Mamdani Unveils New York Police Reforms on Use of Force

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday said he had ordered the NYPD to review its use-of-force policies and close a loophole that allowed an officer to retire before his disciplinary trial over the death of a teenager.New York City Mayor Zohran MamdaniThe review will be the first comprehensive examination of the police department’s use-of-force policies in a decade. It stems from the March 2024 shooting death of 19-year-old Win Rozario, who had called police to his Queens home during a psychotic episode.The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation declined to pursue criminal charges against the officers who killed Rozario, concluding their use of deadly force met the legal standard for self-defense.Body-worn camera footage showed Rozario was tasered twice and shot five times inside his home after he grabbed a pair of scissors and repeatedly advanced toward the officers. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly afterward.“We have an obligation to Win’s family and to every New Yorker who calls for help in a moment of crisis,” Mamdani said. “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.”New York Police Department officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco continued to face internal disciplinary charges even after the attorney general declined to prosecute, but Alongi was allowed to retire on a medical disability pension in May. His retirement effectively ended proceedings against him by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city agency responsible for pursuing police misconduct allegations. Its findings can result in disciplinary action, including a recommendation to the police commissioner to fire an officer.Cianfrocco will still face a disciplinary trial, the review board said.Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department made a mistake by failing to notify the review board that Alongi had been referred for a disability retirement assessment.The NYPD has since established a system to alert oversight officials when an officer under investigation applies for retirement, allowing time to complete disciplinary proceedings before the officer leaves the force.Mamdani on Monday said he would also require the NYPD to report officers who retire with pending disciplinary charges to the state for decertification, which would prevent them from being hired by other police departments in New York state.“Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary,” Mamdani said.Patrick Hendry, head of the Police Benevolent Association representing NYPD officers, said the mayor’s call to review the department’s use of force policies was meant to appease his “radical base.”Write to Jack Morphet at jack.morphet@wsj.com