NEW YORK — Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani is expected to unveil a plan to disband the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group as soon as this week, according to three people with knowledge of the long-awaited announcement.
By disbanding the counterterrorism and protest response unit, the democratic socialist mayor would be fulfilling a key 2025 campaign pledge in an effort to appease an increasingly restive base.
Mamdani’s plan is expected to involve eliminating the SRG and possibly replacing it with a new civilian unit that would take the lead in responding to the protests, said one of the people who spoke to POLITICO and, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss the announcement. Under the plan — which had not been finalized as of Thursday morning — the new civilian unit would be supported by NYPD officers, who would assemble nearby and could move in to make arrests if necessary, the person said, emphasizing that the civilian entity’s main goal would be de-escalation.
The person said City Hall is considering placing the civil protest unit under the Mamdani Community Safety Office, which it launched earlier this year.
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