Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today directed the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to conduct a comprehensive review of its use-of-force policies and practices, the first such review in a decade. The review will take place over the coming months and include a robust community engagement process.
Mayor Mamdani also announced a package of reforms to strengthen accountability when police officers are accused of serious misconduct, including measures to facilitate the completion of the disciplinary process before an officer retires.
The reforms follow the retirement of one of the officers facing disciplinary charges for the tragic death of Win Rozario, a 19-year-old New Yorker who was shot and killed by NYPD officers during a mental health crisis in March 2024. That officer retired before a disciplinary trial could take place.
"When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest. Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary," said Mayor Mamdani. "We have an obligation to Win's family and to every New Yorker who calls for help in a moment of crisis. This review is about making sure our policies reflect that responsibility, that our officers have the guidance and training they need and that New Yorkers and their families can trust their city will treat them with care and dignity."
In addition to the use-of-force review, the Mamdani administration is taking the following steps:
- Strengthen independent oversight: The Mamdani administration will increase funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD) by $2.6 million. The additional funding will restore staffing to a historic peak, tripling the office's current headcount and empower the OIG to investigate policies and practices that undermine accountability for police misconduct.
- Strengthen retirement notifications: The NYPD has implemented a new notification system to facilitate the completion of the disciplinary process before an officer retires.
- Close the door to rehiring elsewhere in New York state: The NYPD will formalize its pre-existing practice of notifying the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and submitting personnel information for decertification when an officer retires with pending disciplinary charges. This will help prevent officers who leave the NYPD while facing serious disciplinary charges from avoiding scrutiny by being hired by another law enforcement agency in New York state.
- Ensure compliance with the STAT Act: The NYPD will remain in full and timely compliance with its legal obligation to report police-involved death data to the State DCJS.
- Formalize information sharing after critical incidents: The NYPD will standardize and formalize its process for sharing information with New Yorkers following a critical incident, as well as with the families of individuals killed or seriously injured in critical incidents. This will include releasing NYPD Force Investigation Division final reports to families or their representatives who would like them.
Together, these reforms are intended to ensure that serious allegations are investigated, disciplinary cases are resolved, the public can understand how the City responds when use of force results in serious death or injury and independent oversight has the necessary resources to do its important work.
Accountability is a central value of the Mamdani administration, and it must apply to the system as a whole. The administration will continue reviewing policies and practices.
