Mayor Zohran Mamdani has directed the New York Police Department to conduct a comprehensive review of its use-of-force policies and practices, alongside measures intended to strengthen independent oversight and accountability for officers accused of serious misconduct.
The review is the department’s first comprehensive examination of these policies in a decade. The administration also announced an additional $2.6 million for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, expanding its capacity to investigate police practices and examine failures in accountability.
The package includes safeguards aimed at allowing disciplinary proceedings involving serious misconduct allegations to be completed before officers retire. The measures address concerns that retirement can prevent cases from reaching a disciplinary resolution.
The announcement comes amid criticism over the handling of the case of Win Rozario, a Queens teenager fatally shot by police during a mental health emergency in 2024. His family recently criticized the administration after one of the officers involved was allowed to retire with a disability pension before facing a disciplinary trial.
The additional oversight funding will support independent scrutiny of departmental policies and practices. The inspector general’s office examines systemic policing issues and recommends improvements, giving the city a mechanism to assess accountability beyond individual disciplinary cases.
The review begins a process of assessing existing rules; specific revisions to the department’s use-of-force policies have yet to be detailed in the reports announcing the initiative. Its practical impact will depend on the recommendations produced and how the city and police department implement them.
