Meet the billionaire heiress tasked with cleaning up New York cops despite never serving herself

A billionaire heiress from one of America’s wealthiest dynasties has been tasked with cleaning up the troubled NYPD – despite never having worn the badge herself.

Jessica Tisch, whose family fortune has ballooned to a staggering $10 billion, was sworn in on November 24 as the department’s second-ever female commissioner, taking control of America’s largest police force.

The glamorous Harvard triple-graduate takes charge as the department faces unprecedented scrutiny, with her two predecessors’ homes being raided by the FBI in separate investigations.

The new commissioner reports to Mayor Eric Adams, who himself is fighting federal indictment charges.

Before her rise to power, the top cop grew up as part of the powerful Tisch family – now ranked 43rd richest in America by Forbes, with a fortune exceeding $10 billion. 

In just the last nine years alone, her family’s wealth has grown from $6billion to $10billion – but it began with her Russian immigrant grandparents who arrived with virtually nothing. 

A Harvard Law and Business School graduate, Tisch is the granddaughter of CBS CEO Larry Tisch and previously ran New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Sanitation Department.   

The new commissioner addressed the elephant in the room during her swearing-in ceremony.

‘To the men and women of the NYPD, my greatest hope is that together we will return this noble undertaking, this job of high moral purpose, to a time and a place where you want your children, your grandchildren, your nieces, your nephews to follow in your footsteps and become police officers,’ Tisch said. 

‘To the city that I serve, the police exist to eliminate fear and disorder. Your cops, like generations before them, nobly put their lives on the line each and every time they put on that uniform to protect you and your families,’ she continued. 

‘And they do a damn good job of it. We will continue to do that most important foundational work to make you safe, to make you feel safe, and to improve your quality of life across the city.’ 

The appointment has marked a new chapter for the Tisch dynasty, whose name already adorns countless New York institutions through their philanthropic efforts.

The family’s influence extends far beyond law enforcement, as their vast business empire includes stakes in the New York Giants and Loews Corporation.

The family is also known for both philanthropic giving and political donations across party lines.

Tisch’s grandmother – Wilma ‘Billie’ Tisch – was also a key figure in local radio station WNYC’s transition to independent status.  

Jessica Tisch’s story begins with two brothers from Brooklyn’s working-class Bensonhurst – her grandfather Larry and great-uncle Bob, born to Russian immigrant parents in the 1920s.

From these humble middle-class beginnings, the ambitious duo would go on to build one of America’s greatest family fortunes,    

After graduating from NYU and Wharton, Larry and Bob took their parents’ $125,000 life savings and bought a winter resort in New Jersey – their first step toward building one of America’s greatest family fortunes.

The brothers went on to buy hotels and the Loews movie theater chain, later diversifying into tobacco, insurance and offshore drilling, the Observer reported. 

Larry took the reins at CBS in the 1980s, while Bob became part-owner of the New York Giants.

Today, the Tisch name is everywhere in New York – on NYU’s arts school, hospital wings and Metropolitan Museum galleries.

Jessica’s father Jim – nicknamed ‘Little Larry’ for his ability to spot undervalued businesses – now runs Loews Corporation as CEO, while her mother Merryl chairs the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and sits on New York’s Board of Regents.

Jonathan Tisch serves as the public face of the family’s hotel empire and made headlines with his $3 million wedding at the Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur. 

His cousin Laurie chairs the Center for Arts Education and sits on the boards of both the Whitney and Children’s Museum of Manhattan. 

But despite Tisch’s lack of traditional police experience, she has a reputation for being a superb leader and is backed by previous police commissioners and higher ups. 

Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly backed Tisch’s leadership and told Dailymail.com that she is ‘the right person at the right time’ to tackle the current problems in the police department.

‘I found her to be a decision maker, whip-smart – and I think that she showed that with her leadership in two major New York city agencies.’

‘I think she is the right person at the right time to take on the disarray that exists in the police department today,’ he told Dailymail.com. 

Kelly, who previously worked with Tisch and initially hired her, praised her management style and expressed confidence in her leadership.

He said that the majority of police commissioners have not been former police officers and that will ‘not hinder her in any way.’

