NYPD Commissioner: We Have Been on Heightened Alert Since the Hostilities in Iran Began

EXCERPT:

TISCH: “So, as you know, the NYPD remains on heightened alert. We really have been on heightened alert since the hostilities in Iran broke out about one week ago, which means extra counterterrorism deployments, heavy weapons teams, drones, aviation. This department, in particular, our intelligence and counterterrorism unit and teams have been out there in full force for the past week, as they are any time something happens, either in this city or around the world that we feel we need to deploy for. Look, this incident did occur at a protest, but it didn‘t have to have occurred at a protest. So, this doesn‘t change our posture specifically on protests. The NYPD has been policing protests and ensuring New Yorkers’ ability to exercise their First Amendment rights safely and lawfully for decades, but never more so, frankly, than over the past two and a half years where we have just seen a huge increase in the number of protests. And our officers, both our community affairs officers, our patrol officers, and our SRG officers are well trained and certainly well practiced at doing so.”