Department of Community Safety: How Mamdani Plans to Transform Police Response Through Civilian Alternatives

City Council introduces legislation supporting Mayor-elect’s $1 billion initiative to dispatch social workers instead of police to mental health crises

Department of Community Safety: Mamdani’s Plan to Transform Police Response

The centerpiece of Zohran Mamdani’s public safety platform diverges sharply from traditional mayoral rhetoric emphasizing police force expansion or enforcement intensity. Instead, he proposes creating an entirely separate civilian-led Department of Community Safety with annual budget of $1 billion, tasked with responding to mental health crises, addressing homelessness, preventing gun violence, and managing hate crime response. The proposal represents the most comprehensive challenge to traditional police-centric public safety thinking attempted by any recent NYC mayoral candidate. City Council has signaled strong support. On December 18, 2025, the council introduced legislation establishing the new department, with 26 of 51 council members listed as co-sponsors. The bill’s lead sponsor, Lincoln Restler, a progressive Brooklyn council member, expressed hope for early passage after Mamdani takes office. “We ask our police officers to respond to every issue under the sun, and it distracts them from preventing and solving violent crimes,” Restler stated. The department would draw approximately $600 million from existing city programs and require $450 million in new funding. According to Mamdani’s calculations, approximately $400 million would come from more efficient city government spending while additional funds would require tax adjustments or state budget assistance.

Operational Model and Evidence Base

The Department of Community Safety would consolidate several existing initiatives under unified management. The NYPD currently operates the B-HEARD mental health crisis response pilot program, which deploys social workers and paramedics—rather than police officers—to low-risk mental health emergencies. The program has expanded gradually but remains limited in scope. Currently, the NYPD responds to approximately 180,000 calls annually involving emotionally disturbed individuals. Mamdani’s proposal would establish dedicated mental health response teams deployed to the 100 subway stations with highest reported mental health crises. Teams would provide immediate assessment, stabilization, and connection to longer-term services. The proposal draws inspiration from successful programs in other jurisdictions. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a civilian safety agency has responded to over 100,000 calls without police involvement. In Denver, a similar program has demonstrated effectiveness in managing certain categories of emergencies traditionally handled by police. Cities implementing violence interruption programs—civilian credible messengers deployed to interrupt disputes before escalation to shootings—have documented significant violence reduction. In Brooklyn’s East New York, one such program correlated with 50 percent reduction in gun injury rates compared to 5 percent decline in nearby neighborhoods without such programs.

Budget Mechanics and Implementation Challenges

The proposal allocates funding across multiple public safety domains. Gun violence prevention receives significant investment, with 275 percent increased funding for the Crisis Management System, which deploys violence interrupters. The program would expand from current pilot size to cover neighborhoods with highest gun violence rates. Homelessness response funding would support expanded street-level outreach, stabilization centers, and connection to supportive housing. The plan proposes using currently vacant commercial space in the subway system as stabilization centers where outreach workers could conduct assessments, provide counseling, first aid, nutrition, and clothing. This approach recognizes that many people experiencing homelessness avoid police-led shelter systems due to trust issues. Creating opportunities for relationship-building with civilian outreach workers removes barriers to accessing services. Hate crime response would include dedicated investigation, victim support, and community engagement functions separate from police oversight. Mamdani has noted that creating new essential services poses bureaucratic challenges even with political support. The department would require hiring, training, and integrating multiple workforces—social workers, paramedics, peer specialists, case managers—into coordinated response systems. Union contracts, civil service regulations, and inter-agency coordination protocols must be negotiated.

Relationship With Police Commissioner

Mamdani has discussed the Department of Community Safety with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will continue in her role. Tisch has stated publicly that she agrees with relieving police of responsibilities for which they are untrained and poorly suited. “I do believe that we are asking police officers to do too much with too little,” Tisch said. However, questions remain about how the two departments will coordinate. Will police officers still respond as backup to community safety teams? Will budget competition between departments create organizational tensions? How will accountability be assigned when responses involve both police and civilian responders?

Public and Academic Support

The proposal has garnered support from civil rights organizations, progressive elected officials, and academic experts on policing and inequality. Alex Vitale, professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project, has reviewed drafts and emphasized the approach’s alignment with research on what actually prevents crime. Criminal justice scholars largely agree that addressing root causes—poverty, mental illness, housing instability—prevents violence more effectively than enforcement intensity. Progressive voices, including the Working Families Party, have backed the proposal. Working Families Party national director Maurice Mitchell stated: “Fundamentally, New Yorkers want to be in a city that is run well and focuses on their needs [and] deals with affordability. And wants leadership that is decent [and] bold and could actually function.” For detailed information on the Department of Community Safety proposal, visit the official transition website. Research on violence reduction programs appears at John Jay College’s Research and Evaluation Center. Information on successful alternative response models appears at Cure Violence’s research page. For City Council legislative information, see the official City Council website.