NYPD Detectives' Endowment Association President Scott Munro warned Friday morning that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's push to send mental health professionals to certain crime scenes could backfire without extensive training and clear protocols.
Appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," Munro said the proposal raises immediate safety concerns for both the public and the civilians who would be dispatched alongside police.
Mamdani, in his inaugural remarks, talked about creating a new "Department of Community Safety" to address the mental health crisis and allow police "to focus on the job they signed up to do."
Munro said that the concept may sound compassionate, but it can quickly become dangerous in fast-moving situations where violence is possible.
"It's very dangerous for that to be happening," Munro said, adding that officers and detectives may arrive to find an unstable or armed suspect — and then must also protect an unarmed civilian responder. "We got to worry about that person now, too."
Munro stressed that without careful preparation, the policy could expose the city to serious legal and operational consequences.
"There's going to have to be all kinds of training done with that because otherwise it's a huge liability," he said. "It's going to be a huge liability to the City of New York."
Munro said the idea effectively changes how police manage volatile scenes, requiring retraining and new expectations for command staff and patrol officers alike.
"That all comes down to training," he said. "That means they're going to have to retrain every police officer, every detective, every lieutenant, every sergeant on how they want to act on these scenes, how we take action on these scenes now."
He also noted that the presence of "a civilian standing there trying to help" could complicate split-second decisions, especially when officers are trying to isolate threats and de-escalate safely.
Munro emphasized that New Yorkers deserve consistent protection regardless of politics, pointing to the oath officers take and the day-to-day work detectives do to solve crimes.
"We don't work for a certain party," he said. "We work for the people of the City of New York."
Looking ahead, Munro said he hopes the NYPD can forge a productive relationship with the newly inaugurated democratic socialist mayor, similar to what it developed with former Mayor Eric Adams.
"Hopefully we have a very good relationship with him," he said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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