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Mayor Mamdani signals openness to NYPD gang database, citing reforms
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 7, 2026
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Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 7, 2026
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani signaled Monday he is more open to the NYPD’s controversial gang database, crediting the department for implementing reforms rather than reiterating his campaign promise to abolish it.
"I've made my critiques of the database clear, and the NYPD has also implemented a number of reforms as per the recommendation that came through," Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. "And the implementation of those reforms and the results of that are part of the active discussion that we're having."
The comments appear to mark a tonal shift for Mamdani, who, as a candidate, called the database a "vast dragnet" that punished young New Yorkers of color with only loose connections to gang activity. He also supported City Council legislation to abolish it.
According to an NYPD spokesperson, the reforms Mamdani referenced stem from a Department of Investigation report issued in October, before he took office.
The report found the NYPD still fell short on key commitments, including failing to notify parents when their children were added to the database and programming errors that kept more than 5,800 people listed past the allowed timeframe.
Then-Inspector General Jeanene Barrett said the department had "made substantial improvements" but that "more needs to be done."
Mamdani last mentioned abolishing the database in September, before the report was released. He has largely not commented on the database publicly since taking office, even as NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has repeatedly defended it.
At their first joint press conference in January, Tisch called the database a critical tool for fighting gun violence. And last week, after the fatal shooting of a 7-month-old in Williamsburg, she said the department would use the database to prevent retaliation.
"We will look at the gang database, and that will help our deployments to prevent things like retaliatory shootings," she said.
A federal lawsuit challenging the database as unconstitutional is pending in Brooklyn.
Black and Hispanic people make up 98% of those listed on the database, and most are men between the ages of 18 and 34, according to a DOI report. The database has shrunk nearly 40% in recent years, dropping from roughly 14,000 people in 2024 to about 8,500 by late 2025.
A City Hall spokesperson did not immediately return messages seeking clarification on the mayor's comments.
A coalition of advocates fighting to stop the NYPD from using the database — including the groups We Build the Block and the Legal Defense Fund — called on Mamdani to reverse his position and acknowledge that "police harassment and perpetual criminalization directly contribute to the economic destabilization of Black and brown communities."
This story has been updated with new information.
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Politics
new york city
public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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