Detailed examination of mayor-elect’s proposal to restructure public safety in America’s largest city
Reimagining Public Safety in New York City
CBS News obtained detailed information about Zohran Mamdani’s plan to establish a Department of Community Safety, a proposal that would fundamentally restructure how public safety functions in New York City. The plan, which has generated intense debate during and after the campaign, represents the most ambitious attempt to reimagine urban policing since the “defund the police” movement gained prominence in 2020.
The Department of Community Safety would not replace the NYPD entirely but would redirect significant resources toward alternative approaches to public safety. The plan includes mobile crisis response teams, violence prevention programs, mental health services, and community-based conflict resolution mechanisms. These alternatives would handle many situations currently managed by armed police officers, particularly those involving mental health crises, substance abuse, homelessness, and minor conflicts.
Mobile Crisis Response Teams
A central component of Mamdani’s proposal involves creating teams of mental health professionals, social workers, and trained crisis interventionists who would respond to mental health emergencies instead of police officers. These teams would be dispatched through 911 when calls indicate mental health issues, substance abuse crises, or situations where armed law enforcement presence might escalate rather than resolve the situation.
This approach builds on successful pilot programs in cities like Eugene, Oregon, where the CAHOOTS program has operated since 1989. CAHOOTS teams respond to approximately 20 percent of all 911 calls in Eugene, handling mental health crises, welfare checks, and substance abuse situations. The program has demonstrated that trained specialists can manage many situations more effectively than police while operating at a fraction of the cost.
Violence Prevention and Intervention
Mamdani’s plan includes significant investment in violence prevention programs targeting communities with high rates of gun violence. These programs would employ community members, particularly those with previous involvement in violence, as credible messengers who can intervene in conflicts before they escalate. Evidence from programs like Chicago’s Cure Violence demonstrates that well-funded violence interruption can significantly reduce shootings in targeted neighborhoods.
The proposal calls for expanding youth programs, job training, mental health services, and other social supports that research shows reduce violence more effectively than increased policing. This preventive approach, rather than reactive law enforcement, represents a fundamental shift in how cities address public safety.
Community-Based Conflict Resolution
The Department of Community Safety would establish neighborhood-based conflict resolution centers where trained mediators help resolve disputes before they escalate to violence or require police involvement. These centers would handle landlord-tenant disputes, neighbor conflicts, family disagreements, and other issues that currently consume significant police resources despite not being criminal matters.
This approach recognizes that police are often called to handle social problems for which they lack training and appropriate tools. By creating alternative institutions for managing common conflicts, the plan aims to reserve police resources for situations requiring law enforcement while providing more effective resolution for disputes better handled through mediation and social services.
Budget and Implementation
Implementing the Department of Community Safety would require redirecting approximately $1 billion from the NYPD’s $11 billion budget, a reduction of roughly nine percent. This funding would support mobile crisis teams, violence prevention programs, conflict resolution centers, and administrative infrastructure. The plan calls for gradual implementation over three years, allowing time to train personnel, establish systems, and evaluate effectiveness.
Critics argue this budget reduction would compromise public safety by reducing police presence and response capacity. Mamdani’s team counters that the current approach, which relies almost exclusively on armed law enforcement for diverse social problems, is both expensive and ineffective. They point to research showing little correlation between police funding levels and crime rates, suggesting that additional resources would be better spent on proven prevention strategies.
Training and Staffing
The proposal includes detailed staffing plans for the new department. Mobile crisis teams would include licensed clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, paramedics, and trained crisis interventionists. Violence prevention programs would employ community members with relevant life experience and training in conflict resolution and trauma-informed care. Conflict resolution centers would staff professional mediators with expertise in various dispute types.
The plan acknowledges that recruiting and training personnel would take time and require significant upfront investment. Job descriptions, training protocols, and performance metrics would need development before large-scale implementation. The gradual rollout schedule reflects these practical constraints while demonstrating commitment to thoughtful implementation.
Political Challenges
Mamdani’s public safety plan faces significant political obstacles. Police unions have strongly opposed the proposal, arguing it would endanger officers and residents by reducing police resources. The Police Benevolent Association has called the plan “dangerous and naive,” predicting crime increases if implemented. These unions have substantial political influence and can mobilize opposition through media campaigns and protests.
Some moderate Democrats and Republicans in the city council have expressed skepticism about the plan, particularly the budget reduction aspect. Building the coalition necessary to pass implementing legislation will require compromises that may disappoint progressive supporters who want more dramatic change. Mamdani’s team has indicated willingness to adjust details while maintaining the core vision of expanding non-police responses to many public safety issues.
Evidence Base and Evaluation
The plan includes provisions for rigorous evaluation of new programs, with independent researchers assessing effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and community satisfaction. This evidence-based approach aims to address concerns about untested approaches while building knowledge about what works. Annual reports would be made public, allowing transparency about results and creating accountability for both successes and failures.
This commitment to evaluation reflects lessons from previous criminal justice reforms that sometimes lacked adequate assessment mechanisms. By building evaluation into the initial plan, Mamdani hopes to create feedback loops that allow continuous improvement and demonstrate to skeptics that alternative approaches can work.
National Implications
If implemented successfully, New York’s Department of Community Safety could become a model for other large cities wrestling with public safety challenges. The scale of the experiment, in America’s largest city with its complex law enforcement landscape, would provide evidence about whether alternative approaches can work in dense urban environments with diverse populations and serious crime challenges.
However, failure would likely set back similar efforts nationwide, providing ammunition to critics who argue that reforming police and investing in alternatives is unrealistic. The stakes are thus high not just for New York but for the broader movement to reimagine public safety in American cities.
