With Adams In Crowd, Nyc Police Commissioner Unveils Quality-of-life Initiatives

NEW YORK — New York City’s police commissioner unveiled a slate of initiatives Thursday designed to reduce recidivism and improve the quality of life on subways — two leading concerns of voters who will decide Mayor Eric Adams’ political fate this year.

In her first “State of the NYPD” speech since assuming the leadership role in November, Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the city is pursuing changes to state laws governing the process of gathering discovery and going after minor violations on city subways.

She pledged to create a division within the roughly 34,000-member police force dedicated to quality-of-life concerns and vowed to strictly enforce subway infractions like laying down across multiple train seats and drinking alcohol and smoking in the transit system. This follows a series of high-profile subway crimes, as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pledge to install a pair of police officers on every train overnight.

“This strategy is designed to address the surge of random acts of violence that we're seeing in the subways,” Tisch said. “Because the truth is, the overwhelming majority of people who commit these violent acts have a long history of unlawful conduct in the transit system.”

Her speech, hosted by a nonprofit that supports the department and attended by Adams, Hochul and NYPD brass and police boosters, addressed issues the mayor and many of his rivals are seizing upon ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary. An October poll showed 86 percent of city residents thought crime was a major problem.

“We will chart a new course, one that re-establishes and reinforces the natural alliance between the police and the public they serve, and one that properly balances the rights of criminal defendants with the safety needs of the general public,” Tisch said.

The speech came at a critical moment for both Tisch and Adams. She, who has climbed the ranks of municipal service and hails from a famed billionaire family, is trying to restore order in a department whose upper ranks were marred by chaos when she took the job. And Adams, a retired NYPD captain, must convince voters he is their best hope of managing disorder and crime even as they remain dissatisfied three years into his tenure.

Adams’ tough reelection race largely hinges on public safety — as well as his ability to overcome his own legal troubles. And as a field of further-left candidates shifts closer to the mainstream on policing, the commissioner’s blueprint will give Adams fodder to differentiate himself to voters over the next six months.

His rivals have been rolling out policing plans more in line with moderates like Adams in a departure from some of their past progressive viewpoints. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie has proposed hiring 3,000 officers. Former Comptroller Scott Stringer proposed a quality-of-life tracking system and citywide position similar to what Tisch unveiled. And city Comptroller Brad Lander has pledged to end street homelessness.

During her address, Tisch trashed criminal justice reforms passed in Albany in 2019 in more pointed terms than the mayor, who wants to be careful about how he approaches a political pressure point for his main Albany ally, Hochul.

“These changes had wide ranging consequences that skewed focus away from crime victims. Prosecutors were unable to build and present cases, and judges began to reflexively release offenders with no real recourse for their actions,” Tisch said. “The result is a revolving door that puts repeat offenders back on the streets again and again and again. The system is unsustainable. It defies common sense, and it is crying out for a course correction.”

Tisch proposed changes to discovery laws that govern how and when state prosecutors must turn over evidence to defendants. District attorneys have complained the rules have created backlogs and forced them to drop cases.

It is unclear how her plan overlaps with that of the governor, who has already announced an intention to pursue changes this year, as well as a proposal from Myrie and another lawmaker.

To address New Yorkers who feel a sense of disorder, Tisch announced the creation of a division and czar to oversee quality-of-life concerns and a system for tracking commonplace complaints similar to the department’s data-driven CompStat system.

“When neighborhoods are plagued by issues such as aggressive panhandling, unruly street vending, public urination, abandoned vehicles, it gives the impression of an unsafe community,” she said.

Tisch also addressed the years of chaotic NYPD leadership that preceded her.

She is the fourth person to lead the department in as many years: The first commissioner resigned after being undermined by figures close to Adams. Her successor was pushed out after becoming entangled in a federal corruption probe, prompting Adams to appoint an interim leader, who served for just two months before Tisch came aboard.

Jeffrey Maddrey, the NYPD’s former highest-ranking officer, resigned after explosive allegations of sexual assault and overtime manipulation that are under investigation.

“A law enforcement agency needs one thing above all else, the public trust,” Tisch said. “And it all begins with strong, ethical leadership.”