By John Rowan
What happened in New York City this week should alarm anyone who cares about public order. A group of individuals surrounded uniformed NYPD officers, hurling snow and ice at them while recording the assault for social media. Some commentators have dismissed the snowball attack as harmless fun. That response is part of the problem.
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This wasn’t a prank. It was a public test of authority. When uniformed officers are surrounded and pelted with snow and ice, the issue is no longer winter antics — it’s whether public boundaries still matter.
When individuals feel emboldened to target officers for entertainment, it signals something far more dangerous than a winter stunt. It reveals a broader cultural shift in which disrespect for law enforcement is increasingly normalized. Incidents like the NYC snowball attack suggest this is not an isolated moment.
Statement from DEA President Scott Munro:
— Detectives' Endowment Association (@NYCPDDEA) February 24, 2026
“What we saw in Washington Square Park today was not harmless fun — it was a deliberate, outrageous, and dangerous attack on uniformed police officers. The Detectives’ Endowment Association is calling on Mayor Mamdani and District… pic.twitter.com/AGYSH9YXUs
This is an endemic problem, not a new one
Across the country, police officers have faced incidents involving swarming, obstruction and social media amplification. The goal is not transparency; it’s humiliation. The message is clear: authority is something to mock, not respect.
This erosion didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of mixed messages, inconsistent leadership and a growing tolerance for disorder. When society signals that undermining authority carries little consequence, boundaries will be tested. The NYC snowball attack is the latest visible example of a broader trend: the normalization of hostility toward the very people tasked with maintaining public safety.
Leadership cannot stay silent
Frontline officers cannot be expected to hold the line if their own leadership won’t stand behind them. Silence from the top is not neutrality — it’s surrender.
Incidents like the NYC snowball attack require more than quiet internal acknowledgment — they require public affirmation that disorder targeting police officers will not be normalized.
Law enforcement executives and elected officials must respond clearly and without hesitation:
- Condemn incidents that deliberately target police officers.
- Demand accountability for those who interfere with or assault officers, regardless of how the behavior is labeled.
- Reinforce that disorder— even when framed as humor —will be met with consequences.
- Provide officers with the operational backing and public support they need to act confidently and safely.
When leadership hesitates, the street notices. And the people who seek to challenge authority take that hesitation as permission.
This is about the stability of society
The attack in New York was not about snowballs. It was about whether law enforcement still commands baseline respect in public spaces — or whether the badge becomes just another prop for viral content.
If we shrug this off, we normalize the next escalation. Boundaries that are not reinforced tend to move. Respect for law enforcement is not about placing officers above the public. It’s about preserving the basic framework that allows communities to function safely and predictably. When that respect erodes, the consequences extend beyond the men and women in uniform.
The question now is whether law enforcement, political and community leadership will treat the NYC snowball attack as the warning it is — or as just another viral moment to ignore.
Because if we do not draw the line here, the line will keep moving.
About the author
John Rowan is Senior Vice President at Conflict International and the 2025 President of the New York State/Eastern Canada chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates. He retired in 2024 as Chief of Detectives for the Suffolk County Police Department, where he led a 500-member investigative division and oversaw major cases, including the Gilgo Beach Task Force and multi-agency operations targeting violent offenders and organized crime. With more than 30 years in law enforcement, Rowan specializes in complex investigations, crisis management, risk mitigation and global intelligence operations. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice leadership.
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