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The NYPD's Counterterrorism Unit Is Bigger Than Ever
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 21, 2015
Modified Nov 21, 2015
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 21, 2015
Modified Nov 21, 2015
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The NYPD has significantly stepped up its counterterrorism efforts following January's Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, an improvement they're reiterating in the wake of last week's Paris massacre.
Following January's overseas attacks, the NYPD reportedly ran a number of counterterrorism drills, finding the department lacked speed and proper gear. Now, though, the counterterrorism department's beefed up—they've added over 400 new officers (totaling 527) to a new counterterrorism unit, dubbed Critical Response Command.
Naturally, NYC has been on high alert after the Paris attacks—in the immediate aftermath, the NYPD assured New Yorkers there were no known threats to the city, and deployed extra men in uniform to crowded areas and French governmental spots. When ISIS released a video that appeared to threaten Times and Herald Squares this week, the NYPD once again touted its counterterrorism prowess. Both the Critical Response Command and a group of 700 patrol officers called the Strategic Response Group have been equipped with semiautomatic rifles.
The department also works with the FBI to monitor possible threats against the city. "We have the new almost 500 officer counterterrorism command, we have an 800 officer strategic response group, and we’ve always had our 700 officers in ESU, we have about 2,000 officers with about 400 on duty at any given time who are all equipped to deal with the events you just saw in Paris, but that’s response," NYPD Commissioner Bratton told ABC 7 this week. "The offense in our case is intelligence, the gathering of intelligence, nobody does it better than the NYPD and our partnership with the FBI."
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paris attacks
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Rebecca Fishbein
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