Reform package targets officers retiring before discipline concludes

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday directed the New York Police Department to conduct a review of its use-of-force policies, the first such review in a decade, his office said. The mayor’s office tied the order to the March 2024 police killing of 19-year-old Win Rozario, whom officers shot during a mental health crisis call at his home.

Mamdani also introduced a package of reforms intended to ensure that officers accused of serious misconduct face the disciplinary process before retiring. The measures follow the retirement last Thursday of the officer who shot Rozario, before disciplinary measures could be completed, according to CBS News.

Officers responded to Rozario’s home in March 2024 after a report of a mental health crisis. Rozario lunged at them while holding a pair of scissors, prompting them to use a taser on him before opening fire.

“When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary.”

Mamdani added: “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, that our officers have the guidance and training they need and that New Yorkers and their families can trust their city will treat them with care and dignity.”

Mamdani’s office said the review will take place in the “coming months.”

The five elements of the reform package include:

  • Increasing funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD by $2.6 million.
  • Strengthening retirement notifications to ensure completion of disciplinary actions beforehand.
  • Preventing retiring NYPD officers who are facing discipline from being hired elsewhere in the state.
  • Ensuring compliance with the law requiring the reporting of police-involved deaths.
  • Standardizing and formalizing information sharing after NYPD-involved critical incidents with civilians.