New York City gets its 2nd woman police commissioner in over near 180 year history - She never wore the navy blue NYPD uniform - But she revoilutionised the citys IT and Sanitaton departments

New York City  gets its 2nd woman Police Commissioner in 150 years – Jessica Tisch is the new chief of the NYPD or the New York Police Department'- Her two prvious predecessors left under a cloud 

By Ashe N Ayers   New Yoirk , Nov 26 , 2024

New York city, known as the financial capital of the world is also known for its high crime rate, and is now to be overseen by the city’s 2nd woman police commissioner in 150 years. 

Her two predecessors left under a cloud amid charges of corruption and briberies.  

Jessi Tisch was chosen by the New York Mayor Eric Adam who himself was subjected to scrutiny some time back . Tisch had accomplied herself as the Sanitation Commissioner ushering in a Trash revolution bringing in new and more hygienic methods of waste disposal – both wet and dry through a containerization process. H cland up the city. 

Tish also acquitted herself of being very innovative in being the deputy commissioner of the department of telecommunications for the NYPD in terms of improving the wireless network for reporting of crimes, quick arrival and speedy apprehension of criminals or culprits from the crime scene. 

Tisch becomes the second female commissioner in the NYPD's 179-year history, and the fourth person to lead the department under Mayor Eric Adams. 

Tisch is the 48th commissioner of the NYPD, and comes at a time of intense scrutiny for Adams, who is under federal indictment, as well as the department. Her two predecessors, Tom Donlon and Edward Caban, departed under the cloud of separate FBI investigations and raids on their homes.  

Tisch promised to restore public trust and confidence in the NYPD.   

Who is Jessica Tisch? 

Tisch boasts an impressive list of credentials, including three Harvard degrees. For the last two years as sanitation commissioner, she led the execution of the city's new containerized trash program.  

Tisch has never walked a beat or worn NYPD blue - her time in the agency was a civilian. She is also a 12-year veteran of the NYPD, where she served as deputy commissioner for information technology and oversaw the implementation of body-worn cameras.  

It says a lot about her that three former commissioners sang her praises, and Adams insisted she didn't need to wear the uniform to take the agency to the next level.  

"We must turn the corner and bring the innovation and thought process that Tisch brought her first time here, and what she brought into DSNY. A good manager can manage anywhere," Adams said.  

He called her a battle-tested leader who has excelled at every position she's held. He swore her in, and handed her the solid gold badge that comes with the position.  

"To the men and women of the NYPD, my greatest hope is that together we will return this noble undertaking, this job of high moral purpose, to a time and a place where you want your children, your grandchildren, your nieces, your nephews to follow in your footsteps and become police officers," Tisch said at her swearing in. "And finally, to the city that I serve, the police exist to eliminate fear and disorder. Your cops, like generations before them, nobly put their lives on the line each and every time they put on that uniform to protect you and your families. And they do a damn good job of it. We will continue to do that most important foundational work to make you safe, to make you feel safe, and to improve your quality of life across the city."  

Adams lauds Tisch and the NYPD 

"There is no other role in this city that has such a drastic impact in the quality of life of the city than the police commissioner," Adams said. "That is the title. That is the role. And if it is done correctly and fairly, it can bridge the gap between communities and make people believe again in what's possible."  

Adams called the NYPD "the largest and most important police department on the globe." It has on the roll some 17,000 police officers to survey some five burroughs including the most important business district Manhattan, crime probe Bronx, Queens, Staten, Brooklyn.  

"The role of the police commissioner is to lead from the front," Adams said. "I needed a battle-tested leader. Someone that understands what it is to lead. Seventeen years in government, 12 years in the police department." 

Despite the turmoil taking over during a time of turmoil, with the mayor under indictment, her two immediate predecessors under the cloud of FBI investigations, Tisch praised Adams for his acumen as her boss.  

