New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made clear that he is prepared to exercise final authority over major NYPD policy decisions, even when Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch disagrees.
The immediate dispute involves the Strategic Response Group, or SRG, a specialized unit used for protests, counterterrorism operations, and large public events. Mamdani has repeatedly promised to disband the unit and separate protest policing from counterterrorism duties.
Tisch has supported reforming the SRG rather than eliminating it. The disagreement raises broader questions about how much independence an NYPD commissioner has when the mayor sets a different policy direction.
Mamdani claims final authority
Mamdani said the police commissioner advises him and manages the department, but the mayor ultimately decides major policy questions.
His comments indicated he could overrule Tisch if negotiations over the SRG fail to reach an agreement. The mayor has not announced his intention to dismiss the commissioner or to take direct control of daily police operations.
The dispute instead concerns strategic policy. Under New York City’s governing structure, the mayor appoints the police commissioner and can direct the administration’s public safety priorities.
The SRG handles several major duties
The NYPD created the Strategic Response Group to respond to terrorist threats, protests, major events, and other situations requiring a large police presence.
Its officers have been deployed at demonstrations, parades, government buildings, and security incidents across the city. The unit’s combined responsibilities are central to the current disagreement.
Mamdani argues that counterterrorism and protest management should not remain within the same unit. Tisch and other NYPD officials have warned that eliminating the SRG without a clear replacement could weaken the department’s ability to mobilize quickly.
Mamdani still wants the unit disbanded
Mamdani has supported ending the SRG since his mayoral campaign.
In January 2026, he said the decision should not be driven primarily by budget savings. He instead argued that the NYPD needed to separate its response to First Amendment-protected demonstrations from its counterterrorism work.
His administration repeated that position in April, saying it remained committed to disbanding the unit while protecting protesters, officers, and the broader public.
Tisch favors reform over elimination
Tisch has not publicly endorsed disbanding the SRG.
According to reports on discussions between City Hall and NYPD leaders, the commissioner has focused on changing how the unit operates rather than removing it entirely. That could include new training, command structures, deployment rules, or limits on its role at protests.
The commissioner’s position reflects the operational challenge of replacing a unit that serves multiple purposes. Even if the SRG name disappears, the department would still need officers trained to respond to security threats, large crowds, and emergencies.
Protest tactics have faced criticism
The SRG drew widespread criticism following the NNYPD’s response to racial justice demonstrations in 2020.
Protesters, civil rights groups, and government investigators alleged that officers used unnecessary force, made wrongful arrests, and relied on aggressive crowd-control tactics.
A 2023 legal settlement required the NYPD to adopt a four-level protest response system that prioritizes reduced police presence and de-escalation before increasing enforcement. It also restricted kettling and created additional oversight of demonstration policing.
Those reforms applied to the department’s broader protest response, including operations involving the SRG.
NYC studied an Ohio alternative
City Hall and NYPD representatives traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to study its police dialogue model.
Dialogue officers communicate with organizers and participants before and during demonstrations. The approach is intended to reduce misunderstandings, identify potential problems early, and prevent confrontations from escalating.
Mamdani described the trip as an effort to examine a different model rather than confirmation that New York would copy Columbus exactly. City officials were still evaluating how dialogue-based practices could fit within the much larger NYPD.
The NYPD already uses community outreach
NYPD officials have said New York already uses some communication-based strategies through its Community Affairs Bureau and other personnel.
Officers often speak with organizers before demonstrations about routes, expected attendance, street closures, and safety concerns. Police may also maintain contact with organizers during an event.
The unresolved question is whether those practices can replace the SSRG’s protest role or should operate alongside a restructured specialized unit.
The disagreement tests their partnership
Mamdani kept Tisch as commissioner despite their different views on several policing issues.
That arrangement allowed the mayor to retain an experienced law enforcement administrator while pursuing a reform agenda. However, it also created the possibility of disagreements when campaign promises conflict with the commissioner’s operational judgment.
For now, the SRG remains active, and no final timeline for disbanding it has been announced. The eventual decision will show whether Mamdani and Tisch can negotiate a compromise or whether the mayor will use his authority to impose a larger restructuring.
TL;DR
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he has final authority over major NYPD policy decisions.
- The immediate disagreement involves the Strategic Response Group.
- The SRG responds to protests, counterterrorism threats, and major public events.
- Mamdani wants to disband it and separate protest policing from counterterrorism.
- Commissioner Jessica Tisch has favored reforming the unit instead of eliminating it.
- A 2023 settlement already required the NYPD to use more de-escalation during protests.
- City and police officials studied Columbus, Ohio’s dialogue-based protest response.
- The SRG remained operational, and no final restructuring plan had been announced.
