Transcript: Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Tisch Expand Quality of Life Teams Across All of Brooklyn Following Successful Pilot Launch

August 4, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams: Great to be here in Walt Whitman Houses and the leadership that's here is unbelievable. When I think about what Julie's doing and her entire team, it says a lot about how far we've come and we should just give it up a hand for her. And great to be joined by the police commissioner and our amazing public safety chair, Yusef Salaam, Councilman Salaam, we were bumping each other all over the weekend.

Such an important initiative when we think about it, oftentimes when you think about how well we've done in crime in this city, we know that people were not feeling safe. And that is why the commissioner put this quality of life initiative, the Q-team, throughout our entire city. And as we reflect on public safety, we cannot help to reflect when our hearts are still grieving for the innocent lives that we lost last week, including Officer Islam.

Very painful moment, but it's a constant reminder that we have to be steadfast when it comes down to public safety, particularly gun crimes and gun violence. It rips our hearts apart when an individual can drive across the country with an automatic weapon and take the lives of innocent New Yorkers who were just carrying out their daily roles in our city, one of them, of course, being our officer. We attended– the commissioner and I, and our team attended several shivas to show our respect.

We're in tears today as well, and again, our hearts go out to the family. The goal is to ensure that this city is a safe city for everyone, from all parts of the city and every community. And that is what we are doing. We are accomplishing that. We're always attached to the model, crime is down and jobs are up, but the crime is down is extremely significant and part of the trademark. I ran on that when I was running for mayor, and we're living up to exactly what we promised and committed to.

As we reflect on the month of July, we all know what June, July, and August represent in a law enforcement environment. Those could be some of the most violent months for serious crimes, but when you look at June, we accomplished the task, July, we accomplished the task, and July saw the lowest number of shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history, the lowest number of shooting incidents and victims in recorded history.

And the first seven months of 2025 also marked the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims ever recorded in our city. Numerous other categories, including felony assaults, burglaries, grand larcenies, were also down in July, leading to a 5.6 percent drop in major crimes in New York City. And we didn't leave our subways behind. It was always a concern that people wanted to feel safe and be safe on our subway system.

In the subway system, in July there were recorded lows, including when you take away the two pandemic years, it was the lowest in recorded history once you remove those two pandemic years when we didn't have that ridership. But public safety is more than just crime stats, it's about how people are feeling. And that is why our Q-teams are playing that role, and we'll continue to sweep out crime and deliver a safer and more livable city with the expansion of the New York City Police Department, Quality of Life Division to Brooklyn.

We're moving into Brooklyn. Brooklyn, the largest borough in our city, and we knew we had to get it right in other boroughs. And now we're coming to the largest borough and making sure we continue the success of our Q-team. And it's about what people feel. It's not just the numbers and the stats, but do you feel safe? That has been our driving focus in ensuring New Yorkers felt safe.

And every New Yorker, they deserve to feel safe with their children going to school, shopping, or just walking down a block or walking into the place of employment. In too long, quality of life issues made New Yorkers feel as though they were not safe. That includes overflowing of trash, of substance use, people openly using and injecting themselves with drugs on our streets, illegal or abandoned cars.

When you add it to the 100,000 illegal vehicles we removed off our streets, that was not enough. There's still far too many abandoned vehicles that are lining our sidewalks and our streets. And our goal is to remove every single one of them. That is why early this year, we created the NYPD Quality of Life Division and launched a pilot program to address quality of life issues. And the numbers don't lie.

In the first 60 days, and in just six pilot commands, our localized precinct-based Q-teams answered more than 7,500 complaints. While simultaneously cutting response times for quality of life calls. We heard it all the time, you call 311, no real response and resolving the issue. We cut the time down and now our commands are being held responsible and they are responding to making sure these 311 calls are responded and handled.

And when we expanded the pilot, and expanded the program to Manhattan and the Bronx. These teams answered more than 23,400 calls for service and cut average response times by about 47 minutes. Last week, we brought the program right here to Brooklyn. That's right, Brooklynites are seeing safer and cleaner neighborhoods and the program is proven to be a success to improve on quality of life.

