PBA skeptical as Mamdani names new head of NYPD watchdog

Lawsuits loom over Civilian Complaint Review Board

By CARTER MYERS-BROWN

Posted 8/7/26

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Jennifer Jones Austin as chair of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board over the weekend drew a cautious response from the city’s largest police union, which said the agency must undergo “fundamental change” after years of conflict with rank-and-file officers.

Jones Austin, a longtime social justice advocate and former chair of the New York City Board of Correction, becomes the CCRB’s first permanent chair since 2020. Mamdani said she would help advance his administration’s public safety agenda by strengthening police accountability and public trust.

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