Mamdani unveils sweeping NYPD use-of-force review, but stops short of fulfilling key campaign promises

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the launch of an internal review of the New York Police Department’s use of force on Monday, but the initiative falls short of fulfilling several of his campaign promises, including pledges to disband a controversial police unit and eliminate a database of suspected gang members "When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest," Mamdani said in a press release.

"Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary." More than nine months after taking office, Mamdani has yet to fulfill several campaign pledges, including disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, eliminating its database of suspected gang members and shifting police resources away from low-level offenses.

NYPD COP FOUND GUILTY OF CHOKEHOLD IN FIRST CONVICTION SINCE RESTRAINT TACTIC BANNED AFTER GEORGE FLOYD DEATH The review comes after the May 2026 retirement of one of the officers involved in the 2024 shooting of 19-year-old Win Rozario — a development that came before any disciplinary trial could take place.

Video footage of the confrontation, captured in March 2024, shows officers responding to a house call, placed by Rozario himself.

An altercation ensued when Rozario, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, reacted adversely to the police presence, prompting the police to use Tasters on him.

Unsubdued, Rozario then grabbed a pair of scissors and advanced on officers, who shot him at close range.

New York Attorney General Letitia James' office declined to bring criminal charges against the officers in December 2025, concluding that prosecutors could not disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that their use of deadly force was justified under state law.

The mayor framed his initiative as a way to strengthen and improve accountability.

Mamdani’s initiative comes with an additional $2.6 million in funding for the Office of Inspector General for the NYPD.

Additionally, the NYPD will also notify state authorities when officers facing disciplinary charges retire, allowing the state to consider decertification and helping prevent those officers from avoiding scrutiny by joining another law enforcement agency.

Those changes will accompany a use-of-force review which, according to Mamdani, is the first of its kind in over a decade and will include a "robust community engagement process." "We have an obligation to Win’s family and to every New Yorker who calls for help in a moment of crisis.

This review is about making sure our policies reflect that responsibility," Mamdani said.