Mayor Mamdani Initiates Police Reforms, Reviews NYPD’s Use-of-Force Policies

TL/DR –

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is initiating a series of police reforms and directing the NYPD to review its use-of-force policies after an officer involved in a fatal shooting retired before a disciplinary trial. Among the reforms will be a new notifiable system to ensure disciplinary processes are completed before retirement and an increase in funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD to allow further investigation into police misconduct. The reforms will also require the NYPD to inform New York state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services when an officer with pending disciplinary charges retires, and standardize how the department shares information with residents following critical incidents.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani Introduces NYPD Reform Measures in Wake of Police Shooting

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a series of police reforms, including a comprehensive review of NYPD’s use-of-force policies. This announcement, according to City Hall, comes after a disciplinary case involving the fatal shooting of Win Rozario was thwarted by the officer’s retirement.

Rozario, a 19-year old Queens resident, was fatally shot by police at his family home after a 911 call during a mental health crisis in March 2024.

The review process, the first in a decade, is aimed at bolstering accountability and ensuring force is used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary, Mayor Mamdani said. The mayor emphasized the city’s responsibility to ensure officers are properly trained and New Yorkers are treated with care and dignity.

New NYPD Reforms Include Officer Notification System and Increased Funding

Among the announced reforms is a notification system to complete disciplinary processes before an officer retires. Additional funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD will also be increased by $2.6 million, to restore staffing and empower the office to thoroughly investigate police misconduct.

Further, the NYPD will be required to notify the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, submitting information for decertification if an officer with pending disciplinary charges retires. This measure aims to prevent officers facing serious charges from escaping scrutiny by joining another law enforcement agency within the state.

The NYPD will also standardize information sharing with the public following “critical incidents,” ensuring transparency and accountability. NY1 has sought a comment from the NYPD on these developments.

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