Watch live: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch sworn in

CBS News New York

NEW YORK -- The New York City Police Department's newest commissioner, Jessica Tisch, was sworn in Monday. 

Tisch becomes the second female commissioner in the NYPD's 179-year history, and the fourth person to lead the department under Mayor Eric Adams.

Who is Jessica Tisch?

Tisch has been in charge of the Department of Sanitation for the past two years, launching the city's new containerized trash program. She is also a 12-year veteran of the NYPD, where she served as deputy commissioner for information technology and oversaw the implementation of body-worn cameras

Adams called her a battle-tested leader who has excelled at every position she's held. 

"I believe very deeply in the nobility of the police and profession of policing," Tisch said last week. "It is now my privilege to lead you, and I'm looking forward to coming home."

NYPD's latest change of command

One of her top focuses will be building public trust and confidence in the police department, which has been plagued by scandal. 

"I hear you loud and clear. The mission is to keep you safe, to make you feel safe, and to improve your quality of life, to restore dignity and order to every street, every neighborhood, every borough of the City of New York," she said.

Tisch is taking over for Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon, who ran the department after former Commissioner Edward Caban resigned in September. 

Federal agents seized Caban's phones in one of five investigations involving members of the mayor's inner circle. Several other NYPD officials also had their phones seized, along with Caban's twin brother, James. 

CBS News New York learned the federal probe involved allegations James Caban used his police connections to win favorable treatment for nightclubs facing violations.

Crime has dropped since Adams took office, but the Police Benevolent Association says the NYPD faces other problems, like understaffing and attrition. The mayor has taken steps to help bolster the department's numbers, including plans to hire 1,600 new officers starting in January. 

Adams lauds Tisch and the NYPD

"There is no other role in this city that has such a drastic impact in the quality of life of the city than the police commissioner," Adams said. "That is the title. That is the role. And if it is done correctly and fairly, it can bridge the gap between communities and make people believe again in what's possible." 

Adams called the NYPD "the largest and most important police department on the globe." 

"The role of the police commissioner is to lead from the front," Adams said. "I needed a battle-tested leader. Someone that understands what it is to lead. Seventeen years in government, 12 years in the police department." 

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