NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced plans to increase police presence in the Bronx by assigning 200 additional officers and reorganizing the borough into two distinct patrol commands. The decision comes as the Bronx continues to report higher crime rates than other boroughs, resisting the decline in criminal activity seen elsewhere in New York City.
Speaking at Cipriani 42nd Street during the annual State of the NYPD address, Tisch outlined the new operational structure, which will align the Bronx with Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn—each already divided into dual borough patrol commands. “For too long, the Bronx has experienced more crime per capita than any other borough while operating under a structure that hasn’t kept pace with the demands placed on it,” Tisch stated.
She emphasized the necessity for change, citing data from the previous year: “Just look at the numbers,” Tisch said. “Last year, the Bronx accounted for more than one-third of all shooting incidents and shooting victims citywide – roughly three times Queens and Manhattan. The borough recorded more major crime than Manhattan and Queens, and nearly as much as Brooklyn.” Tisch also noted the almost one million service calls that originated from the Bronx in 2023, a figure surpassing Queens and nearly equal to Manhattan.
Despite consistent reductions in crime across New York City, official statistics reveal that the Bronx has experienced escalating rates of serious offenses. Since 2001, incidents of the seven major crimes monitored by police—including murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto—have declined in all boroughs except the Bronx, where reports rose from 26,943 in 2001 to 30,314 in 2023.
Last year, the Bronx recorded 101 homicides, outpacing Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and notably Staten Island, which had just three murders. Both the Bronx and Staten Island are currently overseen by a single borough command—a structure that Tisch confirmed will be updated this spring. “The Bronx is organized under a single patrol borough command – one leadership structure overseeing every precinct – while Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens have long since moved to two-patrol borough commands to handle the volume of the work there,” she explained.
Tisch indicated that Bronx residents have regularly highlighted the borough’s unique status. “Bronx residents have raised this issue for years,” she said. “They’re not asking for special treatment. They’re asking a reasonable question about fairness and capacity: why does a borough this large still operate under a structure that wouldn’t be acceptable elsewhere in the city?”
The formation of North and South Bronx patrol commands will accompany the deployment of 200 more officers throughout the borough.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark welcomed the forthcoming changes, remarking that the new structure will address longstanding resource gaps. “It will mean not only additional police officers, but coverage and enforcement tailored to specific needs of our diverse neighborhoods,” Clark said in a statement. “I believe it will lead to more opportunities to prevent crimes, as well as respond to and solve them.”
Commissioner Tisch, appointed in 2024 by then-Mayor Eric Adams and asked to remain in her role following Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election in November, has pursued numerous reforms within the department. Her initiatives have included easing recruitment requirements to address staffing shortages and launching a dedicated quality of life command in response to widespread concerns from city residents.
