Overview

• Zohran Mamdani declared he will not reduce NYPD headcount or funding after facing backlash over his 2020 defund-the-police tweets.
• He returned from Uganda to meet slain NYPD Officer Didarul Islam’s family and confirmed his attendance at the officer’s upcoming funeral.
• Mamdani proposed creating a Department of Community Safety for mental health and low-level responses while cutting NYPD overtime spending.
• Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa have seized on his past rhetoric to challenge his public safety credentials.
• Despite intensified scrutiny on policing, Mamdani maintains a strong lead in polls for the November general election.