Ten years ago, Jessica Tisch was standing ready for a press conference with another mayor and another police commissioner.

Her return to the NYPD is a bit of a homecoming.

A veteran of city government, Tisch got her start within the NYPD in 2008 as a counterterrorism analyst.


What You Need To Know

  • Jessica Tisch served in the NYPD for 12 years prior to her appointment on Wednesday

  • Tisch oversaw major security initiatives at the NYPD under mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio

  • She has been leading the Sanitation Department since 2022

It wasn't long before she was driving some of the department's biggest security initiatives — like a major surveillance and counterterrorism system known as the domain awareness system.

She then went on to oversee the implementation of the department's body camera program — the largest in the country.

Tisch then left the NYPD to oversee the city's technology and telecommunications department.

Afterwards, she became the sanitation commissioner under Mayor Eric Adams, where she championed rat mitigation measures, composting and the city's new containerization initiatives.

Educated at Harvard University, Tisch comes from a political and well-connected wealthy family.

Her father is the CEO of the Loews Corporation. Tisch's mother was the chancellor of the state Board of Regents, and is now the chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Tisch — and the mayor — are betting she’s well equipped to lead the nation's largest police force, and the political challenges that come with it.