"You have pushed me to be bold when I needed pushing. And you threw your full support behind initiatives that absolutely destroyed the unsatisfactory status quo which others have seen as too politically hot to handle," Tisch said.  

"I think she will do a terrific job," former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said. He called her hard working, smart, and tough. 

"I don't think Jessica Tisch needs any advice from me. She knows what she's doing. I think she's going to be great for the city. She's going to wrap her arms around public safety and she's going to improve morale," former NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.  

Former Commissioner Bill Bratton had nothing but praise for Tisch, who was his deputy commissioner, but he didn't sugarcoat the task ahead of her.  

"The NYPD has phenomenal challenges in the years ahead, so it's good to have someone on the 14th floor that understands the department, its capabilities and limitations," Bratton said.  

NYPD's latest change of command 

Edward Caban , ex NYPD commissioner left under a cloud.

Tom Donlon, interim NYPD commissioner, who hd to leave in the wake of FBI investigations.

One of her top focuses will be building public trust and confidence in the police department, which has been plagued by scandal. The long list of problems she's facing includes understaffing and attrition.  

While shootings have declined 30% in the past two years, New Yorkers remain nervous about random attacks. 

Tisch is taking over for Interim Commissioner Donlon, who ran the department after Caban resigned in September.  

Federal agents seized Caban's phones in one of five investigations involving members of the mayor's inner circle. Several other NYPD officials also had their phones seized, along with Caban's twin brother, James.  

CBS News New York learned the federal probe involved allegations James Caban used his police connections to win favorable treatment for nightclubs facing violations. 

Crime has dropped since Adams took office, but the Police Benevolent Association says the NYPD faces other problems, like understaffing and attrition. The mayor has taken steps to help bolster the department's numbers, including plans to hire 1,600 new officers starting in January.  

Jessica S. Tisch (born February 1, 1981) is an American public administrator serving as the New York City Police Commissioner since November 25, 2024. She was previously the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation from 2022 to 2024. She has also served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and Deputy Commissioner for Information Technology of the New York Police Department. 

On November 20, 2024, Tisch was named the NYPD Commissioner effective November 25, 2024 by Mayor Eric Adams.

Education and personal life[edit] 

Tisch was born to James S. Tisch, Chief Executive Officer of Loews Co. She earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and completed an M.B.A and J.D. there in 2008.

In 2006, she married Daniel Zachary Levine in a ceremony that was officiated by her maternal grandfather, Rabbi Philip Hiat, at Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Tisch has two sons.

Career

New York Police Department

In 2008, Tisch began her career with the NYPD and went on to hold several civilian positions within the agency.[9] In February 2014, she was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Information Technology for the NYPD.[10] 

On November 20, 2024, she was named the Commissioner of the New York Police Department[11] Tisch was sworn in as NYPD Commissioner on Monday, November 25th, 2024. 

New York Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications

In November 2019, Tisch was appointed Commissioner for NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication by Mayor de Blasio.

New York Department of Sanitation

On April 18, 2022, Tisch was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation.

 The NYPD history:  

The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, municipal police departments in the United States.

The NYPD is headquartered at 1 Police Plaza, located on Park Row in Lower Manhattan near City Hall. The NYPD's regulations are compiled in title 38 of the New York City Rules. Dedicated units of the NYPD include the Emergency Service Unit, K-9, harbor patrol, highway patrol, air support, bomb squad, counterterrorism, criminal intelligence, anti-organized crime, narcotics, mounted patrol, public transportation, and public housing units. 

The NYPD employs over 40,000 people, including more than 30,000 uniformed officers as of September 2023. According to the official CompStat database, the NYPD responded to nearly 500,000 reports of crime and made over 200,000 arrests during 2019. In 2020, it had a budget of US$6 billion.However, the NYPD's actual spending often exceeds its budget.[12] 

The NYPD has a history of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct, which critics argue persists till the present day Due to its high-profile location in New York City, the largest city and media center in the U.S., fictionalized versions of the NYPD and its officers have frequently been portrayed in novels, radio, television, motion pictures, and video games. 

