Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch named by Mayor Adams as new NYPD commissioner

Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch will take over the reins of the NYPD Monday as the city’s new top cop, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.

Tisch will succeed interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon, who took the position back in September following the resignation of Edward Caban, who stepped down amid a federal corruption investigation into the department that involves his brother. She will not only be the second female top cop in the city’s history, but also Mayor Adams’ foruth police commissioner during her first term.

“To ensure New Yorkers have the ability to thrive in our city, we need a strong, battle-tested leader who will continue to drive down crime and ensure New Yorkers are safe and feel safe, and I cannot think of a leader more up to the task than Commissioner Jessica Tisch,” Adams said during a Nov. 20 press conference at City Hall. “As one of the most successful managers in our administration, I am confident that Commissioner Tisch will effectively lead the greatest police department in the world and continue to deliver the safety and peace of mind New Yorkers deserve.”

However, Adams and Tisch notably did not take any questions about their new appointment, which was announced during a press conference about the mayor’s November budget modification. He said she will take press questions after her swearing in on Monday.

Tisch, who is part of a wealthy New York family that owns the Loews Corporation, previously held several civilian posts in the police department but was never a uniformed cop. Those posts included Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Adams appointed her as sanitation commissioner at the start of his tenure in 2022, and Tisch’s stewardship at the agency made her one of the scandal-scarred administration’s most stable leaders.

Following Caban’s resignation, Tisch’s name had been floated on a short list of potential long-term replacements.

“It is now my privilege to lead you, and I am looking forward to coming home,” Tisch said at a Nov. 20 press conference at City Hall. “Major Adams has been very clear that the priorities are supporting you as a fight crime and disorder, keeping you safe and bringing the department into the next century.”

Tisch has gained notoriety as the public face of Adams’ effort to eliminate piles of black garbage bags from city streets and combat the scourge of rodents that have long plagued the five boroughs. She has implemented policies like moving back the time by which New Yorkers can put their trash out on the street to pick up and requiring businesses and residences to place their refuse in lidded containers.

Tisch also spoke directly to New Yorkers about how she plans to lead the department with a renewed focus on addressing widespread fears that the city is unsafe.

“To New Yorkers, I hear you loud and clear,” she said. “The mission is to keep you safe, to make you feel safe, and to improve your quality of life, to restore dignity and work every street, every neighborhood, every borough in the city.”

Tisch’s appointment quickly received a thumbs up from Scott Munro, president of the Detectives Endowment Association.

“NYC Detectives are elated by this election,” Munro said in a statement. “We know we will work well with her. She understands the NYPD. “We can count on her.”

While Donlon was not ultimately chosen to take on the commissioner post permanently, Adams said he will continue to serve the administration under Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker. Donlon had reportedly wanted to be the next permanent top cop, but appeared to have been counted out after federal agents raided his home in September.

Donlon was rumored to be resigning early last month, following the mayor’s own federal indictment, but that did not come to pass.

Tisch’s first day as NYPD commissioner will be Monday, Nov. 25.