The New York Police Department says that its new crowd control unit will not be equipped with machines guns. This statement was in response to recent remarks made by New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton when he introduced the new Strategic Response Groups or SRG which is designed for counterterrorism and crowd control (which he referred to “disorder policing”). Thankfully they will more than just harsh language. “They’ll be equipped with all the extra heavy protective gear, with the long rifles and machine guns that are unfortunately sometimes necessary in these instances.” Bratton went on to say that the SRG “is designed for dealing with events like our recent protests, or incidents like Mumbai or what just happened in Paris.”

The 2008 attacks in India and the January attacks in France left a combined total of 175 people dead and wounded hundreds of others. For the most part the months of protests in New York City calling for police accountability were peaceful and orderly with the only real problem being that the protests caused some serious traffic delays. But two NYPD lieutenants were assaulted at a protest in December with one suffering a broken nose. “In New York, dealing with terrorism, and large-scale disorder, and other so-called ‘black swan’ events involves similar skill sets,” Bratton said.
When asked if New Yorkers should expect to see police officers with “machine guns” at city protests, a spokesman for the NYPD replied, “No. They’re not carrying them at protests.” In general, however, the spokesman said officers would have access to the weapons “either on them or in their vehicles.”
Marti Adams, first deputy press secretary for the mayor stated, “The new unit and patrol model announced by Commissioner Bratton embody the innovative approach to policing that Commissioner Bratton is best known for.” “At the outset of this administration, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton committed to moving the NYPD in a new direction marked by more effective law enforcement strategies and a closer relationship between police and the communities that they serve, and the changes outlined by the Commissioner bring us closer to fulfilling that promise,” Adams added. The mayor’s office may help fund the new terrorism/protest unit, along with grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Mayor de Blasio condemned the assault on the police officers in December, but he has broadly supported the New York City demonstrations, saying they “provided an example to the world on how to protest.” The mayor had this to say about the risks: “God forbid, there is an incident that has to be responded to, the officers–every single one of them will have specialized training. So, I think it’s going to be smart on that level. I also think it’s going to take away one of the challenges that precinct commanders have had of having some of their men and women pulled off for special duty. We want to try and reduce that over time, meaning give them more stability in their staffing so they can focus on community policing.” The NYPD is the largest police department in the country, employing more than 34,000 officers. There is some concern that the extra shifts will cost the city a great deal money and increase the tension between de Blasio’s office and the NYPD’s rank and file. The theory is that by standing up a unit specifically tasked with taking on counterterrorism and protest assignments, Bratton is attempting to cut down on overtime costs. But sustaining such a unit over time may be a problem. Scriven King, a blogger and security professional, says that historically, these special details have suffered from “bad leadership, poor training, horrible attrition rates, and wasteful and unnecessary acquisitions.” He adds, “This unit’s day-to-function is still ambiguous,” noting that poor oversight may lead to abuse among its deployments. The announcing of the SRG resulted in an immediate response from activist groups many of whom pointed to a dangerous blurring of lines in a single unit responsible for both counterterrorism and the policing of lawful protests. “Initial reports of Commissioner Bratton’s plans suggest the opposite of progress,” Priscilla Gonzalez, Organizing Director of Communities United for Police Reform, said in a statement. “His demands for less oversight of the NYPD and a more militarized police force that would use counter-terrorism tactics against protesters are deeply misguided and frankly offensive.” Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York and national advocacy director of the National Network for Arab American Communities, added, “At a time when police community tensions are high, how is this new response an attempt at de-escalation and rebuilding ties with communities who are directly impacted by discriminatory police practices and use of excessive force?” The Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC) and Jews Against Islamophobia Coalition (JAIC) said in a statement, “Just a week ago, Commissioner Bratton met with Muslim leaders from across the city in the wake of the Paris attack emphasizing the importance of police-community relations to keep our city safe. The Strategic Response Group will not achieve this goal.”

While you can’t please everyone and any strong step is always met with criticism, the verdict is still out on the new unit.