Mamdani to disband NYPD strategic response unit

(The Center Square) — New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is preparing to disband a controversial NYPD unit, fulfilling a key campaign pledge for the democratic socialist, who has been criticized for calling to defund the nation's largest police force.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mamdani said he remains committed to disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group — which has dual responsibilities to respond to acts of suspected terrorism as well as large-scale protests — but didn't provide any details.

"I have made very clear that the focus of the conversations that have taken place since being in office has been to do this in a way that keeps New Yorkers safe and protects their First Amendment rights," Mamdani said during the press briefing.

His remarks came as news reports suggested that the Mamdani administration is preparing to dismantle the unit — splitting its responsibilities by creating a new civilian force to respond to public demonstrations and another specifically for responding to anti-terrorism efforts.

The Center Square did not independently confirm how much the city spends on the unit or how many officers it employs. Research from the New York chapter of the ACLU says it has 700 staff and carries a $100 million budget.

A city hall spokeswoman said in a statement that the Mamdani administration will "disband the Strategic Response Group and separate protest response from counterterrorism" and said additional information will be coming soon. Several published reports said that announcement could come as early as next week.

Sometimes also called SRG, the unit was beefed up in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to respond to "citywide mobilizations, civil disorders, and major events with highly trained personnel and specialized equipment. They are also deployed to areas requiring an increased police presence due to increased crime or other conditions," the NYPD says on its website.

But the specialized unit has been criticized by community activists and others as too militaristic, prompting the new mayor to make good on his campaign pledge.

In 2020, the NYPD unit was accused of unfairly detaining more than 100 protesters who had been part of a demonstration over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. The agency entered a consent decree to settle the allegations and a judge ordered reparations for those who were determined to be unlawfully detained.

Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD's largest union, says Mamdani's plan will put "both police officers and the public at greater risk."

"Mayor Mamdani has spent years scoring political points by singling out and demonizing one particular group of police officers. If he's now planning to replace them with civilians, he should be honest: SRG's dual role was never the real issue. He and his radical allies just don't want the NYPD involved in policing demonstrations at all."

"No matter what changes he makes, the mayor can't be foolish enough to believe they will satisfy his base," Hendry added. “'Disband SRG' was always code for 'Disband the whole NYPD,' and they won't stop until they achieve that goal."