Jessica Tisch officially becomes the NYPD's 49th police commissioner

Jessica Tisch officially became the NYPD's new police commissioner on Monday, the second woman ever to hold the post in the history of the department and the fourth person to serve on the job under New York City Mayor Eric Adam's administration.

With her mother Merryl Tisch holding the family Bible and her two sons and other family members looking on, Tisch took the oath at the auditorium of police headquarters at 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan. She said she is also taking the badge of her late grandfather, Rabbi Philip Hiat, who for a time served as an NYPD chaplain.

Tisch, 43, who until days ago was sanitation commissioner, takes over a department which has had tumultuous leadership changes under Adam's administration and is undergoing a number of issues, including attrition.

A veteran of 17 years in city government — including 12 years in the NYPD in various positions from counterintelligence analyst to deputy commissioner for information technology — said in a short address to an assemblage of NYPD brass and public officials that she aimed to keep the citizens of the city safe.

"Your cops, through generations before them, nobly put their lives on the line to protect you and your families," Tisch said in a message to city residents.

Former NYPD commissioners Ray Kelly, Bill Bratton and Dermot Shea attended the ceremony and each got a shout out from Tisch. Records indicate that Tisch is the 49th NYPD commissioner since the job was formed in 1901, counting two terms each for Bratton and Kelly.

Tisch takes the reins from interim commissioner Tom Donlon who took over for a two-month stint following the abrupt resignation in September of Edward Caban amid a mushrooming federal investigation of the Adams administration. Caban has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Tisch is the second women to serve as police commissioner, following the appointment of Keechant Sewell of Nassau County in 2022. Sewell quit in 2023 after 18 months after she reportedly clashed with Adams and his staff over the running of the department.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.