NYC Jails Commissioner Louis Molina Shifts Role Amid Rikers Island Controversy, Named Assistant Deputy Mayor for Public Safety

Molina's tenureship as Commissioner marked by serious issues including 28 inmate deaths and plummeting staff numbers, yet new role is described as a "promotion" without pay hike.

• Louis Molina, the commissioner of New York City’s troubled jail system, has been named the new assistant deputy mayor to public safety, despite his tenure being marred by a significant drop in staffing and 28 inmate deaths.
• Molina's new role, which does not come with a pay increase, will have him reporting to the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Philip Banks, a continuation of their previous reporting arrangement.
• Molina faced criticism for attempting to suppress a report detailing mishandlings of several incidents, including an inmate's death, within the city's jail system within a six-month period.
• The city's jail system has fallen under the oversight of a federal monitor for nearly a decade due to allegations of violence and abuse; a federal takeover of the jail system is being debated in court.
• Despite the controversy, both Molina and Mayor Adams voiced positive sentiments about Molina's time as commissioner. Molina will begin his new role in mid-November.

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