Mamdani prepares to fulfill promise to axe NYPD unit responsible for controlling protest violence
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is reportedly preparing to announce plans to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group (SRG), fulfilling a campaign promise that has drawn pressure from his base.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has been considering moving the SRG under his new Office of Community Safety, which was launched earlier this year. The sources familiar with the plan told Politico that the mayor could formalize the decision via an executive order.
Unit's dual functions
The NYPD describes the SRG as a "critical asset" during parades, protests and major events, noting that personnel are deployed to areas requiring increased police presence and mobilize for various significant incidents.
Commissioner Tisch clarified during a March City Council budget hearing that the SRG typically handles protests involving criminal activity, not peaceful ones. She mentioned that in 2025, the NYPD facilitated 4,255 protests, with the SRG deployed at 245 of them, approximately 6%.
I've been clear that my vision is for the disbanding of the SRG. And the reason for that vision is that the SRG were created a little more than a decade ago with an intention first of dealing with threats, terroristic threats to the city.
Future plans
Mamdani has previously stated his desire to separate the unit's protest and counterterrorism functions. However, Tisch indicated that discussions with the mayor focused on "the future of how we police protests generally," rather than disbanding the unit.
The mayor's office has acknowledged the plan, with spokesperson Dora Pekec confirming to Politico that "our administration will disband the Strategic Response Group and separate protest response from counterterrorism." She added that they "will have more to share soon." Fox News reached out to both City Hall and the NYPD for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.
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