New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ordered the New York Police Department to carry out a broad review of how officers use force against civilians, as he moved to address growing pressure from progressives who want him to take firmer control of the country’s largest police force. City Hall also announced a wider set of oversight steps, including more funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD and new measures to improve accountability when officers face misconduct allegations.

The action comes as Mamdani faces scrutiny from supporters over the slow pace of his promised police reforms. In a statement, Mamdani said, "When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest. Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary." Mamdani, a Democrat, had campaigned last year on broad promises to reshape the police department, including shifting some responsibilities from officers to mental healthcare teams.

But that plan has been slow to materialise, leading to questions from supporters seeking a bigger overhaul. He has also faced pressure from liberals over his decision to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who served under the previous administration and is seen as an establishment moderate. Last week, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist ally of Mamdani and the Democratic nominee for a House seat in Manhattan and the Bronx, called for Tisch to step down after federal immigration officers shot a man in the city.

The Democratic Socialists of America also urged Mamdani to remove her over the shooting. City Hall said Monday’s announcement followed the retirement of an officer who had been facing internal disciplinary charges over the death of 19-year-old Win Rozario. Rozario was shot dead by officers in 2024 during a mental health crisis.

The officer was not criminally charged and was able to retire before a disciplinary proceeding was completed. Tisch said the department should have informed the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board during the retirement process. "As a result of human error, we failed to do so, and I apologise for that mistake," she said. A police spokesperson referred questions on Monday’s announcement to City Hall. Mamdani said the department has now introduced a new system to give priority to completing disciplinary proceedings before an officer can retire. He also said the NYPD will formally notify state officials when an officer retires while disciplinary charges are still pending, so that the officer cannot be hired by another policing agency.

Officials said the review of the department’s use-of-force policy, described by City Hall as the first such review in a decade, will be carried out over the coming months and will include community input. Patrick Hendry, president of a New York police union, criticised the plan. In a statement, he said, "the mayor’s radical base wants a wholesale dismantling of the NYPD, and it’s clear this announcement is an attempt to appease them.

It won’t work, and it won’t make New Yorkers any safer." The measures announced on Monday bring together Mamdani’s push for stronger police accountability, questions over the pace of his reform agenda, and the latest political pressure over the handling of officer misconduct and the department’s leadership.