Our localized precinct-based teams will be helping reduce crime and improving quality of life conditions. I say it all the time, you can't have an abandoned vehicle in front of Gracie Mansion. You should not have it in front of Walt Whitman houses. It's not right, it's not fair, it's not acceptable. When I think of this borough, I see my own story growing up in Brownsville and many of these communities were always overlooked when it came down to quality of life issues.

But we are turning that around and I know how important it is for every New Yorker to receive a neighborhood that is safe from gun violence, safe from felonious crimes, and safe in a clean environment. Using Q-Stat, a program modeled after COMPStat, our NYPD quality of life teams can track and tackle quality of life issues using real time data and employment.

And thanks to our relentless effort, seven consecutive quarters of crime reduction have found the result in our practices. Looking at hotspots, making sure officers are deployed in the proper locations, just a real holistic approach to policing is what this commission has brought. We removed close to 23,000 firearms from our streets.

Just this year, over 3,100 firearms have been moved off our streets. You can't have shooters if people don't have guns. We've closed 1,500 illegal cannabis shops and continue to address the quality of life issues that New York has asked and we responded to. I'm going to turn it over to the police commissioner of the City of New York, Commissioner Tisch.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, sir, and good afternoon, everyone. We were set to make this announcement last week, but then a tragedy took the lives of four innocent New Yorkers, including our fallen hero, Detective First Grade Didarul Islam. Our city is still in mourning, but the work of the NYPD never wavers. Detective Islam believed in this department, he believed in its mission, and he fulfilled his oath to the people of this city. It is our duty now to finish the work that he started, and that work continues in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Last month, New York City recorded the fewest shooting incidents and the fewest shooting victims for any July on record. This comes just weeks after we had the safest July 4th weekend for gun violence ever recorded. July was a tenth straight month of major crime declines. Murders were down by 49 percent, and in our subways, excluding the two pandemic years, it was the safest July in recorded history.

Summer is usually the toughest test for public safety, but the wins that we are celebrating today prove that under Mayor Adams' leadership, we are not just passing the test, we are resetting the curve. And we're bringing that same energy to another priority, improving the day-to-day conditions for every New Yorker. That's what the NYPD's Quality of Life Division is all about, and now we're expanding it into every precinct in the borough of Brooklyn.

When we launched the Quality of Life Division earlier this year, the idea was simple but ambitious. Build teams focused entirely on the local conditions that make daily life harder for New Yorkers. The chronic problems that chip away at a block's sense of order. The abandoned cars, the illegal vending, the repeat noise complaints, sidewalk obstructions, homeless encampments, and more.

Because for years, the NYPD has been laser focused on crime, and the men and women of this department are the best crime fighters certainly in the world. But the data and the public made it clear that New Yorkers needed it more. From 2018 to 2024, calls to 311 nearly doubled. Panhandling complaints rose by nearly 2,800 percent, homeless encampment calls jumped over 500 percent, noise complaints nearly doubled. And illegal parking complaints were up more than 200 percent.

We knew that we had to pivot to be just as responsive to 311 calls as we have historically been to 911 calls. We had to meet people's needs and listen to their very real concerns. In April, we announced the launch of our Quality of Life division and piloted the program in six different communities. In just a few months of that pilot, these Q-teams responded to nearly 16,000 311 and 911 calls. They towed 629 abandoned or derelict vehicles, and they seized 292 illegal mopeds, scooters, and e-bikes, all of it contributing to safer, cleaner streets.

Since expanding recently to Manhattan and the Bronx, the momentum has only continued. In just a matter of weeks, Q-teams have answered more than 4,000 additional calls, removing dozens more illegal vehicles and bikes in the process. Across the board, response times for chronic quality of life issues in these communities improved by an average of 45 minutes. This isn't broken windows, this isn't about cracking down to prevent crime, it's about restoring order and improving quality of life.

This is a real shift in how we serve neighborhoods, and it's working. Every precinct in Brooklyn will have NYPD officers dedicated to improving the everyday conditions that shape how people live. And to be clear, this is also not zero tolerance policing. Officers will always have discretion, and discretion starts with engagement. This is their assignment, and their mission is clear.

