Mamdani agrees to put NYPD officers on 12-hour shifts during World Cup

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has agreed to let NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch place most of the police department’s uniformed officers on 12-hour shifts during at least one week this summer — a directive that stands to anger supporters of the mayor who cheered his campaign promises to curb police spending.

In a Wednesday memo to the NYPD’s roughly 34,400 uniformed officers, Tisch wrote that a “majority” of them will work 12-hour shifts between July 1 and July 7 due to “unprecedented demands” during that stretch, with the World Cup, July 4th, Sail 250 and other large-scale events slated to play out in the city.

The memo, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, says “additional dates” of 12-hour tours could be added in July “as we get closer to” the World Cup Final, which is set to be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Putting at least 17,200 NYPD officers on 12-hour shifts will require a significant increase in overtime spending. An NYPD spokesperson said the department could not immediately provide a cost estimate, but added that Mamdani has signed off on the padded deployment for the seven-day span.

Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani, confirmed the mayor greenlit the increase in overtime spending, saying he “supports the additional steps the NYPD is taking, including 12-hour shifts between July 1 and 7, to help ensure this is both a fun and safe summer for New Yorkers and visitors alike.”

As first reported by POLITICO</u>","link":{"target":"NEW","attributes":[],"url":"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/21/nypd-push-for-world-cup-overtime-boost-poses-stress-test-for-mamdani-and-his-police-commissioner-00930155","_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120000","_type":"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120001","_type":"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>first reported by POLITICO last week, the 12-hour deployments were at the heart of a rift between Mamdani’s team and the NYPD over how to police events in the city this summer. In signing off on the overtime boost, the democratic socialist mayor once again appears to have deferred to his more politically moderate police commissioner — a move that his core base of supporters may not appreciate.

As a mayoral candidate last year, Mamdani — who once called for disbanding the NYPD altogether</u>","link":{"target":"NEW","attributes":[],"url":"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/15/mamdani-apology-nypd-00610378","_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120002","_type":"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120003","_type":"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>disbanding the NYPD altogether — promised to rein in overtime spending at the department, which routinely costs taxpayers around $1 billion per year. He said at the time that the entrenched form of spending was excessive and a significant chunk of it could be cut by properly staffing and deploying other city agencies for incidents like 911 calls related to mental health emergencies.

Since taking office, Mamdani has made little headway on those promises. In fact, the NYPD is on track to again spend about $1 billion</u>","link":{"target":"NEW","attributes":[],"url":"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/13/nypd-little-progress-reducing-overtime-mamdani-pledge-00919750","_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120004","_type":"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_id":"0000019e-6b97-de70-a1bf-ebf7e9120005","_type":"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>is on track to again spend about $1 billion on police overtime this fiscal year, which ends on June 30 — the day before the new 12-hour shifts are set to begin.

While the NYPD and Mamdani’s office didn’t offer cost estimates, the city’s Independent Budget Office provided POLITICO with an analysis, based on recent overtime patterns, that found July’s seven-day spree could lead to more than $20 million in additional NYPD spending.

The NYPD has said its police overtime budget for the next fiscal cycle will be smaller. But in kicking off the fiscal year with the 12-hour shift deployments, that could be a pledge that’s hard to make good on — and Mamdani is the one who stands to pay a political price for it.

Last Friday, Mamdani signaled he was supportive of the 12-hour shifts when a reporter asked about Tisch considering the deployments.

“I believe that any and all preparations the police are taking to that end are important, they are necessary, because what we want is not just that this be a fun summer, but also that this be a safe summer and this be a summer that we are fully prepared for,” he said.

Some of his supporters have already shown signs of unease about the continued level of police overtime spending under Mamdani.

When it first emerged earlier this month that the NYPD wasn’t reducing overtime spending this fiscal year, City Council member Tiffany Cabán, a democratic socialist and ally of Mamdani, took aim at Tisch, saying her department had “pilfered” money that “could be going towards health care, schools and social services.”

Cabán, a co-chair of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday on Mamdani’s sign-off on the 12-hour deployments.

The World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19, appears to be the biggest driver of the need for police overtime.

While all World Cup games in the New York region will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the international tournament is expected to bring as many as 1.2 million visitors to the city.

In her memo to officers, Tisch wrote the large influx requires increased coverage by the NYPD, especially as the city is also seeing “a heightened threat environment” caused by the war in Iran and other international conflicts.

“I know what all of this asks of you, and I do not take it lightly,” Tisch wrote to officers. “Time and again, you have shown what this department is capable of when the stakes are high. You meet the moment with professionalism, with resilience, and with a clear understanding of what this city expects from you.”

With additional reporting by Joe Anuta

المصدر: Politico