In the 1890s, Theodore Roosevelt, then head of the board of police commissioners, scoured New York, reporters in tow, hunting officers in saloons and brothels in what he called “midnight rambles.”

More than half a century later, the Brooklyn district attorney uncovered graft so widespread it forced the resignation of the police commissioner and the former mayor, who had become ambassador to Mexico.

In the 1990s, a city commission rooted out the “Dirty 30,” officers in Harlem who had beaten up dealers and broken down their doors to steal cash and drugs.

Officials have been trying to tame corruption and misconduct in the Police Department for more than a century, but the problems that Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch inherited when she took over the department in November are especially thorny.

The current mess involves sprawling accusations of misconduct among high-ranking brass, as well as rampant overtime abuse and mismanagement. But she must solve it while reporting directly to the man who appointed her and elevated many of those leaders — Mayor Eric Adams, a former captain who is himself under federal indictment and is fighting for re-election this year.

In her seven weeks on the job, she has overhauled about half the executive staff — the high-ranking chiefs and commissioners who report to her. But she has also promoted a commander admired by Mayor Adams who is known for berating reporters and city officials on social media, raising questions about her independence.