Mamdani directs review of NYPD use of force

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced in an Oct. 12 press release he was directing the New York City Police Department to conduct a review of its use-of-force policies and practices. The mayor’s office said it is the first review of its kind in a decade.

The review will happen over the coming months, and will involve a community engagement process, according to the release. The mayor also announced a package of reforms focused on accountability when officers are accused of serious misconduct.

The reforms follow the death of Win Roazario, 19, in March 2024, who was shot and killed by NYPD officers, one of whom retired recently, the release said. Rozario was having a mental health crisis when he died, according to the mayor’s office, and the officer retired before having a disciplinary trial, the release said.

Part of the reform package includes measures to make sure the disciplinary process is finished before an officer retires, the mayor’s office said. This will be supported by a new system the NYPD implemented that strengthens retirement notifications, the release said.

Other initiatives by the mayor’s office include strengthening independence oversight by increasing funding for the city’s office of the inspector general for the NYPD by $2.6 million, strengthening retirement notifications, preventing officers who face serious disciplinary charges from being hired by another state law enforcement agency, ensuring the NYPD reports police-involved death data to the state’s division of criminal justice services, and standardizing the practice of the NYPD sharing information publicly — as well as with families of those killed or injured — after an incident, according to the mayor’s office.

“When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest,” Mamdani said. “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.”