New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Tuesday outlined a series of new policing strategies, training reforms and technology upgrades during the NYPD’s 2026 State of the Department address, building on recent declines in crime and broader efforts to modernize the nation’s largest police force.
Tisch announced plans to divide the Bronx into two patrol boroughs, overhaul in-service officer training, modernize dispatch and command systems, and expand the department’s use of real-time technology. The initiatives come as city officials point to historically low levels of gun violence and continued reductions in major crime across the city in 2025.
“The state of the NYPD is strong,” Tisch said. “New Yorkers deserve a police department that is disciplined in its operations, serious about its standards and relentlessly focused on public safety.”
According to NYPD data cited by city and state officials in recent months, shootings and shooting victims fell to record lows last year, while overall crime declined citywide. The subway system also recorded its lowest level of major crime since 2009, excluding the pandemic years. Department leaders have said those trends provided an opportunity to focus on longer-term structural and operational changes.
As part of the announcement, Tisch said the Bronx which is currently overseen by a single patrol borough command, will be split into Bronx North and Bronx South later this spring. The change is expected to bring nearly 200 additional officers to the borough and expand specialized units, including homicide, narcotics and neighborhood safety teams.
The commissioner also detailed what she described as the most significant overhaul of in-service training in decades. Under the new model, officers will participate in recurring, weeklong training sessions throughout their careers, with an emphasis on tactics, de-escalation, constitutional policing, legal standards and situational awareness.
The training expansion follows earlier changes to recruitment and academy requirements announced in 2025, when the department adjusted college credit requirements in an effort to boost hiring and address staffing shortages. Officials said those changes helped produce one of the largest academy classes in recent years.
Tisch said the department will also modernize its response to quality-of-life complaints by upgrading how NYPD Q-Teams receive and track nonemergency 311 calls. The department is moving from handwritten precinct command logs to digital systems that allow senior leadership to monitor operations in real time.
Additional initiatives include the rollout of DAS 2.0, an upgraded version of the department’s Domain Awareness System that integrates real-time alerts and field intelligence, and preparations to deploy drone mitigation technology if federal authorization is granted.
The commissioner also announced leadership and ceremonial updates, including the appointment of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rev. A.R. Bernard as NYPD co-chief chaplains, with a naming ceremony scheduled for Feb. 24. The NYPD Police Academy will also be renamed in honor of Detective Steven D. McDonald, who was paralyzed in the line of duty in 1986; a ceremony is planned for July 16.
Tisch, who was appointed commissioner in late 2024, said the initiatives are intended to institutionalize changes the department began implementing over the past year, as crime trends improved and leadership stabilized.
“These reforms are about preparing the NYPD for the future,” she said, “while continuing to deliver the level of safety New Yorkers expect.”
City officials said the department will continue to evaluate the impact of the changes as they are rolled out over the course of the year.