‘She’s very smart. She will make the right decisions as far as personnel and deployment,’

Recalling their time working together, Kelly said: ‘We built a whole new command center with $60 million from the federal government to do it – and she was basically the person in charge.’

‘It was not an easy thing to do and she did it. The command center turned out so well. I attribute her oversight as being a major reason for that.’

‘She’s an experienced manager, an experienced leader, and she’s done a very good job in those positions,’ he told Dailymail.com. 

Another high-ranking source told The New York Post that ‘Tisch means business.’

‘She’s cleaning up the mess and putting the department back on track,’ they said.   

Adams also insisted she didn’t need to wear a badge to succeed at the job. 

‘We must turn the corner and bring the innovation and thought process that Tisch brought her first time here, and what she brought into DSNY. A good manager can manage anywhere,’ Adams said at her swearing in.  

Additionally, Tisch brings serious tech credentials to the role, having previously served as the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for information technology where she spearheaded the rollout of body cameras.

Most recently, she tackled New York’s trash crisis as sanitation commissioner.

Coincidentally enough, Tisch has now been tasked with cleaning up New York and she started by launching a dramatic purge of the department’s top cops. 

The sweeping clean-up came just days after explosive allegations emerged about former Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who has been accused of trading sexual favors for overtime at NYPD headquarters.

His subordinate Lieutenant Quathisha Epps accused him of predatory sexual behavior. 

Among the dismissals includes Chief of Internal Affairs Miguel Iglesias who was ousted the same day the scandal broke.

Inspector Joseph Profeta, who was head of IAB’s group dedicated to investigating allegations against NYPD captains and above, was relocated to Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, documents obtained by the New York Post revealed. 

Meanwhile, IAB Special Opps Inspector Michael Ricciardi has been packed off to Patrol Borough Manhattan North. 

The cleaning-house didn’t stop there.

A dozen more IAB officers have been scattered to distant patrol posts across the city.

Five detectives within Maddrey’s office and a police officer were pushed out from Maddrey’s office and sent to walk the beat in housing projects, according to the orders.

The allegations against Maddrey first came to light in a New York Post report on December 21, which detailed claims by NYPD Lt. Epps. 

The scandal erupted after Epps made allegations against Maddrey, claiming she received $400,000 in overtime payments in exchange for sexual favors. 

Epps accused Maddrey of persistently soliciting sexual favors, including requests for anal, vaginal, and oral sex, and described inappropriate advances such as asking her to kiss his genitals. 

The alleged harassment took place within NYPD headquarters itself.

Epps alleged that Maddrey sought to buy her silence by awarding her significant overtime. 

Epps’ legal team claims to possess extensive digital evidence supporting the allegations.

According to reports, Epps earned $204,000 in overtime last year, making her the department’s highest-paid officer in Fiscal Year 2024 with total earnings of $400,000. 

At a December 27 press conference, Maddrey’s attorney, Lambros Lambrou, categorically denied the allegations. 

Lambrous maintains his client’s innocence, claiming the relationship was consensual and that Maddrey had no authority over overtime approval. 

‘We can tell you now those allegations are a lie, they’re not true, we deny every aspect of them.’ Lambrou said.     

Federal agents raided the home of Maddrey earlier this month with the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office spearheading the investigation.

In his former role, Maddrey oversaw the department’s crime-fighting strategies, quality-of-life programs, and operations.

Maddrey, who abruptly resigned amid the allegations late last month, has strongly denied the accusations. 

Following his resignation, John Chell was appointed interim Chief of Department, and Tisch officially removed the interim title on New Year’s Eve.

‘At my direction, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the New York City Police Department is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations against former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey,’ Tisch said in a Jan. 2 statement.

‘Maddrey was suspended from the Department this morning, as law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several locations, including his residence. Any further inquiries about this matter should be directed to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.’

Video footage shared by Freedomnews TV on X captured federal agents leaving Maddrey’s Rosedale, Queens residence on January 2, carrying boxes and entering unmarked black vehicles.

The raid adds Maddrey to the growing list of officials linked to Mayor Eric Adams who have faced federal scrutiny. 

Others include former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, former First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks.