NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has directed the NYPD to conduct its first comprehensive review of use-of-force policies and practices in a decade and announced a series of reforms aimed at strengthening accountability for officers accused of serious misconduct.
The review, which will take place over the coming months, comes as the administration faces mounting pressure from some supporters to follow through on campaign promises related to policing, including calls to dismantle the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group. The mayor also said he has no plans to remove Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
According to the mayor’s office, the review will include a community engagement process and examine how the department’s use-of-force policies are applied and whether changes are needed. The administration said it is the first such review in 10 years.
The changes come after scrutiny of an NYPD officer’s retirement following the fatal police shooting of Win Rozario, a 19-year-old who was suffering an apparent psychiatric episode when officers were called to his Ozone Park, Queens, home in May 2024. Rozario was shot and killed after he lunged at officers with a pair of scissors.
The officers were cleared by the state attorney general, but the Civilian Complaint Review Board later concluded that they used excessive force.
One of the officers, Salvatore Alongi, was allowed to retire before he could face an administrative trial because the NYPD failed to inform the review board. NYPD Commissioner Tisch acknowledged the failure as an oversight. Mamdani said the reforms are intended to increase accountability within the department.
“When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest,” he said. “Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary.”
In addition to reviewing use-of-force guidelines, the department will strengthen pending retirement notifications. The city will increase funding for the inspector general that monitors the NYPD, and the department will standardize public disclosure protocols for police-involved incidents.
Ninety percent of New York City police officers go their entire careers without a single substantiated civilian complaint. The police union said that number would be even higher if the Civilian Complaint Review Board took what it called an “unbiased” approach.
“There should be no review of the NYPD’s use of force policies,” said the PBA president, “without a corresponding review of the blatantly biased and unjust way those policies are interpreted by the Civilian Complaint Review Board.”
Critics, however, said the mayor’s reforms do not go far enough.
Loyda Colon, executive director of the Justice Committee, a support network for victims of police violence, said a broader overhaul is needed.
“Does there need to be a full overhaul of the NYPD discipline process? Yes, but that’s also after the fact. There’s good intent here, but this is far from enough.”
NYC to Review NYPD Use-of-Force Policies for First Time in Decade