History

Main article: History of the New York City Police Department 

The Municipal Police were established in 1845, replacing an old night watch system. Mayor William Havemeyer shepherded the NYPD together.[16] The NYPD appointed its first Black officer in 1911 and the first female officer in 1918.

NYPD sergeant searching a cruiser covered in debris during 9/11 

During Richard Enright's tenure as commissioner, the country's first Shomrim Society, a fraternal organization of Jewish police officers, was founded in the NYPD in 1924. At the time, NYPD had 700 Jewish officers on the force.

In 1961, highly decorated NYPD officer Mario Biaggi, later a US Congressman, became the first police officer in New York State to be made a member of the National Police Officers Hall of Fame. In the mid-1980s, the NYPD began to police street-level drug markets much more intensively, leading to a sharp increase in incarceration.

In 1992, Mayor David Dinkins created an independent Civilian Complaint Review Board for the NYPD. In response to this, some NYPD officers violently protested  and rioted . They blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, demonstrated at City Hall and shouted racial epithets.[23][25] The protests were sponsored by the NYPD union.

In 1994 the NYPD developed the CompStat computer system for tracking crime geographically, which is now in use by other police departments in the United States and Canada. Research is mixed on whether CompStat had an impact on crime rates. Throughout the mid to late 1990s, several mergers took place which changed the landscape of policing in New York City. The New York City Transit Police and the New York City Housing Authority Police Department merged into the NYPD in 1995, becoming the Transit Bureau and Housing Bureau respectively. In 1996, the New York City Department of Transportation's Traffic Operations Bureau was merged into the NYPD, becoming the Transportation Bureau. In 1998, the New York City Department of Education's School Safety Division became part of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau. 

In 2021, the NYPD ceased enforcement of marijuana crimes other than driving under the influence.

In 2024, the NYPD changed its motto from "Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect" to "Fighting Crime, Protecting the Public".

Organization and structure 

Main article: Organization of the New York City Police Department 

The department is administered and governed by the police commissioner, who is appointed by the mayor. Technically, the Commissioner serves a five-year term; as a practical matter, they serve at the mayor's pleasure. The commissioner in turn appoints the first deputy commissioner, numerous deputy commissioners, and the Chief of Department (the most senior uniformed officer). By default, the commissioner and their subordinate deputies are civilians under an oath of office and are not sworn officers. However, a commissioner who comes up from the sworn ranks retains the status and statutory powers of a police officer while serving as commissioner. This affects their police pensions, and their ability to carry a firearm without a pistol permit. Some police commissioners carry a personal firearm, but they also have a full-time security detail. Commissioners and deputy commissioners are administrators who specialize in areas of great importance to the Department, such as counterterrorism, support services, public information, legal matters, intelligence, and information technology. However, as civilian administrators, deputy commissioners are prohibited from taking operational control of a police situation (the commissioner and the first deputy commissioner may take control of these situations, however). Within the rank structure, there are also designations, known as "grades", that connote differences in duties, experience, and pay. However, supervisory functions are generally reserved for the rank of sergeant and above. 

Office of the Chief of Department

The Chief of Department serves as the senior sworn member of the NYPD. Jeffrey Maddrey, a longtime NYPD veteran,[32] is the 43rd individual to hold the post, which before 1987 was known as the chief of operations and before that as chief inspector.

Bureaus

The department is divided into 20 bureaus, which are typically commanded by a uniformed bureau chief (such as the chief of patrol and the chief of housing) or a civilian deputy commissioner (such as the Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology). The bureaus fit under four umbrellas: Patrol, Transit & Housing, Investigative, and Administrative. Bureaus are often subdivided into smaller divisions and units. All deputy commissioners report directly to the Commissioner and bureau chiefs report to the Commissioner through the Chief of Department. 

Surce : Inputs frm CBS, and Wiki.