Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani appointed Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and signed an Executive Order to create the first-ever Mayor's Office of Community Safety.
Francois brings more than 15 years of strategic and operational experience spanning major city agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations and think tanks. Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Program Officer at Tides Advocacy, where she set the organization's long-term strategy, oversaw millions of dollars in grants and managed relationships with political leaders and community organizations nationwide.
Francois previously served as Executive Director of the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety within the Office of Criminal Justice under Mayor Bill de Blasio, where she oversaw more than $500 million in investments in neighborhood safety initiatives-particularly in communities experiencing high-crime-and led strategic efforts across more than a dozen city agencies.
She is a respected leader in the criminal justice space, advising citywide campaigns such as Campaign Zero and providing policy insight to leading institutions including the Vera Institute for Justice.
The Office of Community Safety marks a major step toward fulfilling Mayor Mamdani's pledge to create a Department of Community Safety, a whole-of-government approach to crime prevention and public safety that addresses gun violence prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, hate crime prevention, victims services, and subway safety.
The Office will focus on addressing the root causes of crime and violence, streamlining and expanding evidence-based crime prevention programs and strengthening wraparound services so no New Yorker is left behind.
"The cornerstone of a dignified life is true community safety - and that safety is built through relentless investment in the services that keep New Yorkers safe," said Mayor Mamdani. "Our administration will not wait for change, we will build it. With the creation of the Office of Community Safety and the appointment of Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor, we are taking a decisive step toward a city where everyone, in every neighborhood, can live free from violence. Renita will lead this work with clarity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to New Yorkers too often left behind - from families confronting gun violence to people navigating mental health crises, hate crimes or substance use issues."
The Executive Order establishes the Office of Community Safety, to be led by a Commissioner who reports directly to the Deputy Mayor. The Office will develop citywide community safety strategies and coordinate the work of the Office of Crime Victim Services, Office to Prevent Gun Violence, Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and Office of Community Mental Health.
It will also coordinate citywide mental health crisis response programs, including B-HEARD, and convene interagency community safety committees, to ensure New Yorkers receive appropriate care in moments of crisis.
"The evidence is clear: addressing what ails our communities, whether that be crumbling physical infrastructure, social disconnection, or lack of access to economic opportunity, is how we best ensure that our communities are safe. Yet, for decades, these communities have been left waiting. That ends today," said Deputy Mayor Renita Francois. "I'm proud to join the Mamdani Administration as Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and to develop the vision for the Department of Community Safety. Every New Yorker from Highbridge to Stapleton to Bushwick deserves to feel safe and be safe, and we will invest the resources to ensure well coordinated responses rooted in dignity and care, centered in community and informed by the experiences of those closest to the solutions meet our fellow New Yorkers who need it most."
"I am proud to celebrate the appointment of Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor of the first-ever Mayor's Office of Community Safety," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "Throughout her years of dedicated service to the people of New York City, Renita has demonstrated a commitment to identifying solutions that keep our communities safe and supports that help them thrive. I look forward to her leadership."
"We are so excited to have Renita Francois join our Administration as the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety. Renita has dedicated her career to fighting for the communities far too often forgotten - working with them to deliver solutions that create true safety," said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan. "Renita is an innovator and champion for justice, and there is no one better to lead this work that will address the root causes of violence and change our city for generations to come."
"Keeping New Yorkers safe requires more than one approach," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. "It means making sure people have access to the resources and services they need, whether that's career training, an afterschool program, or a police response. I look forward to working with Deputy Mayor Francois to ensure New Yorkers get the supports they need, while our officers remain focused on the work they are trained to do."
"Today's announcement is a vital step towards making New York City safer by investing in caring, empirically driven solutions that support strong neighborhoods rather than the failed practice of relying on police to respond to every societal ill. Our communities have long known the true sources of safety - addressing poverty, mental health, substance use, and getting to the root causes of conflict and violence before they escalate," said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. "Renita Francois has been at the forefront of the movement for a holistic approach that drives safety, not mass punishment and incarceration. I'm eager to work with her and the mayor to build out a robust Office of Community Safety that enacts a framework that gives people and our communities access to the safety we all deserve."
"Renita Francois is a visionary, with a long history of mobilizing communities and directing the City's resources to center well-being, expand access, and combat inequity," said Eva Wong, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health. "Her appointment reflects a shared commitment to strengthening community resilience and advancing health-focused responses across New York City - including but not limited to moments of crisis. I look forward to working closely with her to deepen cross-agency collaboration that centers care, prevention, and connection, ensuring that New Yorkers experiencing mental health challenges are met with compassion, coordinated support, and clear pathways to recovery and long-term stability."
"I commend Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Mamdani administration for their thoughtful and careful planning, preparation, and launch of the Office of Community Safety. This effort reflects a deep commitment to addressing the complexities of public safety with intentionality and vision," said Rev. Charles O. Galbreath, Senior Pastor of Alliance Tabernacle Church, member of the Community Safety Transition Committee. "I also celebrate the appointment of Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor of Community Safety. Her leadership comes at a critical time, and I am confident in her capacity to advance meaningful, community-centered solutions. I look forward to supporting this holistic approach to community safety-one that recognizes the importance of prevention, partnership, and care-so that our city can continue to thrive and flourish."
"The Vera Institute of Justice applauds the Mamdani administration's appointment of Renita Francois as the new deputy mayor for community safety. Her track record as a collaborative, evidence-based, data-driven leader speaks for itself," said Daniela Gilbert, director of the Vera Institute of Justice's Redefining Public Safety Initiative. "We stand ready to support this new agency as it creates, coordinates, and scales up services that support safe, thriving communities."
"Renita Francois brings years of dedicated public service and collaborative leadership to her new role overseeing the Mayoral Office of Community Safety," said Jo-Ann Yoo, Deputy Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality. "Community safety and compassionate care for our city's most vulnerable residents must go hand-in-hand. We look forward to working with the new deputy mayor to ensure that often overlooked communities are actively engaged in the important work of reducing crime and prioritizing mental health."
"Our clients and communities deserve responses that de-escalate crises, reduce unnecessary criminalization, and are measured by outcomes that matter: fewer harms, more stability, and greater trust," said Tina Luongo, Chief Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. "We are eager to partner with Deputy Mayor Francois as she launches the Office of Community Safety."
"Reorganizing city government to prioritize community safety is a sacred first step towards scaling a public health model of crisis management and violence prevention in New York City," said Rev. Andrew Wilkes, Ph.D., Co-Pastor of Double Love Experience Church. "Appointing a Deputy Mayor to drive that reorganization forward is a policy direction that our neighborhoods deserve. As a pastor and political scientist, I celebrate Mayor Mamdani's decision on this and pray for Deputy Mayor Francois' success in her new role."
"For too long, incarceration and the criminal legal system have been treated as the answer to every crisis our communities face. The Office of Community Safety, as envisioned by Mayor Mamdani, is a bold and necessary step toward changing that," said public defender Alice Fontier."The appointment of a Deputy Mayor to lead this work reflects a genuine commitment to building something different - and something better. I am eager to be part of that process and look forward to collaborating with leadership as the Office develops."
