On March 19, marking the 78th day of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s term, he created a new Office of Community Safety via executive order with an initial focus on reshaping the city’s response to mental health crises. Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois, the first Black deputy mayor in Mamdani’s administration, was tasked with assessing how programs like B-HEARD—the city’s 911 response protocol to mental health events—can be expanded and better supported.
Mamdani cast the move as the administration’s first concrete step toward the broader Department of Community Safety promised on the campaign trail, pitched as a $1.1 billion city agency that would take over responsibilities from the NYPD related to mental health emergencies, victims’ services, and gun violence. The executive order took effect immediately. Mamdani said the city could not afford to wait for a longer legislative or charter process and that New Yorkers in crisis have too often been met with a patchwork of city programs and an overreliance on police.
When pressed on specific changes to handling 911 calls involving psychiatric distress, Mamdani said Francois’ first job would be to assess which existing programs have been “hamstrung,” how they can be expanded, and what policy changes are needed. He did not offer a specific timeline or target for diverting calls away from NYPD. The executive order establishes the office within the Mayor’s Office, to be headed by a commissioner appointed by the mayor. An organizational chart shows three divisions: Neighborhood Safety, Community Mental Health, and Strategic Initiatives.
The office will initially encompass about $260 million in already allocated funding tied to existing programs and agencies. Additional funding is expected in the executive budget. The Legal Aid Society praised the announcement, calling it “a critical step toward reforming a system that has long relied too heavily on criminalization.” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she looked forward to working with Francois “to ensure New Yorkers get the supports they need.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.amny.com/politics/mamdani-100-days-community-safety-03192026/