Zohran Mamdani orders NYPD use-of-force review as progressive allies push for deeper police reforms

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ordered a comprehensive review of the New York Police Departmentrsquos NYPD useofforce policies alongside additional oversight measures as progressive allies pressed him to pursue deeper changes to the countryrsquos largest municipal police forceThe measures include increased funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD and steps to strengthen accountability when officers face misconduct allegationsldquoWhen the government uses force against a New Yorker the standard for accountability must be at its highest Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully carefully and only when necessaryrdquo Mamdani said in a statementMamdani faces pressure over police reformsMamdani a Democrat and democratic socialist campaigned on promises to reshape policing including shifting some responsibilities from police officers to mental health professionalsHowever the implementation of those plans has been slow drawing criticism from supporters who want more substantial changes to the departmentThe mayor has also faced scrutiny over his decision to retain Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch who served under the previous administration and is viewed as a moderate within the departmentrsquos leadershipLast week Darializa Avila Chevalier a democratic socialist ally of Mamdani and the Democratic nominee for a House seat covering parts of Manhattan and the Bronx called for Tisch to step down after federal immigration officers shot a man in New York City The Democratic Socialists of America also urged Mamdani to dismiss the commissionerOfficerrsquos retirement prompts accountability measuresCity Hall said Mondayrsquos announcement followed the retirement of an officer facing internal disciplinary charges over the 2024 fatal shooting of 19yearold Win Rozario during a mental health crisisThe officer was not criminally charged and was able to retire before the disciplinary proceedings concludedTisch said the department should have informed the cityrsquos Civilian Complaint Review Board during the retirement processldquoAs a result of human error we failed to do so and I apologise for that mistakerdquo she saidNYPD to strengthen disciplinary proceduresMamdani said the NYPD had since introduced a system to prioritise the completion of disciplinary proceedings before officers retireThe department will also formalise its practice of notifying state officials when officers leave while disciplinary charges remain pending The measure is intended to help prevent officers from moving to other policing agencies without the pending cases being disclosedThe planned useofforce review described by City Hall as the first of its kind in a decade will take place over the coming months and include input from community membersPolice union criticises mayorrsquos announcementPatrick Hendry president of a New York police union criticised the proposed measures arguing that they were intended to appease the mayorrsquos progressive supportersldquoThe mayors radical base wants a wholesale dismantling of the NYPD and its clear this announcement is an attempt to appease them It wont work and it wont make New Yorkers any saferrdquo Hendry said in a statementWith inputs from AP