The Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has defended his public safety plan, which advocates for delegating certain 911 calls to social workers and other non-police professionals. The proposal aims to address the growing workload on NYPD officers and improve their retention, with the underlying goal of ensuring that officers can focus on more serious crimes. Mamdani’s plan is being closely scrutinized, given his past remarks on defunding the police and the recent mass shooting in Manhattan.
Mamdani’s position on law enforcement and public safety took center stage following the tragic shooting, which occurred on July 28 and killed four people, including a police officer. In light of the incident, critics have pointed to his history of advocating for defunding the NYPD, which has led to intensified scrutiny of his current proposal. The plan, however, emphasizes the need for public safety, as well as the importance of listening to officers themselves, according to Mamdani.
The candidate also cited the challenges officers face with forced overtime, noting that the NYPD receives approximately 200,000 calls annually related to mental health crises. He argued that the increasing responsibilities placed on officers are making it more difficult for them to respond effectively to the very challenges that drew them to the profession initially. To address this, Mamdani called for hiring mental health professionals to handle such calls, allowing officers to focus on serious crime.
Mamdani’s plan proposes the creation of a Department of Community Safety, which would involve expanding mental health teams and employing non-law enforcement personnel to manage specific types of 911 calls. The plan also includes the elimination of the NYPD’s overtime budget and its task force responsible for dealing with protests, according to reports. Critics, including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, have rejected the idea as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘reckless’, arguing that civilians should not be placed in harm’s way during incidents like domestic violence.
In response to Mamdani’s proposal, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an Independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, unveiled his own public safety platform. The platform includes increasing the NYPD’s officer count by approximately 5,000 and improving pay and benefits for officers. This contrast between the two candidates highlights the differing approaches to public safety and law enforcement in New York City, as the mayoral race continues to shape policy priorities for the city.