New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch will be staying in her post after Mayor Eric Adams leaves office soon, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday morning.
Mamdani will succeed Adams on Jan. 1, 2026, nearly two months after his election victory against Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. Adams dropped his reelection bid weeks before the election.
The incoming mayor said he is looking forward to working with Tisch to continue keeping New York City safe from crime.
“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 in the face of authoritarianism,” Mamdani said in a statement. “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.”
As NYPD commissioner, Tisch has served under Adams since November 2024. The city’s top cop said she’s ready to serve under Mamdani after she’s spoken with him multiple times.
“Thanks to the men and women of the NYPD, the strategies we deployed this year have delivered historic reductions in crime,” Tisch said. “He and I 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.”
The press release, citing data released in October, touted Tisch’s record in overseeing a record 20% drop in shooting incidents and a 19% decrease in shooting victims for the first nine months of 2025.
In the statement, Mamdani’s office said the NYPD will remain committed to tackling “serious and violent” crime while addressing homelessness and mental health. The NYPD will be working closely with the to-be-formed Department of Community Safety to focus on the latter issues.
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Mamdani has already formed the leadership of his all-female transition team, led by former Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan, as he prepares to assume office at the start of the new year. He is currently sifting through other applicants for various roles within the city’s government. For NYPD commissioner, Tisch was the logical choice.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and New York Attorney General Letitia James were among the top state officials to welcome the news that Tisch will continue serving under Mamdani.