enough to reassure officers, commuters, or business owners. He appeared on the daytime talk show The View earlier this month, where co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked if he had ever formally apologized to the police department — an exchange that underscored just how much ground he has to cover.
Although the move is seen by many as a necessary campaign pivot, it has provoked backlash from progressive supporters who viewed Mamdani’s candidacy as deliverance from conventional policing models. Some activists argue this is a capitulation to “law-and-order politics” rather than a true reform effort. A left-wing ally in Brooklyn said privately that the decision “betrays the promise of real change” the candidate once inspired.
For Tisch, being offered a continued tenure under a mayor from a very different political wing of the Democratic Party is both a compliment and a gamble. The trust placed in her leadership speaks to her institution’s performance, but aligning with a progressive mayor may open her to new criticism on priorities and accountability. No formal agreement has been publicly announced, and Tisch has not commented directly, stating only that the NYPD does not engage in election-related endorsements.
As the final debate looms and early voting nears, Mamdani’s decision to embrace Tisch may emerge as the centerpiece of his closing argument — a candidate once defined by reform-first rhetoric now promising stability on the city’s most urgent issue. Whether New Yorkers interpret that as growth or back-pedaling remains to be seen, but the campaign dynamic has unquestionably shifted.
