NYPD Commissioner Calls on State to Do More to Combat NYC’s Mental Health Crisis

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called on Albany to do more to help those suffering from mental illness, who, she said, are the ones causing the random, violent attacks that plague the city.

By Thomas Tracy

Source New York Daily News (TNS)

Aug. 8, 2025

2 min read

What to Know

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says: “It can’t be the police department always being called to do everything.”
Tisch’s comment comes as she announced arrests in two random attacks, including an incident during rush hour on Tuesday in which a 25-year-old woman was stabbed in the back.
The city’s mentally ill has become an issue in the race for mayor.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch addresses the Media as District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Mayor Eric Adams announce the arrest of several members of the Road To Riches Gang, (R2R), and the seizure of several guns in Brooklyn on Thursday July 3, 2025.

NEW YORK — NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called on Albany to do more to help those suffering from mental illness, who, she said, are the ones causing the random, violent attacks that plague the city — because “it can’t be the police department always being called to do everything.”

“We need capacity in our hospitals to care for people suffering from severe mental illness,” Tisch said on Fox 5’s Good Day NY Friday. “Our cops bring people to the hospital thousands of times a year who are in mental health distress. They get released two hours later with a sandwich.

“We need to care for these people,” she added. “New York State needs a different approach in caring for and treating people with mental health issues, and it can’t be the police department always being called to do everything.”

Tisch’s comment comes as she announced arrests in two random attacks, including an incident during rush hour on Tuesday in which a 25-year-old woman was stabbed in the back as she was going down the stairs at the 23rd St. subway stop in Chelsea.

It also comes as the plight of the city’s mentally ill has become an issue in the race for mayor. On Tuesday, Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani told police officers at a National Night Out Against Crime event that cops should be spared the responsibility of responding to most mental health calls.

On Wednesday, police arrested Carlos Rivera, 21, for the 6:30 p.m. subway attack, charging him with attempted murder and assault.

Cops also arrested a man who sucker-punched a 94-year-old man inside an Upper East Side Apple electronics store at around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.

“The good news is last night, while you were sleeping, we made an arrest in that case and got the person responsible,” Tisch said, calling the attack “upsetting.”

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