Mamdani Orders First NYPD Use-of-Force Review in a Decade After Officer Retires Before Discipline
Photo by Yann Delhaye
NEW YORK— New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ordered the NYPD to conduct its first comprehensive review of its use-of-force policies in a decade and announced a package of accountability reforms, weeks after an officer involved in the fatal 2024 shooting of a 19-year-old Queens man retired before facing a disciplinary trial.
The review, which will unfold over the coming months, will examine the department’s use-of-force policies, practices and training. City Hall said it would include a “robust community engagement process,” but did not provide a timeline for completion or say whether the review would lead to binding changes.
The announcement followed the retirement of Officer Salvatore Alongi, one of two officers whom the Civilian Complaint Review Board found had used excessive force and abused their authority during a March 2024 encounter that killed Win Rozario inside his family’s home in Ozone Park. Alongi retired before a disciplinary trial could take place, ending the case against him.
Rozario was shot by NYPD officers in March 2024 while experiencing a mental health crisis. The state attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation declined to bring criminal charges, but the CCRB later substantiated misconduct allegations against Alongi and Officer Matthew Cianfrocco.
Mamdani said the city must hold itself to the highest standards whenever government force is used against a resident.
“Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully and only when necessary,” Mamdani said in a statement. “We have an obligation to Win’s family and to every New Yorker who calls for help in a moment of crisis.”
A central element of the package is an additional $2.6 million for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, an independent oversight body. City Hall said the funding would restore the office’s staffing to a historic peak, roughly tripling its current headcount, and expand its capacity to investigate policies and practices that undermine accountability for misconduct.
The NYPD will also implement a new notification system intended to ensure that disciplinary proceedings are completed before an officer retires. The change responds directly to the Rozario case, in which the department did not promptly notify the CCRB that Alongi had begun the retirement process.
The department said it would formalize its practice of notifying the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and submitting personnel information for decertification when an officer retires with pending disciplinary charges. The goal is to prevent officers who leave the NYPD while facing serious allegations from evading scrutiny by joining another law enforcement agency in New York state.
The NYPD also pledged to comply fully and on time with the STAT Act, which requires the reporting of data on deaths involving police to the state agency.
Under another reform, the department will standardize how it shares information with the public after critical incidents, including with the families of people killed or seriously injured. The NYPD said it would release final reports from its Force Investigation Division to families or their representatives upon request.
City Hall framed the measures as an effort to ensure that serious allegations are investigated, disciplinary cases are resolved and the public can understand how the city responds when police use of force results in death or serious injury. The administration said it would continue reviewing related policies and practices.
The reforms come amid renewed scrutiny of the department’s handling of the Rozario case. His family and advocates criticized city officials after learning that Alongi had retired with a disability pension before facing departmental discipline.