Mamdani announces new Office of Community Safety | WATCH

Mamdani announces new Office of Community Safety | FULL VIDEO

 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to signed an executive order creating a new Office of Community Safety, a centralized effort aimed at coordinating New York City’s response to gun violence, mental health crises and victim services.

NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to signed an executive order creating a new Office of Community Safety, a centralized effort aimed at coordinating New York City’s response to gun violence, mental health crises and victim services.

What will the Office of Community Safety do?

What we know:

The office, housed within the mayor’s office, will oversee multiple existing public safety programs and develop citywide strategies focused on prevention, crisis response and support for victims. 

Mamdani also announced that Renita Francois, a former city official, will serve as deputy mayor for community safety, supervising the initiative.

The move follows Mamdani’s campaign pledge to shift how the city handles certain 911 calls, particularly those involving people experiencing mental health crises. 

By the numbers:

He had proposed a $1.1 billion Department of Community Safety that would reduce the role of police in non-criminal emergencies. The new office represents a scaled-down version of that plan, with the administration signaling it could expand over time.

Under the executive order, the Office of Community Safety will be led by a commissioner appointed by the mayor and tasked with developing and implementing citywide community safety strategies.

Who is Renita Francois?

According to the mayor, Francois brings more than 15 years of strategic and operational experience spanning major city agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations, and think tanks.

Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Program Officer at Tides Advocacy, where she set the organization’s long-term strategy, oversaw millions of dollars in grants and managed relationships with political
leaders and community organizations across the city.

The office will coordinate and oversee several existing mayoral offices, including the Office of Crime Victim Services, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and the Office of Community Mental Health.

Officials said the goal is to bring a more unified, "whole-of-government" approach to public safety, emphasizing evidence-based strategies, prevention and interagency coordination.

Among its responsibilities, the office will collect data from city agencies, convene interagency working groups and review existing programs to recommend improvements. It will also help guide budget priorities tied to public safety initiatives.

A key function will be coordinating the city’s response to mental health emergencies.

In announcing the initiative, the administration said the office is intended to strengthen coordination across agencies, improve responses to crises and reduce violence, while prioritizing what it described as "tested and compassionate solutions" to public safety challenges.