New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday outlined her priorities as she steps into the role, saying stabilizing the department is a top goal.

“It's not lost on me, it's not lost on anyone that I am the fourth commissioner to take over in a pretty short amount of time,” Tisch said during an interview on “Mornings On 1.” “Stabilizing the department and making everyone feel like there is a very clear direction that we're moving in, there are rules and regulations, and just providing clarity for the department is important.” 

Tisch is the fourth commissioner to serve under Mayor Eric Adams and previously held roles as commissioner of the Department of Sanitation, commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and deputy commissioner for Information Technology for the NYPD. 

On returning to the NYPD now, Tisch said, “It does feel like a homecoming in many ways.”

And she is ready to get to work right away, despite it being less than a week since she was sworn in at Police Headquarters.

“The mayor has been very clear about what the assignment is here,” she said. “First, keep crime low, make people feel safe and improve their quality of life. But also, importantly, support our police. They really need to feel like the mayor and the police commissioner and, more importantly, the city of New York, have their backs.” 

Tisch said reducing crime also remains a top priority for her, as the city has continuously seen a drop in crime over the past year.

“I think the first priority is, the mayor has said, is keep crime going down,” she said. “We have 10 months in a row — about to be 11 months, I don’t want to break any news here — of decreases in crime compared to the year previous, and so keeping that streak going is very important.” 

Tisch takes on the role following a period marked by instability, including resignations, a federal investigation into the mayor resulting in an indictment and a federal search involving her predecessor's interim replacement. Despite the challenges, she continues to stress her strong working relationship with Adams. 

“I’ve worked for this mayor for the past three years, and he has given me incredible autonomy, flexibility. He has deferred to me. He has pushed me when I need pushing. We have a wonderful working relationship,” she said. “The other thing I want to point out is it’s a blessing to have a boss who understands the subject matter when the issues are so complicated.”