Reclaim the spaces that should feel safe, clean, and cared for, because when they do, people feel cared for too. And when they don't, people feel ignored. That's not acceptable in any neighborhood, and it's why we are continuing to expand this program into every borough. The NYPD's Quality of Life division isn't a concept, it's a commitment.

And that commitment is not about crime, it's about livability, dignity, and refusing to let any neighborhood be treated like an afterthought. As of now, the Quality of Life division is fully operational in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. And the work is expanding to Queens and Staten Island in the month of August, and to all housing commands at the end of this month.

That's Mayor Adams' vision, a complete and comprehensive approach to public safety, and it's a vision that he shares with the men and women of the NYPD. With that, I want to turn it over to someone who knows this community better than anyone. Julie Sharpton, a lifelong Brooklyn resident, and the president of the Whitman Houses Resident Association. Julie, thank you for welcoming us here today.

Julie Sharpton, President, Whitman Houses Resident Association: Thank you, Commissioner Tisch. Good morning, my name is Julie Sharpton, and I am proud to serve along with my board members as president of the Whitman Houses Resident Association. I've been a Brooklyn resident my entire life. I was born here, and I raised my nephew here, and I've seen this borough go through both good and hard times.

One thing I've learned over the years is that quality of life issues are major, and they matter deeply. When you walk outside, the first thing you see– when you walk outside, and the first thing you see is trash on the sidewalk, or graffiti covered walls, or someone sleeping in a stairwell or doorway. When your sleep is disturbed by loud music through the night, or when you have to walk in the street because the crosswalk is being blocked by illegally parked cars, it wears you down.

It makes you feel like your neighborhood is being neglected, like the rules don't apply, or worse, like no one cares. When mopeds and ATVs are racing through the streets with no regard for safety, it makes parents think twice about letting their kids come outside and play. But thankfully today, and prior to today, those things are changing.

I want to begin by thanking Mayor Adams and his office for launching this important quality of life improvement initiative. This kind of leadership sends a strong message that our communities matter. We also know the mayor's support to ensure in addressing these issues. These issues, no community or ethnic group will be unfairly targeted or profiled with excessive force.

And that is essential, because safety comes with fairness, and enforcement comes with respect. I also want to thank the New York City Housing Authority for their continued support in helping us to improve the quality of life for my neighbors at Whitman Houses, both their partnership and responsiveness make a real difference on the ground.

I also want to thank the New York City Police Department and Commissioner Tisch, and particularly the 88th precinct and PSA 3 for their support and commitment to working with our community. Their presence and cooperation are vital to building a safer and more respectful neighborhood. It means a great deal to know that our city leaders are not only listening, but they are taking action.

This effort will help restore pride, dignity, and a sense of safety to our communities. It's a step towards showing residents that they matter and that their neighborhoods matter as well. I am proud to stand here today as a part of this city working to get it right. A true partnership between the community and those who serve it, and I could not be more hopeful for what lies ahead.

Thank you very much.

Mayor Adams: I want to bring on our public safety chair, Councilman Salaam.

City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, Chair, Committee on Public Safety: Thank you and good morning. It's funny, when I first started typing, I put Q-teams and the phone auto-corrected and said A-teams, I said that's interesting, A-team. But congratulations Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch for taking a bold initiative and further expanding the Quality of Life teams. Quality of Life teams are designed to focus on de-escalation and sending the right professionals to address community issues.

As the chair of public safety for our City Council in New York City, I support expanding these programs and look forward to reviewing the data from their implementation. Improving emergency response times while implementing programs aimed at reducing overall policing is a key reform. Launching the Q-teams in Brooklyn, we hope bridges the gap in our current system.

This is really a beautiful day and time to be able to really come out and say this. Because let me tell you, as has been said before, all of the things that matter to all of us should be afforded to every single one of us. So we get the opportunity to have a total blanket of support, really put in every single space in our community, every corner, all of those places that felt neglected, they now get the opportunity to be seen, to be heard, and to be felt. Thank you, Mayor Adams. Thank you, Commissioner Tisch. Appreciate you.

