NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to announce a plan to disband the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, the unit that handles both counterterrorism and protest response, according to Politico.
The SRG handles both counterterrorism and protest response. Mamdani made disbanding it a campaign promise but has not acted on it in his first year in office.
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One source told Politico the plan would eliminate the SRG and could replace its protest response role with a civilian unit focused on de-escalation. NYPD officers would stage nearby and could step in to make arrests if necessary. City Hall has considered housing the new unit in the Office of Community Safety, which Mamdani launched earlier this year, the source said.
The sources, who spoke anonymously, said the announcement could come in an executive order.
City Hall spokesperson Dora Pekec did not answer questions about the details. She said in a statement that the administration “will disband the Strategic Response Group and separate protest response from counterterrorism,” and that more information is coming soon.
Mamdani has said the SRG was created to deal with terror threats but has since taken on protest response as well, and that the two functions should be separate. Politico reported that Mamdani has also pointed to a high rate of misconduct complaints against SRG members.
NYPD leadership has defended the unit as highly trained and able to make arrests safely during large, chaotic demonstrations, Politico reported.
Council member Chi Ossé has also pushed legislation to limit the SRG’s role in protests. The latest version of his bill would require the mayor to eliminate the unit.
The department’s protest response, including how and when it uses the SRG, is governed by a court settlement stemming from its handling of demonstrations after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, according to Politico.
What challenges could arise if civilian teams take the lead on de-escalation and police are called in only when arrests or enforcement are necessary?
