Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order on March 19 establishing a new Office of Community Safety and appointing a deputy mayor to lead it, marking an early step toward fulfilling a key campaign promise to reshape how New York City addresses violence and mental health crises.

The new office, housed within City Hall, will coordinate existing city programs focused on public safety, including the Division of Neighborhood Safety, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. 

It will also oversee citywide strategies related to mental health response and violence prevention.

Mamdani said the initiative reflects a broader shift in how the city approaches public safety.

“Today is a day of ambition, a day where we commit to approaching public safety with the complexity and the innovation that it deserves,” he said during a press conference at City Hall.

The mayor appointed Renita Francois, as deputy mayor for community safety, to lead the office.

Francois previously served within the Office of Criminal Justice under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

She most recently worked as a senior leader in nonprofit advocacy, bringing more than 15 years of experience in public safety policy and program management.

Under the executive order, the Office of Community Safety will coordinate interagency efforts and oversee programs such as B-HEARD, which dispatches mental health professionals instead of police to certain emergency calls. 

The office will also have the authority to review agency budgets related to community safety and recommend funding priorities.

The move stops short of creating a standalone Department of Community Safety, which Mamdani pledged during his campaign. 

Establishing a permanent department would require City Council approval or changes to the city charter.

Mamdani said the new office is intended as a first step toward that goal. 

He noted that other agencies, such as the Department of Homeless Services, began as mayoral offices.

Supporters of the initiative said it could improve coordination among existing programs and expand non-police responses to crises.

Alex Vitale, a member of Mamdani’s transition team, said the office would help align current efforts with national best practices and lay the groundwork for a larger agency.

Advocates for criminal justice reform also welcomed the move. 

The Legal Aid Society described the office as a step toward reducing reliance on policing for issues such as mental health crises, homelessness and substance use, while expanding access to social services.

Others noted that the office’s impact may be limited in the short term.

At a recent City Council hearing, NYC Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that only 2% of 911 calls would likely be eligible for diversion to non-police responders under current guidelines.

Nevertheless, the creation of the Office of Community Safety establishes a centralized structure within City Hall to coordinate public safety policy, giving the administration a foundation to build the broader department Mamdani proposed during his campaign.