Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch delivered her State of the NYPD address Tuesday morning, saying “the state of the NYPD is strong.”
Tisch said her focus since taking the helm has been restoring trust in a department she described as being in a leadership crisis at the time of her appointment.
“It meant making difficult personnel decisions, confronting practices that had gone unexamined for too long,” Tisch said.
What You Need To Know
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch declared “the state of the NYPD is strong” in her annual address
As part of the changes announced, the Police Academy will be renamed for Detective Steven McDonald
The Bronx will also gain 200 officers and be split into two patrol commands
Looking ahead, Tisch announced a series of changes.
The Police Academy will be renamed for the late Detective Steven McDonald, who was paralyzed in the line of duty. Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Rev. A.R. Bernard will lead the NYPD’s chaplain’s unit. The department will also implement new regular training on constitutional policing, de-escalation and alternative use of force.
“We’re doing this because we ask officers to make hard decisions in moments that unfold quickly and carry real consequences,” Tisch said.
Emphasizing what she called precision policing, Tisch pointed to crime data from last month, when the city recorded the lowest number of murders, shooting victims and shooting incidents ever recorded for the month of January.
To address persistent crime concerns, the Bronx will soon be divided into two patrol borough commands — Bronx North and Bronx South — bringing 200 new officers and specialized units to the borough.
Those units will include “homicide squad detectives, evidence collection teams, narcotics teams, Neighborhood Safety Teams and auto crime units,” Tisch said.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson told NY1 she would like to see the number of new officers doubled.
“Residents say they do want to see the police presence, they don’t want to be victims of a crime,” Gibson said.