NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Initiates First Use-of-Force Review for NYPD in a Decade Amid Reform Calls

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has ordered a comprehensive review of the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) use of force policies, marking the first such review in ten years. This action comes as progressive groups intensify their demands for law enforcement reform. Alongside the review, the city announced on Monday a “package of reforms” aimed at “strengthening accountability when police officers are accused of serious misconduct.” The NYPD is the largest police force in the United States.

These reforms follow the recent retirement of an officer involved in the 2024 shooting death of 19-year-old Win Rozario, who was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis. The mayor’s office stated, “That officer retired before a disciplinary trial could take place.” Mayor Mamdani also announced an additional $2.6 million in funding for the Office of the Inspector General, which is responsible for investigating NYPD policies and misconduct. Furthermore, the city is pushing for a new notification system to ensure disciplinary hearings are completed before an officer retires and is renewing efforts to ensure the department complies with state-level reporting requirements for police-involved deaths.

The announcement arrives amidst significant pressure from Mamdani’s progressive allies who are advocating for greater accountability within the NYPD. A particular focus has been placed on the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, a unit designed for rapid response to protests, major events, and “civil disorder.” Earlier this month, 17 state-level politicians and nominees, including congressional candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who both received endorsements from Mamdani, called for the disbandment of this unit.

In a joint statement, these politicians condemned the Strategic Response Group’s actions during protests against a recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation. On October 8, an ICE officer shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal while he was in an SUV with his five-year-old son. The incident, which occurred in New York’s Marble Hill neighborhood, triggered days of demonstrations against ICE tactics and the subsequent police response. Chevalier reported being “shoved to the ground by an officer” during the protests and claimed to have witnessed other instances of excessive force, stating, “When I was in Marble Hill last night I saw NYPD officers rapidly escalating violence. I witnessed unmarked law enforcement cars hitting protesters as NYPD officers pushed people out of its path.”

Mamdani has condemned the shooting and called for Belgal’s release from federal custody. Critics have consistently cited such incidents as evidence of the need for enhanced police oversight. Data indicates that reported use-of-force incidents within the NYPD have risen over the past decade, encompassing physical force, firearm deployments, and the use of tasers. In 2025, there were 12,348 reported use-of-force incidents, a significant increase from 4,087 in 2016, the year the department began collecting these statistics. Despite this, crime in New York City has been declining, with the city reporting the “fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders” in the first nine months and third quarter of the year compared to any period in recorded history. Major crime, including murder, rape, felony assault, and grand larceny, decreased by 9.4 percent in the third quarter and 6.6 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nevertheless, Chevalier and other progressive politicians remain critical of the excessive force permitted under the current police leadership. They have called for the resignation of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who was initially appointed by Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams. While the commissioner is appointed by the mayor and can be removed by either the mayor or the governor of New York State, recent reports from The Atlantic suggest that New York State Governor Kathy Hochul made Tisch’s retention a condition for her endorsement of Mamdani in the 2024 mayoral election. Mamdani, in a statement to the magazine, characterized Hochul’s stance as “more of a recommendation” than a demand. A spokesperson for New York City Hall informed Al Jazeera that the use-of-force review was already underway before the October 8 ICE shooting and the subsequent protests.