Jessica Tisch was sworn in this morning as New York City Police Commissioner at 1 Police Plaza in downtown Manhattan. She is taking over from Tom Donlon, who has held the position in an interim capacity for the past two months after the previous commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned in the midst of a federal investigation into Mayor Eric Adams.
Tisch has already served in the NYPD as a civilian, beginning her career there as an intelligence research specialist in 2008 and taking on increasingly consequential roles within the department, including director of counterterrorism policy and planning, and counsel to the commissioner. She was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Information Technology for the NYPD in 2014, a post which she held until 2019 before moving on to other roles within city government. Tisch is trading one commissioner title for another, leaving the equivalent post at the Department of Sanitation for this one. DSNY chief of department Anthony Pennolino sent her off with high praise at today’s ceremony, telling her and the audience at 1 Police Plaza that “it was because of your direction and leadership that we were able to make some of the impossibles possible.”
While it is not without precedent for a civilian to take on the role of police commissioner, the last official to be appointed to that office without a direct background in law enforcement was Robert J. MCGuire in 1977. “I push back on anyone that believes she had to wear a police uniform to take the police department to the next direction,” Mayor Adams said as he introduced Tisch at this morning’s ceremony, dubbing her a “battle-tested leader.” He played up the technical background that she brings to the role, framing it not just as an asset but a crucial part of the department’s future. “We must turn the corner,” he said, “we must bring the innovation and the thought process that commissioner Tisch brought during her first time here.”
Mayor Adams also acknowledged the incoming police commissioner’s family background, as the New York-based Tisch family has achieved a quasi-dynastic status over three generations. Jessica’s grandfather, Laurence, amassed a billion-dollar fortune over his career through various investments, from hotels to movie theaters and broadcast television. Her father James has carried the torch as the current CEO of the Loews corporation, which is now diversified from movie theaters into other sectors, like financial services and packaging. “I looked over the resume of the Tisch family,” Adams said, “and I realized who I was getting.”
In her comments after being sworn in, the newly appointed police commissioner stated her mission to the people of New York thusly: “to make you safe, to make you feel safe, and to improve your quality of life across the city.” Jessica Tisch is the 49th police commissioner since 1901, when the city moved from a board of commissioners to a single official, and she is the second woman to hold the position after Keechant Sewell, who was also appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022.
