{"id":315095,"date":"2026-08-06T10:34:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T10:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/315095\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T10:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T10:34:41","slug":"partners-in-crime-fighting-mamdani-and-tisch-tout-record-low-shootings-and-murders-amid-cheers-and-boos-on-national-night-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/315095\/","title":{"rendered":"Partners in crime-fighting: Mamdani and Tisch tout record-low shootings and murders amid cheers and boos on National Night Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tour came little more than a month after Mamdani and the City Council adopted a budget<\/a> that held the NYPD\u2019s authorized uniformed headcount flat at 35,000 and dropped a previously proposed increase of 580 officers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police unions have warned that officers are overstretched, while Mamdani has sought to broaden the city\u2019s public safety strategy through a new Office of Community Safety<\/a> focused on violence prevention, mental health services and neighborhood partnerships.<\/p>\n

National Night Out<\/a> \u2014 an annual series of community events intended to strengthen relationships between police and residents \u2014 brought those approaches together. Mamdani credited officers for the city\u2019s falling violence numbers while emphasizing the community ties at the center of his emerging safety agenda.<\/p>\n

Mamdani received warm receptions at the Brooklyn and Manhattan events that amNewYork attended. The reception was somewhat different on Staten Island, where video showed<\/a> several people booing as the mayor took the stage. Mamdani spoke for roughly 30 seconds before quickly exiting the stage.<\/p>\n

Staten Island was the only borough Mamdani lost in last year\u2019s election. He received 23.1% of the borough\u2019s vote, compared with 55.2% for Andrew Cuomo and 21.2% for Curtis Sliwa. The video<\/a> from his Tuesday evening stop in Richmond County was posted by United Zionists, a pro-Israel group that has repeatedly criticized and protested<\/a> Mamdani.<\/p>\n

Mamdani hears appeals for more cops in East Harlem
\n\"\"East Harlem residents crowd around Mayor Zohran Mamdani for selfies and handshakes as he leaves the 23rd Precinct\u2019s National Night Out event on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

At the 23rd Precinct\u2019s celebration in East Harlem, Mamdani thanked officers for helping deliver what he described as historic levels of public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say thank you to every man and woman who is serving the NYPD, both in this neighborhood and precinct and across the five boroughs,\u201d Mamdani told the crowd.<\/p>\n

The mayor described National Night Out as an opportunity to build a bridge between law enforcement and the communities officers serve.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the stronger that bridge is, the safer that community is,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Tisch credited the declines to \u201cfocused, precision policing\u201d and deploying officers \u201cwhere and when they are needed most.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of this happens by accident,\u201d the top cop said. \u201cIt is a direct result of your NYPD cops, the very best in the business, getting out there and doing the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called Mamdani and Tisch \u201ca perfect pairing,\u201d adding that while crime was down in Manhattan, \u201cfun is definitely up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NYPD said Monday<\/a> that the city recorded 381 shooting incidents through July, down from 412 during the same period last year. The department reported 149 murders, below the previous seven-month low of 174 recorded in 2017. Overall major crime fell 12.7% in July.<\/p>\n

The broader crime picture was mixed.\u00a0Transit crime rose 1% through July and more than 10% during the month. Reported hate crimes increased 9.4% year to date, while rape reports were up 3.6%, an increase police partly attributed to a broadened legal definition of the crime.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-SigalPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell \"\"The Rev. Felipe Ayala, president of the 23rd Precinct Community Council, receives a proclamation from Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Photo\u00a0by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

Rev. Felipe Ayala, president of the 23rd Precinct Community Council and one of the neighborhood leaders Mamdani honored with a proclamation, praised the precinct\u2019s community policing work but said East Harlem still needs more officers, particularly during evening hours.<\/p>\n

Ayala said current officers were working longer hours and residents wanted a greater police presence.\n<\/p>\n

Ayala did not directly criticize Mamdani\u2019s budget decision or call for the abandoned 580-officer expansion to be revived. His comments nevertheless echoed concerns raised by police unions that attrition and long hours are increasing the burden on the officers who remain.<\/p>\n

Mamdani said that when the budget was adopted, he and Tisch had found ways to keep the NYPD at its \u201coriginally authorized\u201d headcount while meeting the city\u2019s crime-fighting needs. The department said it could police effectively with the staffing level funded in the budget.<\/p>\n

The decision was praised by Council progressives and police reform advocates, who argued that additional money should instead support housing, mental health care, substance use treatment and economic stability. Police unions and Council Speaker Julie Menin opposed the move. Menin said the city needed more officers because of terrorism threats, felony assaults, rape and subway crime.<\/p>\n

