On Sunday, November 16th, it was revealed that New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had met with New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch last week. However, Mamdani did not confirm whether Tisch would remain in her position, only expressing his desire for her to continue.
Starting on January 1st next year, the 34-year-old state assemblyman Mamdani will become the youngest mayor in over a century in New York City. While his transition team has been formed, there is still a significant question without an answer: Can current NYPD Commissioner Tisch continue in her role?
Mamdani, in an exclusive interview on ABC’s “Close Contact” program on Sunday morning, stated, “Just last week, I met with Commissioner Tisch, and I still believe we have to follow through on our plans, even do more.”
“This conversation was more about ensuring public safety and what public safety should look like in light of the various disruptions we have seen in recent years,” Mamdani continued. “As I’ve expressed before, I want the focus of this to be on results because the most important thing is to provide New Yorkers with a safe and just city, which are often seen as conflicting objectives.”
Due to Mamdani expressing the idea of “defunding the police” a few years ago, and with members of his transition team sharing similar progressive views, it remains uncertain whether he can retain Tisch. When asked if Tisch would continue in her position, Mamdani stated that his team would soon share the latest updates.
Mamdani also mentioned that he plans to establish a Community Safety Department specifically to handle emergency calls involving mental health patients or homeless individuals. He believes this move will allow the police to focus on more serious crimes. However, this idea has faced opposition from law enforcement officials who consider the plan both dangerous and unrealistic.
With just a month and a half until Mamdani’s inauguration on January 1st, his transition team has raised over $1 million in funding. They have also received 50,000 job applications from the five boroughs of New York City.