Question: You mentioned COMPStat and Q-Stat being modeled similarly. Will Q-Stat be publicly available at any point, or is that an internal system? Thanks.

Police Commissioner Tisch: So my vision for it is that eventually, yes, Q-Stat data will be public in much the same way that the COMPStat data has been public for quite some time. We're still getting the meeting going, and we're getting the numbers squared away, but yes, that is my anticipation.

Question: I have a question in regards to the statistics that you declared for July. What specific steps are being taken to make sure that the incident that happened last week, tragic but isolated, will not undermine those accomplishments of NYPD? And also the second question, if I may, is do you have any updates about the investigation with regards to that shooting that occurred last week?

Mayor Adams: Thank you. The commissioner can respond to that, and we have been asked several times, “What can we do to stop a shooting like that?” Over and over again, we've been asked that question. And let's be clear what happened here. We had a deranged person who drove across the country with an automatic weapon, with one intention, and that was to create death and destruction. That was his goal, that was his mission.

And when you have gun laws outside our country, outside our city and state, that makes it readily and easy to possess those types of weapons. It makes cities like New York, where we don't manufacture these weapons, it makes it difficult for us. But we have stepped up to the challenge. We removed close to 23,000 illegal guns off our streets, 3,100 this year alone.

But more than that, any law enforcement expert would tell you that when you have a ready, willing, and able person who wants to bring about intentional destruction, what you must do is try to prevent, but exterminate and terminate the threat as quickly as possible.

That's what SRG and our other law enforcement officers did. While people were running out of the building, those officers were running in the building. While they knew there was a known shooter and the potential that there was an incendiary device, in spite of that, they went in. They went in, did a floor-by-floor search. Rudin Management did what was right by creating active shooter drills. They had a safe space in the building that doubled as a restroom.

And so you saw all the pieces of civilians and law enforcement coming together to quickly terminate the threat. When you looked at the videos, you saw that this individual was intentional in his action. And we did what we're supposed to do. Now it's time for the federal government to step up and get these automatic weapons of this magnitude that belong on a battlefield and not in our cities. We're going to continue to do that. Any updates on the investigation?

Question: Commissioner for Univision, are there any special strategies being used to deal with gang activity in these areas? We do see that often in housing developments.

Police Commissioner Tisch: Yeah, so when we announced many of our crime declines earlier this year, a lot of people said, I'll wait for the summer when it gets hot, the crime is going to go up. And one thing that I think we are quite proud of at the NYPD is that so far this summer, we have been able to extend the incredible crime declines that we've seen all year long.

Our summer violence reduction plan, I think, has largely been responsible for the great results that we're seeing this summer, and that includes a few things. The first is flooding streets and areas that we know tend to have the most violence with more cops. Taking about 3,000 officers every night from desk jobs or other jobs around the city and putting them on the streets where we know that historically, gun violence has occurred and they have done an incredible job.

We have also been very focused for basically this whole year on going after the gangs. We've done more major gang takedowns this year than any year in the NYPD's history. And so we're going after the trigger pullers in a major way. And then the third piece of the plan is taking guns off of the streets.

So the mayor has said that this year we're up to almost 3,100 guns that our cops have taken off the streets. 23,000 since he came into office. And so all of those things together add up, and I believe have led to the historic results that we are proud to announce today, in particular around gun violence.

Question: Hi, yes. I wanted to follow up, with these stats being announced today, maybe the police commissioner and the mayor can answer. How do you balance this idea of perception versus reality in the wake of last week's mass shooting?

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry, explain it again, go on.

Question: So you're announcing today crime stats that shootings are low, but then you have these high profile incidents like last week's mass shooting, and it makes people feel like they're not safe. How do you balance that perception versus reality versus what is actual?

Mayor Adams: I think it's a combination, and I say this over and over again. People don't really want to accept it, but where do people get their feelings from? I mean, when you ask the average person, why do you feel as though the city's not safe regardless of the remarkable job the Police Department has done? If it bleeds, it leads. We feed into what people are feeling, and we have to be honest about that.

