The New York Police Department is looking into a number of police uniforms that were abandoned on the streets of New York City.
A box of uniforms was found two days before NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn in. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Delaney Kempner confirmed to the Washington Examiner that officers were called to the scene.
“On Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at approximately 2039 hours, police responded to a report of abandoned NYPD uniforms within the confines of the 66 Precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed a box containing pants, shirts, jackets and hats,” Kempner said. “The uniform items were removed to the 66 Precinct for safekeeping and the investigation remains ongoing.”
This 66th precinct encompasses Brooklyn’s section of Borough Park, Midwood, and Kensington. Brooklyn was largely credited for electing Mamdani in November. Most residents in those neighborhoods skew younger, which vastly favors the 34-year-old Mamdani. Most are also college-educated and renters.
However, the precinct as a whole “features over 300 religious institutions, comprised mostly of Hassidic and Orthodox Synagogues and Yeshivas,” according to the NYPD website.
Mamdani, who took office on Thursday, retained NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who had worked under former Mayor Eric Adams since November 2024. Tisch previously supported collaborations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Months into her tenure, Adams allowed ICE to open an office at Rikers Island prison.
Tisch, who has spoken with Mamdani many times, said she’s ready to serve under his administration. Mamdani, who has criticized law enforcement, praised Tisch’s work.
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“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.”
The NYPD is combating an increase in retiring and resigning officers. Over 1,100 officers retired or resigned in the last three months, according to a website dedicated to the NYPD retention crisis. As a result, the New York State Assembly, where Mamdani previously served, introduced a bill regarding police promotions in February to help retention. While the bill is sponsored by an all-Democratic coalition, Mamdani was not counted as one of them.