No matter their working relationship is behind the scenes, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch have thus far made loads of progress in combating crime across the metropolis.
On April 2, the duo introduced at One Police Plaza a historic drop in murders and shootings based mostly on preliminary numbers for the primary quarter of 2026, representing the primary 90 days of Mamdani’s tenure at Metropolis Corridor.
In some ways, they’re polar opposites. Mamdani is a staunch democratic socialist, and relative metropolis authorities outsider. Tisch is an skilled authorities government who has held essential posts for 4 totally different mayors. Regardless of their political and social variations, Mamdani sought mightily to maintain Tisch on the helm of the NYPD after his election, touting her crime-fighting accomplishments. The general public overtures he made for Tisch to remain finally labored.
Over the primary 100 days of the Mamdani period at Metropolis Corridor, whereas Tisch has managed the NYPD, for essentially the most half, in her personal manner, there have been moments of friction.
And whereas each Mamdani and Tisch appear to be on the identical web page in relation to crime-fighting, some rank-and-file NYPD officers are expressing doubts about whether or not the mayor has their backs.
FILE – Cops reply to an assault within the Bronx in March 2026.Picture by Dean Moses
New York News spoke with a number of lively NYPD members to gauge how they really feel Mamdani is doing throughout his first 100 days in workplace. The officers who spoke with us agreed to take action anonymously so they may converse freely with out going through departmental repercussions.
Over the primary 100 days of Mamdani’s tenure, the officers advised New York News that little has modified on the NYPD in comparison with a yr in the past, when Eric Adams was mayor.
When the mayor was first inaugurated in January, one police officer based mostly in Manhattan advised New York News, rumors started flying among the many rank-and-file about potential main modifications — from a discount in promotions to a hiring freeze for officers. However in the long run, the officer within the know stated the rumors have been “BS” and that candidate evaluation continues to be hiring via the top of the fiscal yr.
New York News reached out to the Mayor’s workplace for touch upon this story, and is awaiting a response.
Snowball combat left cops feeling left within the chilly
Two cops have been left with lacerations after being relentlessly pelted with snowballs at Washington Sq. Park on Feb. 24, 2026 (proper) Mayor Mamdani known as it a “snowball fight” that went awry, however Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch known as it a deliberate assault on cops.Images by way of Citizen/NYC Mayor Instagram
Even so, the officer stated, he and plenty of different officers felt the Feb. 23 snowball incident at Washington Sq. Park marked a take a look at of Mamdani’s help for the NYPD, which, of their view, he finally failed.
The incident noticed quite a few officers being cursed at and pelted with snowballs as they tried to interrupt up a disorderly group. Tisch stated a number of officers wound up with minor accidents that required medical remedy, and he or she vowed to deliver these accountable to justice for what she known as an assault on the NYPD.
Mamdani, nevertheless, broke from his personal police commissioner, publicly stating that he believed it was only a snowball combat that went awry, not a deliberate assault on cops. These statements, within the officer’s view, undermined the NYPD and its officers.
“What people don’t understand is, if you allow some person to do that to you, they feel entitled, and all the people around feel entitled and are going to go through to the next cop and the next cop and the next cop, and you’re setting a tone. There could be ice, there could be needles in there,” the Manhattan officer stated. “You’re putting your neck on the line day in and day out, tired, away from your family. You feel like you’re alone out there, and you don’t have the support of everybody, and then you have someone get on TV and say that it’s just a snowball fight. That’s not right.”
The NYPD arrested two folks in reference to the assaults on felony assault counts, however Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg would drop them, leaving them with lesser misdemeanor counts.
Cop to Mamdani: Help your native police!
Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch march within the St. Patrick’s Day Parade behind the NYPD banner.Picture by Dean Moses
The identical officer defined that cops typically are compelled to work lengthy hours with time away from their households and look to these just like the mayor to supply help and validation, in hopes the general public will comply with go well with. Nonetheless, he feels that the NYPD has but to obtain that from Mamdani.
“We see him out with sanitation, he’s filling in potholes. He’s answering 311 calls, he’s visiting the 911 operators. I have yet to see him visit a roll call at a precinct,” the officer stated. “If you just go and visit roll calls and just talk to cops so nobody has to listen to you through the media or read it on social media. If you’re out there and you’re coming to big roll calls, like the Fourth of July, and you come and you address the cops, and you just stop in some random precinct on the four to 12, or midnight, just to say thank you. I think that goes very far and will mean a lot to a lot of people.”
The mayor has attended quite a few departmental occasions for the NYPD, primarily commencement and officer promotion ceremonies.
To disband, or not disband, SRG
One high-ranking cop stated one other level of rivalry got here with Mamdani’s pledge to dismantle the division’s Strategic Response Group (SRG), a controversial unit used to answer protests and counterterrorism. This insider stated that the mayor didn’t absolutely perceive what the unit does.
“He was campaigning and saying that he wants to disarm SRG, but I heard that SRG had a sit-down with him and explained everything that they do and what they’re qualified in, and he had no idea. He thought that they just arrested people at protests. So, before people go out and say things about somebody else, maybe sit down and try to learn a little bit about them or about the organization before they make judgments,” the high-ranking officer stated.
Mamdani made disbanding the SRG a marketing campaign promise, however Tisch has spoken out towards its removing. As just lately as final week, a contingent of Mamdani and NYPD officers visited with police departments within the Midwest on a fact-finding mission to study new protest de-escalation methods.
Union boss: ‘It’s nonetheless early, and the mayor has an opportunity to vary’
Police Benevolent Affiliation President Patrick Hendry.Picture by Dean Moses
Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Affiliation, the union representing some 21,000 cops, echoed lots of the officers’ sentiments. He believes rank-and-file cops aren’t getting correct encouragement from the mayor.
“Police officers need to hear consistent support from City Hall, not just words of praise when they’re convenient. When police officers are facing a dangerous or challenging situation on the street, they’re worrying whether the city under the mayor’s leadership will have their backs,” Hendry stated. “It is still early, and the mayor has a chance to change that perception, but he needs to make a real effort to hear our concerns and work with us to address them.”
One other police officer, who works out of the Bronx, didn’t mince phrases about his emotions towards the mayor.
“The mayor sucks. I don’t think he’s doing the right job at the Police Department, or handling certain situations involving us. He doesn’t stick up for the cops,” the officer stated.
He went on to say that he wish to see Mamdani work tougher to bolster the ranks so police have extra backup and aren’t required to work lengthy hours with out lunch breaks.
“We’re low-staffed. We’re being told to work on our days off. Quality of life is not as good as before. Can’t take days off because we don’t have anybody to cover. So, if you can hire more cops, it will be extremely helpful and at least give incentives to people that are not on the job to want to take the job,” he added. “He also just needs to show us that he has our backs.”
