Overview

• At a press conference, Mamdani affirmed he would dissolve the Strategic Response Group and install a new emergency task force focused on protest response.
• He distanced himself from his 2020 “defund the police” rhetoric by emphasizing the role of social workers in nonviolent calls and acknowledging police importance for violent threats.
• The SRG has faced multiple lawsuits over excessive force but was among the first units to contain Monday’s Park Avenue gunman.
• Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD officials warned that eliminating the unit would undermine the city’s capacity to respond to mass shootings and other violent emergencies.
• Monday’s Midtown attack left four dead, including off-duty Officer Didarul Islam, and saw the lone shooter neutralized on site.