New York City orders first police use of force review in decade

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has ordered a review of the New York City Police Department's use of force guidelines for the first time in ten years, Al Jazeera reported on Monday. The city announced it will introduce a package of reforms intended to strengthen accountability when officers face allegations of serious misconduct. A city spokesperson stated that the mayor's calls for police reform are not connected to the police response to a recent federal immigration shooting. [1]

The reform package comes after an officer involved in the 2024 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Win Rozario during a mental health crisis retired prior to disciplinary proceedings, according to Al Jazeera. The New York Police Department is the largest police force in the United States. [1]

The announcement follows an incident where federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and wounded Oscar Belgal in the Marble Hill neighborhood, according to The Guardian and earlier reports from FTMQ News. The Guardian reported that Mayor Mamdani compared a plainclothes agent carrying a long gun to a mass shooter and called for an end to the agency's operations within New York City. [2][3][12]

Mamdani took office in 2026 as the 112th mayor of New York City, becoming the city's first Muslim and first Asian American mayor. He previously served in the New York State Assembly from 2021 to 2025. [8]