NEW YORK – Mayor Eric Adams has appointed Jessica Tisch, the city’s Sanitation Commissioner, to lead the New York City Police Department after a tumultuous period in which a commissioner and his replacement were investigated by the FBI.

It’s a non-traditional choice. Tisch has never been a police officer and will be only the second woman ever to serve as commissioner of the NYPD, following Keechant Sewell, who Adams appointed in 2022.

“I need someone to lead the police department into the next century,” Adams said, making the surprise announcement during what should have been a sedate budget briefing.

Tisch, who at 43 is relatively young for the job, is not new to the NYPD. Although she never served as a uniformed officer, she worked there in a civilian role for more than a decade, ending her tenure as Deputy Commissioner for Information Technology.

Her selection ends months of speculation about who would permanently replace former Commissioner Edward Caban, who was removed from office amid a corruption investigation. After Caban’s departure, Adams tapped Thomas Donlon, who previously oversaw the FBI’s National Threats Division, as his interim commissioner.

The uproar at the nation’s largest law enforcement agency began in early September, when officials from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan seized Caban’s phone as part of a corruption investigation that allegedly targeted a private security firm run by his brother. About a week later, Caban has resignedpushed out by a city hall reeling from a parade of negative headlines. To gain a steady hand, Adams called on Donlon, but federal agents soon descended also at his home, looking for documents from his time in federal law enforcement.

Tisch, who led the city from her perch at Sanitation to containerized waste, is the scion of the billionaire family that owns the Loews Corporation, a business conglomerate. Her mother, Merryl Tisch, was a top state education official, as former chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, and continues to chair the board of trustees of the State University of New York.

“Commissioner Tisch does not need to be on the city council,” Adams said Wednesday, referring to her wealth. “She is here because of her love for the city. She comes from a family that is committed and committed to the betterment of New York City, and uses her experience and expertise to take us to the next level.”

Tisch will begin leading the NYPD on Monday.

“I want to take a moment to speak directly to New Yorkers: I hear you loud and clear,” she said at the press conference. “The mission is to keep you safe, make you feel safe and improve your quality of life.”

Her ascension marks the end of Donlon’s brief two-month tenure — though the former federal law enforcement officer will remain in city government under Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker.

News of Tisch’s appointment drew mixed reactions from unions representing rank-and-file officers.

“We are seriously understaffed, massively overworked and completely unsupported by a justice system and oversight regime that cares more about punishing police than helping us get dangerous criminals off the streets,” said Patrick Hendry, chairman of the Police Benevolent Association in a statement. “We hope to work with Commissioner Tisch to make real progress on these issues as quickly as possible.”

Scott Munro, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, said his members were “delighted by this choice.”

“We know we will work well with her. She understands the NYPD,” he said. “We can count on her.”

Before Tisch was asked to lead the Sanitation Department, the Harvard Law School graduate served as commissioner of the city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications under former Mayor Bill de Blasio — a background that made her ideally suited for Adams’ vision of the NYPD.

The mayor has prioritized the use of new technology in policing, including aerial drones, robot dogs and weapon scanners. He nodded to that when he chose a technology specialist as commissioner.

“I need a visionary,” Adams said. “I need the commissioner to show us what modernized policing should look like so that we can not only help those here in New York City, but also help people across the country.” ”