New York City Mayor Proposes Ambitious Community Safety Plan

Zohran Mamdani aims to create a Department of Community Safety to address public safety without expanding the police force.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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As part of his proposed 2026 city budget, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has canceled the NYPD's plan to hire 5,000 more police officers and is instead proposing to create a new Department of Community Safety. This ambitious plan would build credible alternatives to policing in communities, drawing on successful models from other cities, in order to produce real public safety without relying on traditional law enforcement.

Why it matters

Mamdani's proposal represents a significant shift away from the traditional policing model, which has been criticized for perpetuating inequality and failing to effectively address the root causes of crime. By investing in community-based solutions, Mamdani aims to make the police force obsolete rather than simply abolishing it outright, a more gradual approach that could face less political opposition.

The details

The proposed Department of Community Safety would draw on successful models of non-police emergency response teams, violence interrupters, and other community-based public safety initiatives from cities across the country. Mamdani's plan faces skepticism from some who believe the police force cannot be downsized without first building up these alternative institutions, but the mayor sees them as mutually reinforcing - fewer police are needed if communities have strong support systems in place.

  • Mamdani announced the proposed Department of Community Safety as part of his 2026 city budget plan.
  • The NYPD's plan to hire 5,000 more police officers has been canceled as part of Mamdani's proposal.

The players

Zohran Mamdani

The mayor of New York City who has proposed creating a Department of Community Safety to address public safety without expanding the police force.

Alex S. Vitale

A professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and the coordinator of the Cops and No Cops project, who served on Mamdani's transition team and provided input on the Department of Community Safety proposal.

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What they’re saying

“We need to start by building credible alternatives in the communities to produce real public safety before we start talking to the community about somehow dialing down or dismantling policing.”

— Alex S. Vitale, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College (CounterPunch)

“I don't think there's any one city that has tried to cobble together this particular range of interventions.”

— Alex S. Vitale, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College (CounterPunch)

What’s next

Mamdani's proposal to create a Department of Community Safety faces an uphill battle, as it is more ambitious than existing models in other cities. The mayor will need to overcome skepticism and political opposition to realize his vision of making the police force obsolete through investment in community-based public safety solutions.

The takeaway

Mamdani's proposal represents a bold and innovative approach to public safety that aims to address the root causes of crime and inequality without relying on traditional policing. If successful, it could serve as a model for other cities looking to move away from an over-reliance on law enforcement and towards more community-driven solutions.