Jessica Tisch has been named Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT). Tisch was already serving as Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology for the NYPD and will graduate to citywide office with her new role. Tisch joined the NYPD in 2008, first as Director of Planning and Policy in the Counterterrorism Bureau and then as Counsel to the Police Commissioner.
DoITT has been without permanent leadership since June, following a leadership shakeup that happened on the heels of an 11-day wireless network outage that impacted city agencies.
At the NYPD, Tisch implemented the largest police body-worn camera, smartphone and tablet programs in the world. Tisch also led the effort to use technology to transform the NYPD’s fundamental business processes, including how officers are dispatched and respond to 911 calls for service, take crime reports, investigate, and search for wanted or missing persons. She managed the development and implementation of NYPD’s Domain Awareness System, which powers the department’s counterterrorism and crime fighting operations.
In a statement, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Tisch’s knowledge of complex systems and her ability to implement large scale programs would serve her well as New York City continues its efforts to upgrade legacy systems and implement new technology.
As DoITT Commissioner, Tisch will lead all aspects of the City’s delivery of IT services that touch every aspect of city life, from public safety to human services. She will also undertake a modernization of the City’s technology infrastructure.
