Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City and a member of the Democratic Socialists, has shifted his stance on whether police should be replaced by social workers in responding to certain crimes. During his campaign, Mamdani faced criticism for earlier remarks suggesting that police should not respond to domestic violence calls due to concerns about escalation.
Appearing publicly with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will continue in her role under the new administration, Mamdani clarified his position. “That has not been part of the proposal we have put forward over the course of the campaign,” he said when asked if his proposed Department of Community Safety would handle 911 calls related to domestic violence. He added, “What we did say is it’s untenable for officers to be asked to respond to 200,000 mental health calls that are received every year.”
Mamdani’s previous comments resurfaced during the mayoral race, drawing attention from both supporters and critics. The issue comes as New York City evaluates alternatives to traditional policing for certain emergencies.
A pilot program called B-HEARD was launched in 2021 to test whether mental health professionals could handle some emergency calls instead of police officers. However, a recent audit by the city comptroller found significant challenges with its implementation. According to the audit, 60% of calls were deemed ineligible for response by mental health teams, and more than 35% of eligible calls went unanswered by these professionals. The comptroller’s office explained that calls were often excluded because they were considered potentially dangerous or lacked sufficient information.
The effectiveness of programs like B-HEARD has become central to debates about public safety and alternative crisis responses in New York City.
