New NYPD Commissioner Tisch Joins a Workforce Eager for Change
The department’s image and preeminence have stemmed from two key factors: the perilous state of the city’s streets during the 1970s, ’80s, and early ’90s, and the department’s effective initiative to bring about a significant improvement in public safety.
In merely one generation, New York transformed from experiencing over 2,000 murders annually to fewer than 300.
While the NYPD remains popular, it has also faced challenges — including a rise in crime and disorder, officer retention issues, and its ongoing pursuit of fostering public trust within minority communities.
These enduring challenges — rather than isolated, high-profile targeted killings — will influence Commissioner Tisch’s administration and ultimately determine her effectiveness.
Previous NYPD commissioners were mainly evaluated based on clear metrics of crime during the 1990s and 2000s.
However, Commissioner Tisch must navigate the politics surrounding a police force hindered by challenges like progressive district attorneys and ongoing reforms at both state and city levels that allow even some dangerous offenders to walk the streets freely.
The role of the top police officer can no longer be assessed solely on the rise or fall of historically monitored major crime categories, but also based on public perceptions of order and safety in city streets.
Tisch has a formidable undertaking, yet her remarkable and atypical background indicates she may be just what the NYPD requires.
Tisch is a Harvard graduate with three degrees, including a JD and MBA, and has nearly two decades of notable public service in New York City.
However, her service has been as a civilian, marking her as the first NYPD commissioner in many years not to have a law enforcement background.
Yet, Commissioner Tisch brings to this position her experiences as an attorney and an executive within city government, having previously led both the sanitation department and the city’s department of technology, information, and telecommunications.
A significant question she appears particularly equipped to address is how innovative technologies — such as AI, facial recognition, drones, and risk assessment tools — could be utilized to enhance the department’s effectiveness amid current challenges related to officer recruitment and retention.
We eagerly anticipate how Tisch will embrace these technological advances.
We are also interested in how the commissioner will navigate one of the city’s most politically charged roles, especially while the department is undergoing intense scrutiny from activists and politicians who have built their reputations on opposing the NYPD at every opportunity.
Since Bill de Blasio initiated his mayoral campaign over a decade ago, the NYPD has been embroiled in a continuous public relations battle.
Observers will closely monitor how Tisch manages the stabilization of a department that is encountering its fourth chief executive in less than three years, nurtures relationships with over 30,000 rank-and-file officers, defends the institution from multiple political adversaries, and recovers from the losses sustained throughout the post-Ferguson public relations struggle.
Others will be watching to see if Mayor Adams distances himself from his past reputation as an activist within the department where he once worked.
These times are undeniably compelling for the NYPD. Despite recent declines in homicides and shootings, public safety concerns remain high — and understandably so.
The recent triple homicide by a mentally ill individual with an extensive criminal record, who went on a violent rampage in lower Manhattan, only exacerbates these fears.
Additionally, while the department ranks among the most distinguished globally in almost all areas of policing, an influential activist segment waits for any misstep to undermine the NYPD’s credibility.
From rising minor disorder to dramatic killings, Jessica Tisch has a considerable challenge ahead. All signs suggest she possesses the capability to excel.
Ultimately, we can only wish her luck.
Why is such a wish selfish? Because the past few years have highlighted how intricately linked the department’s fate is to the city’s well-being.
In the absence of public order, New York simply cannot thrive. One crucial lesson we should have learned by now is that public order does not occur organically — especially without a functioning and trusted NYPD.
William J. Bratton is a former NYPD commissioner. Rafael A. Mangual is the Nick Ohnell Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal, from which this article was adapted.
