Zohran Mamdani hopes to keep Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner if elected, sources say

Chris Sommerfeldt and Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News on Oct 22, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani plans to ask Jessica Tisch to stay on as NYPD commissioner if he wins next month’s election, two sources familiar with the matter told the Daily News on Wednesday.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Tisch will accept the offer, and a spokeswoman referred to a statement the commissioner previously made: “As I’ve said many times, it is not appropriate for the police commissioner to be directly involved or seem to be involved in electoral politics.”

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, did not answer questions from reporters about his apparent Tisch plans upon walking into Wednesday night’s second and final mayoral election debate.

Mamdani’s decision to seek to keep Tisch, first reported by The New York Times, could ease the minds of some of his critics who have bristled over his past harsh criticisms of the NYPD. The decision could also anger some of Mamdani’s progressive allies, who have been skeptical of some of Tisch’s approaches to policing.

Tisch has been the NYPD’s commissioner since November 2024, when Mayor Adams tapped her for the role in the wake of ex-Commissioner Edward Caban resigning after being ensnared in a federal corruption investigation.

Mamdani, who’s polling as the clear favorite to win the Nov. 4 mayoral election, has publicly praised Tisch for overseeing a drop in crime citywide and an “uprooting of corruption” in the upper ranks of the NYPD. He has also for weeks said he’s considering keeping her on as commissioner without making a firm commitment.

A source close to Mamdani’s campaign told The News he came to the decision to ask her to stay on after conversations left him “confident there’s alignment of vision” between them.

Mamdani has vowed to keep NYPD staffing levels flat and launch a new city agency that would handle mental health calls that cops currently address as part of their responsibilities. Tisch hasn’t publicly endorsed Mamdani’s mental health plan.

Earlier this month, The News reported that at least two other law enforcement veterans with deep experience in police reform efforts were under consideration by Mamdani for the top cop job.

Mamdani’s opponents, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, have both vowed to hire more cops if elected.

Adams dropped out of the mayoral race last month as he faced historically low approval numbers amid fallout from his corruption indictment and other controversies.

________

(With Josephine Stratman)