If every day, all day, you're reading about some gross things that can happen in a city of 8.5 million people, you have a tendency to believe that you're not safe. I mean, we have 4.6 million, million people that ride our subway every day, 4.6 million. We have an average of five felonies a day. That's a remarkable feat by the New York City Police Department [and] our transit officers.

Or look at the 4th of July weekend. I think that weekend, I don't know the exact numbers, but I know on the day of 4th of July, we had one shooting. Chicago had over 50, over 50. And so, I think that if we would just take time and commend our TA presidents, our auxiliary, our police officers, our crisis management teams. We would just take a moment and realize that this is the safest big city in America.

So when you write a story like what happened at 345 Park Avenue, in the centers where this is the safest big city in America. And then people will start resonating that we've done a remarkable job. I inherited a city where we had to take 100,000 illegal vehicles off our streets. 23,000 illegal guns. We've invested 100,000 Summer Youth jobs.

We made sure we had a Summer Rising program with all year education for our children, an internship program. We have our CRED program for justice involving young people. I've been on Rikers Island more than any man in the history of the city talking to inmates and correction officers. We've done a good job.

So as you report about these shootings, how about just a sentence? You don't need three sentences. You don't even need a whole paragraph. How about just saying this is still the safest big city in America? Because all of my big cities, when I talk to my mayors, they're dealing with violence. They're dealing with violence.

So the question is, what can we do to stop the perception? Is that we're going to constantly remind people of how well our partners are doing in law enforcement. But I will ask you to do what Michael Jackson states. “Look at the man in the mirror.” What are you writing about our city? Start writing nice things about our city and how successful this administration has been.

Question: When you say recorded history, is that concept 1994? When did that start?

Police Commissioner Tisch: Yeah, recorded history, it's different for different categories of crimes. I believe the general crime started in 1993, the early 1990s in subway crime. The first real records start in 1998. Shootings would be 1993, shooting victims.

Mayor Adams: I'll do a few off-topics.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I am one reporter that will give more than just a sentence of positivity in this city. We cover the good, the bad, the ugly. Some good, lots of good.

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Question: So I have to just respond to your statement.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: So we do cover the good.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, we have some good, great reporters in the city.

Question: My question to you is, last week, a deli worker was stabbed here in Brooklyn because he refused to sell a loose cigarette to a man who came in, irate, and demanded that cigarette. It goes into the quality of life. You have bodega workers not wanting to do this. They're trying to follow the rules. They're not selling the loosies. But then you have violence. What message do you want to send to deli workers?

Mayor Adams: My heart goes out to the family and the employee. And we have not ignored our deli workers, our bodegas, our independent supermarkets. As you know, we joined the United Bodegas Association, and Fernando Mateo, and Brother Hernández, to make sure that we gave panic buttons.

Because we know that bodegas and independent supermarkets, they're more than places where people go to shop. They play such a vital role in making sure we have quality, qualitative food in our communities. And so we're going to catch this guy.

We're going to catch him, and we're going to bring him to justice, and we're going to make sure he's prosecuted with our partner to the full extent of the law. And just really, when you see this level of violence on innocent people, it is despicable.

And we're going to use whatever technology we have, and we're asking people if they know something to come forward. But it's a real troubling incident for someone to use violence just while someone is doing their job. But we will find them.

Question: I wanted to ask you about the fare hike. I wanted to know if you or your first deputy mayor last week reached out to any of your appointees on the MTA board to ask them to reject the fare hike. And you, in this recent budget, had an opportunity to increase fare fares to 200 percent so that fare hikes wouldn't hit working class people so much. Why didn't you do that, knowing that the fare hikes are coming?

Mayor Adams: Well, I don't know. We didn't know that they were coming. Everything has to be voted on, and we're not in favor of them. Some people say, “Well, it's only such a small amount.” A small amount or not, New Yorkers right now are struggling, and we shouldn't be looking to do fare hikes right now. And any conversations we have with board members or whomever, those are private conversations, and you know we don't go into private conversations.