The Police Benevolent Association<\/a> has also tied staffing and retention concerns to its push for a new contract. The union\u2019s previous agreement expired Aug. 1, 2025, and the PBA has argued that lower pay compared with other law enforcement agencies is contributing to officer departures.<\/p>\n

\"\"NYPD mounted officers move through the crowd as residents gather for the 23rd Precinct\u2019s National Night Out block party in East HarlemPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell \"\"Rev. Felipe Ayala, president of the 23rd Precinct Community Council, speaks with amNewYork during the precinct\u2019s National Night Out event in East Harlem on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

Ayala said the 23rd Precinct\u2019s community-policing approach had remained consistent through changes in mayoral administrations and headcount. He said precinct leaders instruct officers to greet and speak with residents rather than treat the neighborhood solely as a place to patrol.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur tone is community first,\u201d Ayala said.\n<\/p>\n

He said he distrusted police when he was younger but now works with officers \u201chand in hand almost every day.\u201d Ayala said neighborhood voices and officers working the streets should both help shape Mamdani\u2019s developing safety strategy.<\/p>\n

But for the 23rd Precinct, he said, the immediate need was straightforward.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more we can get, the better,\u201d he said of additional officers.\n<\/p>\n

Office of Community Safety<\/p>\n

Mayor Mamdani created the Mayor\u2019s Office of Community Safety in March as an initial step toward the full city department he promised during his campaign.<\/p>\n

The office coordinates programs related to gun violence prevention, community mental health, crime victims, domestic and gender-based violence and hate crimes. Its summer strategy<\/a> calls for expanded violence interruption outreach during evenings and weekends, youth employment programs and a 72-hour response protocol following shootings.<\/p>\n

The strategy also specifically lists National Night Out as part of the office\u2019s effort to strengthen relationships among residents, community organizations and government agencies.<\/p>\n

City & State reported<\/a> last week that the office had also coordinated neighborhood canvassing and support for victims\u2019 families after recent shootings, while directing new funding toward violence interruption programs, hospital-based interventions and mobile response teams.<\/p>\n

Mamdani did not mention the office by name at the Brooklyn or Manhattan stops that amNewYork attended, but his emphasis on cooperation among officers, residents and community groups mirrored the approach laid out in its summer plan, which acknowledges that the administration is still developing a broader vision for the office.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mamdani arrives at Restoration Plaza for the 79th Precinct\u2019s National Night OutPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

Earlier Tuesday, Mamdani opened his tour at Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant alongside Tisch, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

Mamdani again said public safety depended on stronger ties between police and residents. He and Tisch presented a proclamation to Dr. Kim Best, the longtime president of the 79th Precinct Community Council.<\/p>\n

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has frequently clashed politically with the Democratic Socialists of America, nonetheless praised Mamdani\u2019s partnership with Tisch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the results under the mayor\u2019s leadership and partnership with Jessica Tisch and the NYPD strongly speak for themselves,\u201d Jeffries told amNewYork.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Tisch should remain commissioner for the rest of Mamdani\u2019s term, Jeffries said she was doing \u201ca tremendous job.\u201d He said he did not know enough about Mamdani\u2019s proposed Department of Community Safety to assess it, but pointed to the latest crime figures: \u201cThe results speak for themselves right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during the 79th Precinct\u2019s National Night Out event at Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy. Photo\u00a0by Lloyd Mitchell \"\"No bad blood? Mayor Zohran Mamdani and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries embrace during the 79th Precinct\u2019s National Night Out event. Photo\u00a0by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

The praise followed a politically complicated year between the two Democrats. Last month, Mamdani and Jeffries backed opposing candidates in congressional primaries that pitted the House Democratic leader\u2019s incumbent allies against challengers supported by the mayor \u2013 including one backed by NYC-DSA.<\/p>\n

Mamdani did, however, help head off a DSA challenge to Jeffrie<\/a>s. As mayor-elect, Mamdani urged NYC-DSA not to endorse Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9\u2019s prospective primary challenge to Jeffries, and the group narrowly voted against doing so.<\/p>\n

Kim Best, president of the 79th Precinct Community Council, said she was proud to receive her first proclamation from Mamdani, despite saying she had received more than 600 awards. Best said she had noticed positive changes in the neighborhood and on the subway and argued that training, education and greater community involvement should be central to the city\u2019s public-safety strategy.<\/p>\n

Asked what the city needed more of, Best replied: \u201cThey need more people like me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n