NYPD Strategic Response Group: Mamdani's Disbanding Plan

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is preparing to disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, the specialized unit that handles both counterterrorism and protest response, fulfilling a campaign pledge that has long worried Jewish community leaders.

"As the Mayor has said, our administration will disband the Strategic Response Group and separate protest response from counterterrorism," spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement, adding that more details would follow. The announcement could come as soon as Monday, according to the New York Daily News.

One source told Politico the plan would eliminate the SRG and could replace its protest response role with a civilian unit focused on de-escalation. NYPD officers would stage nearby and could step in to make arrests if necessary. The civilian team could operate within Mamdani's Office of Community Safety. Politico reported the plan could be formalized by executive order.

Mamdani said on Friday that he remains "committed" to disbanding the unit and that he doesn't "believe that the responsibilities of counterterrorism and enforcement and First Amendment response are one and the same."

The SRG was established in 2015 to give the NYPD specialized personnel trained to respond to terrorist threats, large demonstrations, civil disturbances and other emergencies. The NYPD calls it a "critical asset" that mobilizes for shootings, bank robberies, missing persons and major citywide events. Critics on the left have long attacked the unit over its handling of the 2020 George Floyd protests, and its deployment at protests is now governed by a court settlement stemming from that period.

For many Jewish New Yorkers, the unit has a different significance. The SRG has been deployed at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including the protests at Columbia University. It has also been deployed outside synagogues hosting Israel-related events, which activists have repeatedly targeted. During the mayoral race, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Manhattan's Central Synagogue warned that Mamdani pledged to shut down the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, which broke up the violent protests at Columbia, which could mean that when Jews are under attack, we may not feel protected.

Those concerns sharpened after a series of protests outside synagogues hosting events promoting real estate in Israel and the West Bank. Some demonstrations have included chants calling for an "intifada" and other rhetoric Jewish leaders described as antisemitic and intimidating. Mamdani drew sharp criticism from Jewish leaders in November 2025 for his response to a protest outside Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.

The police union also pushed back. Patrick Hendry, head of the Police Benevolent Association, said Mamdani "and his allies just don't want the NYPD involved in police demonstrations at all." He added that "'Disband SRG' was always code for 'Disband the whole NYPD,' and they won't stop until they achieve that goal."

The administration has played down the unit's role in protests. City Hall noted that in 2025 the NYPD facilitated 4,255 protests and the SRG was available at 245 of them, or roughly 6%. One source described the move as more of a "rebranding," saying "Police will still be out there."

Mamdani has said he has no plans to fire Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, despite pressure from the left. Tisch, who is Jewish, agreed to stay on when he took office, which many saw as a reassuring sign for the city's Jewish community. The NYPD declined to comment on the expected announcement.