That's why people enjoy speaking with me, because they never hear about it again. Now, in the budget, the budget is negotiated between the council and the Mayor's Office. Everything good in a budget, you say hooray to the council. Everything that's challenging, you say “Boo to Eric.” The mayor and the council sit down together to determine the budget. We present the budget. They vote on the budget.

And we have raised the fare fares card–  reduced fare Metro Card, we've raised it throughout our years in office. And we will continue to find ways to put money back into the pockets of working class people. We put $30 billion back into the pockets of working class people. Paying off medical debt, reduced fare Metro Card, free high-speed broadband for NYCHA residents, paying college tuition for foster care children, no income tax. No income tax for low-income New Yorkers in this city. None at all.

This administration did that. So when you do a list of the $30 billion that we've placed back in the pockets of New York City residents, and you start stitching together– so you're a low-income New Yorker, you're not paying income tax, you're getting reduced fare Metro Card, and if you live in NYCHA, that $100 you paid for cable bill, you don't even have to pay that anymore.

If you're a foster care child, we're paying your college tuition. If you're dealing with medical debt, we're picking up the cost of that. When you start adding up with low-income New Yorkers again from this administration, no other administration has done what we have done.

Question: Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Just to follow up on Nicole's question, I'm wondering if you know, if you in particular had a panic button? And separately, just if we can expect any updates soon on the Tamura investigation, if they interviewed his family and his friends and concluded that. So two different questions.

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry, update to?

Question: To the Tamura investigation. The Midtown shooting, exactly.

Mayor Adams: Yes, yes.

Question: Suspect there. And the panic button in bodegas, if you know if that specific bodega had a panic button.

Mayor Adams: I don't know if it did, but part of what you do by placing the panic buttons throughout the city with unknown locations is because you also want individuals to believe that they don't know who has a panic button. That's part of the science behind putting it in random locations and coordinating with the organizations that are involved. That's the goal.

No, we do not have any new updates. The commissioner is going to announce any new updates in the shootings on those who gave him the lower part of the gun. Those who were working with him. We want to speak with everyone involved. We have our detectives when it comes down to homicide investigations.

They know how to do it well. Although the person involved took his own life, we're going to find out if there are any others who were participating, planning, or in any way collaborated with the shooting.

What's happening? You're an OG, man. You've been around a long time.

Question: Assemblyman Mamdani has been critical of the strategic response group in relation to its use of protests. How do you respond to that criticism?

Mayor Adams: I was told this morning by my team, he also doesn't feel that police should respond to hate crimes or investigate hate crimes. Police should not investigate hate crimes. Police should not go to domestic violence incidents. One of the most dangerous incidents a police officer can go on, doesn't want SRG to respond to these incidents.

We just have a philosophical difference in the principles of public safety, and there's a reason crime is down and jobs are up, and idealism collides with realism when you are saving the lives of people. Thank God SRG was there to go inside that building and do a floor-by-floor search. Specialized, well-trained law enforcement officers know how to do their specialty.

And that's what officers who respond to domestic violence incidents– I keep reminding people, Officer Mora and Rivera will go into a domestic violence call when they were assassinated. I saw the tape. I saw how they were assassinated. And so when you put civilians in harm's way to respond to a domestic violence incident, that's irresponsible and it's reckless.

When you state that police officers should not investigate hate crimes, that's irresponsible and that's reckless. And reckless thought can't turn into reckless action because innocent New Yorkers are going to be hurt.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: Same with protests. If you go look at some of the protests that are taking place, I remember the protests we had last year where someone threw a chair that hit and dented the helmet of a police officer. No one is there. They don't go into action unless there's a need. Peaceful protests, SRG does not go into action. These are specialized, trained people.

And so when you have protests that's acting orderly, that's moving the way they're supposed to do, you don't have SRG. They come when it gets out of hand. That's what specialized units are for. So I would really encourage him as he's campaigning to sit down and learn what a specialized unit does in the Police Department. And you can't be so idealistic that you're not realistic.

There are bad people that do bad things to good people in this city. And if you want to police this city based on philosophies and concepts, that's not going to happen. I didn't study law enforcement. I did law enforcement. Like, I didn't study poverty. I lived poverty. Thanks.

###