Introduction to the NYC Mayor’s Race
In a heated race for City Hall, the packed field of candidates is all over the map in their varying approaches to policing. Frontrunner and Democratic nominee Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens) has faced criticism for his previous support of efforts to defund the police, while former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for more NYPD officers to be hired — and Mayor Eric Adams has defended the work of his administration’s NYPD, led by Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Current State of Policing in NYC
A survey published earlier this year by the Citizens’ Budget Commission found that though feelings of safety among New Yorkers have climbed since 2023, they remain lower than pre-pandemic levels. Crime rates have dropped significantly since the pandemic, yet feelings of unease remain, according to the survey, especially among residents of the Bronx and Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.
Candidate Positions on Policing
As public safety proves to be a top issue in the election and the political environment heats up in the wake of July’s devastating Midtown mass shooting, here is a rundown of where each major mayoral candidate stands on policing and the role of the NYPD.
Zohran Mamdani
Having made previous calls to “#DefundTheNYPD” in 2020, Mamdani has since backed away from his strong stance against the NYPD and policing more broadly. In the wake of the July 28 shooting in a Midtown office building, he said that such previous comments are “out of step” with his current mayoral bid. Mamdani said at the conference that he is in favor of dismantling the Strategic Response Group, the NYPD’s counterterrorism and protest response group formed in 2015. The SRG has been frequently deployed in response to mass protests in recent years and has faced criticism for its “violent” and “militarized” response methods.
Mamdani has been outspoken in his criticism of the NYPD, but has softened his stance over time.
Mamdani said at a Tuesday National Night Out Against Crime event in Brooklyn that, if he were elected mayor, he would work to end the NYPD practice of responding to mental health calls. Flanked by police officers, he said the city “must stop asking them to respond to nearly every single failure of the social safety net.” The democratic socialist’s platform includes creating a “Department of Community Safety” to “prevent violence before it happens by prioritizing solutions which have been consistently shown to improve safety.” Mamdani hopes that by prioritizing the root causes of crime rather than focusing too heavily on enforcement, the city can more effectively reduce crime.
Andrew Cuomo
Since losing the primary, Cuomo has doubled down on criticizing Mamdani’s views on policing. Cuomo, in apparent opposition to Mamdani’s desire to dismantle the SRG, pitched a public safety vision on Monday that included adding 400 SRG officers to the police force over the course of four years in office. “They are key to counter-terrorism, key to mass protests,” Cuomo said at the press conference Monday. “It’s only going to get worse, not better.” Cuomo hopes to add thousands more officers to the NYPD force.
Cuomo’s campaign platform reads that safety will be the “first priority of the Cuomo Administration.” Cuomo, seeking to “make the subways safe and to restore rider confidence,” also wants to increase NYPD presence on subway cars and platforms. He plans to crack down on fare evasion “through better infrastructure” and “increase outreach to homeless individuals on subways.”
Eric Adams
In his time as mayor, Adams has touted his own prior experience as an NYPD officer, where he was a fierce advocate for Black officers, outspoken against police brutality, and an opponent of stop and frisk. Adams eventually became a captain before leaving the force. Adams has made public safety a key tenet of his mayoralty, having entered office amid a pandemic-induced spike in crime.
The mayor is doubling down on his commitment to quality of life policing, which deploys specially-trained NYPD officers to address non-emergency issues like illegal mopeds and scooters, abandoned vehicles, homeless encampments, outdoor drug use, and persistent noise complaints.
“No police department in America is coming close to what the NYPD is doing on guns under Mayor Adams leadership, not one,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a July press conference about confiscating illegal firearms.
Curtis Sliwa
Sliwa is running as the Republican nominee and polling in fourth place in most polls — though, by some accounts his popularity beats out that of Adams. The Republican argues in his campaign platform that New York City is facing a “crisis of crime, lawlessness, and failed leadership.” Sliwa seeks to expand the NYPD’s police force and operations.
Sliwa also wants to expand the police force by hiring 7,000 additional cops and reinstate the Anti-Crime Unit and Conditions Teams to “proactively prevent violence.” Sliwa wants to expand the Gang Unit to “dismantle violent street gangs and fight against efforts to eliminate the gang database,” enhance “proactive and intrusive policing strategies to target illegal firearm carriers, repeat offenders, and violent criminals before crimes occur,” and reduce police response times.
Conclusion
The NYC Mayor’s race has brought to the forefront various approaches to policing and crime. Each candidate has their own unique perspective on how to address the issue of public safety, ranging from defunding the police to increasing the police force. As the election heats up, it will be interesting to see which candidate’s approach resonates with the voters.
FAQs
Q: What is the current state of policing in NYC?
A: The current state of policing in NYC is a topic of debate, with some candidates calling for an increase in police presence and others advocating for a more community-based approach.
Q: What is the Strategic Response Group (SRG)?
A: The SRG is the NYPD’s counterterrorism and protest response group, formed in 2015.
Q: What is the Department of Community Safety?
A: The Department of Community Safety is a proposed department that would focus on preventing violence before it happens by prioritizing solutions that have been consistently shown to improve safety.
Q: What is quality of life policing?
A: Quality of life policing is a policing strategy that deploys specially-trained officers to address non-emergency issues like illegal mopeds and scooters, abandoned vehicles, homeless encampments, outdoor drug use, and persistent noise complaints.
Q: What is the difference between the candidates’ approaches to policing?
A: The candidates have different approaches to policing, ranging from defunding the police to increasing the police force, and from community-based approaches to more traditional law enforcement strategies.
