NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday told a Midtown audience that criminal justice reforms enacted under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, rather than the coronavirus pandemic, were the primary driver of a pandemic-era rise in New York City crime.
Speaking at a Citizens Budget Commission breakfast, Tisch singled out the state’s Raise the Age law — which increased the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and was passed in 2019 — and other changes that took effect Jan. 1, 2020, as coinciding with the spike in violent incidents. "In my opinion, crime went up as a result of the drastic changes we see in our criminal justice laws in New York City," she said, adding that the reforms created a "consequence-free environment" for youth. Tisch cited department data saying the number of children who were victims of shootings rose 83% since the laws changed and that the number of children who were shooters was up nearly 100% in that period.
Tisch’s remarks pushed back against suggestions at the event that disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic explained the increase in crime. She acknowledged that crime has only recently shown signs of decline after remaining elevated following Mayor Eric Adams’s 2022 inauguration, and she said the NYPD is still working to reach pre-2010s levels in many categories. "I want to be very clear: we are nowhere near where we need to be," she said.
Her comments come amid broader debate over the causes of the crime surge that began in 2020. Major academic and policy studies have cited links between the pandemic and dramatic increases in some types of violent crime in New York City and other large U.S. cities, noting factors such as economic disruption, changes in policing and court operations, and social stresses tied to COVID-19.
Tisch also rejected the idea of deploying the National Guard to New York City to address street crime, an option President Donald Trump has touted after sending troops to Washington and Los Angeles. Tisch told Attorney General Pam Bondi, present at the breakfast, that the NYPD has crime under control and that using the Guard would be counterproductive. "One of the very major concerns that I have around this topic of deploying the National Guard to New York City or big cities across the country, is that it will introduce an amount of chaos and disorder and confusion that will be counterproductive," she said. She added, "To say nothing of the fact that as a lifelong New Yorker, I am revolted by the idea of the militarization of our streets."
Instead, Tisch urged closer federal-local law enforcement cooperation focused on disrupting illegal gun trafficking and using federal statutes to prosecute cases. "Some of those federal criminal laws, they’re unbelievable," she said. "I would take many more gun cases federally if we had more federal prosecutors. Let’s focus on the right type of partnership with the federal government. The National Guard happens not to be that thing."
The commissioner’s stance reflects tension between city officials who favor local policing strategies and national political figures who have proposed militarized interventions in cities with high violent-crime rates. New York’s criminal justice reforms, including Raise the Age and other measures that altered bail and juvenile handling, have been a focal point in debates over public safety, with proponents arguing they are necessary corrections to a punitive system and critics saying they have weakened deterrence and accountability.
Tisch has overseen a period of intensified policing and leadership changes in the NYPD, and officials say several categories of major felonies declined this year after earlier increases. Still, she emphasized the gap between recent improvements and the lower crime levels seen in the 2010s. Her remarks at the Citizens Budget Commission reflect an ongoing effort by city and law enforcement leaders to explain crime trends and to press for federal cooperation on prosecuting gun crimes while resisting proposals to place military forces on city streets.