Mamdani softens hard line on role of NYPD watchdog in discipline after Tisch agrees to stay on

Zohran Mamdani is softening his stance on how much power the city’s Civilian Complaints Commission should have.

While still a candidate, Mamdani said that as mayor, he would give the board — which investigates and pursues complaints of misconduct against NYPD officers — the authority to have the final say on what kind of disciplinary action should be taken against officers found guilty of wrongdoing. Under the current system, the board makes recommendations to the NYPD commissioner, who then decides what punishment to impose.

“What I would do is make sure that the CCRB’s recommendations are understood to be the final voice on the question of accountability,” Mamdani said in early October.

But after announcing Wednesday that New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch would remain in her post under his administration, Mayor-elect Mamdani took a step back from the position.

“What I believe is that the CCRB’s recommendations need to be taken seriously, that we need to make sure that they are able to make those recommendations time and time again,” Mamdani said Thursday when asked by the Daily News if he still plans to expand the CCRB’s authority once he is sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1.

Although he pledged weeks ago to push for more powers to the board, the democratic socialist mayor-elect said his main focus now is getting more funding for the CCRB to ensure it doesn’t have to abandon disciplinary cases.

“In 2024, lack of funding has led the CCRB to drop at least 700 cases and I have heard estimates from others that the number is actually higher than that,” he said. “What I am committing to is fully funding the CCRB immediately, so that we can ensure that these days of these kinds of budget battles come to an end.”

The issue was first raised during a PIX 11 interview with Mamdani on Wednesday to talk about his decision to retain Tisch, the popular top cop who was appointed NYPD commissioner a year ago by outgoing Mayor Adams.

“Under the City Charter, currently it’s the commissioner,” Mamdani said in that interview when asked who should have final authority over disciplinary cases involving police officers. “The question is, ‘Can the CCRB even act on complaints?’ I will make it my mission to follow through on this by fully funding the entity.

Tisch has been criticized by police reform advocates for overturning CCRB decisions in some disciplinary cases. Most recently, she drew heat in August for choosing not to follow the CCRB’s recommendation to fire NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera for shooting and killing Allan Feliz, 31, during a traffic stop in the Bronx in 2019.

By shifting his focus to the CCRB, Mamdani could risk disappointing his left-wing allies.

Her decision to retain Tisch has already angered some on the city’s left, given that she is staunchly opposed to a number of Mamdani’s other campaign promises, such as disbanding the NYPD’s controversial Strategic Response Group and deleting the department’s gang database.

Mamdani’s new stance on the CCRB, however, has received a cautiously optimistic reception from some rank-and-file NYPD unions, who view the board as often hostile to officers.

“The NYPD commissioner, like other municipal agency commissioners, should have the authority to decide the CCRB’s recommendations and it is critical that the new administration understand why the CCRB cannot act as both judge and jury in decisions that impact the careers of our members,” Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYPD Sergeants’ Benevolent Association, said in response to Mamdani’s remarks Thursday.

Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry, whose union is the largest in the NYPD and represents patrol officers, said it was important to retain the commissioner’s ability to ignore CCRB recommendations, but criticized Mamdani for pushing for more funding for the board.

“The commission wastes its already bloated budget and limited staff hours by soliciting and thoroughly investigating thousands of completely false or frivolous allegations each year, all of which have the potential to irreparably harm the reputations and careers of police officers,” Hendry said. “Additional funds and personnel will only make these problems worse, pushing even more police officers out the door and putting ordinary New Yorkers at risk.”

With Thomas Tracy