Jessica Tisch, who transformed New York's sanitation department and led its war on rats, was named NYPD Commissioner Wednesday, becoming only the second woman to lead America's largest police force.
At 43, Tisch brings impressive credentials to the role. Moving from her current position as Sanitation Commissioner, where she famously declared "The rats don't run this city, we do," she's no stranger to the NYPD. Her 16-year career in city government began in the department's counterterrorism bureau, where she revolutionized police technology and emergency response systems.
"I believe very deeply in the nobility of policing," said Tisch, who cut her teeth in the NYPD's counterterrorism unit after Harvard. She spearheaded the department's digital revolution, introducing body cameras and smartphone technology that transformed emergency response.
Mayor Eric Adams praised Tisch's track record of modernizing city agencies.
Despite criticism about her family's wealth - she's part of the prominent Tisch family that partially owns the NFL's Giants - Adams defended the choice: "She does not have to be in city government. She's here because of the love of the city."
Tisch faces a department in crisis.
She replaces Edward Caban, who resigned in September amid federal probes, and interim chief Thomas Donlon, who disclosed FBI searches of his property.
Tisch is also inheriting a force struggling with antisemitic incidents and criticism over police tactics.
Her first challenge: restoring stability to a department that's seen unprecedented turnover at the top during a critical period for public safety.
It's not going to an easy process though.
Vozisneiaz contributed to this article.
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