Former NYPD official calls for overhaul of unit responding to protests amid controversy.
A retired deputy inspector who played a key role in shaping the Strategic Response Group (SRG), a unit responsible for policing protests, now advocates for its complete overhaul. Anthony Raganella expressed his concerns about the SRG's dual responsibilities as it was trained to carry heavy weapons while also handling peaceful protests. He viewed this as an inherent conflict and feared that the department might simply rebrand the unit.
Raganella recalled that when the SRG first launched, he and other officials suggested a more extensive training academy for officers in the unit. However, the scope of their training was ultimately scaled back, leading to criticisms from oversight agencies about the conflicting roles of the unit.
NYPD Mayor Zohran Mamdani has long campaigned on dismantling the SRG due to concerns over its handling of protests and allegations of brutality by officers assigned to the unit. His administration has agreed to limit circumstances under which SRG officers can be deployed, but discussions about potential replacements have been sparse.
Critics argue that the SRG's dual nature creates a conflict of interest, as it is trained for counterterrorism and riot response yet also responsible for facilitating peaceful protests. Civil liberties groups have heavily criticized the unit since its inception in 2015.
The NYPD claims that SRG officers undergo extensive training covering topics such as crowd control, First Amendment rights, and arrest tactics. However, critics remain unconvinced by this claim, citing instances of brutality during protests.
Supporters of keeping the SRG argue that it provides a necessary service for ensuring public safety in New York City. They suggest that the unit's structure should be examined to ensure its effectiveness but caution against dismantling it solely due to controversy.
Raganella remains cautiously optimistic about the mayor's efforts to overhaul the SRG, but fears that the department might simply rebrand and maintain existing power structures. As one critic put it, "We don't believe there should be a unit with both counterterrorism responsibilities and response to protests."
A retired deputy inspector who played a key role in shaping the Strategic Response Group (SRG), a unit responsible for policing protests, now advocates for its complete overhaul. Anthony Raganella expressed his concerns about the SRG's dual responsibilities as it was trained to carry heavy weapons while also handling peaceful protests. He viewed this as an inherent conflict and feared that the department might simply rebrand the unit.
Raganella recalled that when the SRG first launched, he and other officials suggested a more extensive training academy for officers in the unit. However, the scope of their training was ultimately scaled back, leading to criticisms from oversight agencies about the conflicting roles of the unit.
NYPD Mayor Zohran Mamdani has long campaigned on dismantling the SRG due to concerns over its handling of protests and allegations of brutality by officers assigned to the unit. His administration has agreed to limit circumstances under which SRG officers can be deployed, but discussions about potential replacements have been sparse.
Critics argue that the SRG's dual nature creates a conflict of interest, as it is trained for counterterrorism and riot response yet also responsible for facilitating peaceful protests. Civil liberties groups have heavily criticized the unit since its inception in 2015.
The NYPD claims that SRG officers undergo extensive training covering topics such as crowd control, First Amendment rights, and arrest tactics. However, critics remain unconvinced by this claim, citing instances of brutality during protests.
Supporters of keeping the SRG argue that it provides a necessary service for ensuring public safety in New York City. They suggest that the unit's structure should be examined to ensure its effectiveness but caution against dismantling it solely due to controversy.
Raganella remains cautiously optimistic about the mayor's efforts to overhaul the SRG, but fears that the department might simply rebrand and maintain existing power structures. As one critic put it, "We don't believe there should be a unit with both counterterrorism responsibilities and response to protests."
. nyc needs somethin to keep the peace, and if it's not effective in doin that, then whut's the problem? cant we just tweak it 2 fit both protest & counterterrorism roles? i mean, its not like they're gonna send ppl with guns 2 peaceful demos 
. but at the same time, ur right, having a unit thats trained 4 both makes it hard 2 take seriously. might b somethin in between w/ better training would b better tho 
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like thats not gonna create more tension & make people even more skeptical of authority? its all about perception & control. gotta ask urself if u really wanna give an org that's trained for riot response & counterterrorism the power to moderate peaceful protests... sounds fishy to me 
. The whole thing needs a deeper overhaul, not just some cosmetic changes. I don't think rebranding is gonna fix anything, it just sounds like they're trying to sweep it under the rug 
. We need real change here, not just some token efforts to make everyone feel better 
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. Can't we find a way to balance that out? Like, let's train these officers to handle protests with care, but also give them the tools to deal with potential threats 
... it's not rocket science! We need to have an open conversation about this and figure out what's really going on here 
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And don't even get me started on the whole rebranding thing... like, no way, they're not gonna change the fundamental problem just to save face 
. I'm all for public safety and all, but we need to prioritize civil liberties too! 
. And let's be real, the NYPD's training just doesn't seem legit 
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. The idea of having officers trained for heavy weapons while also handling peaceful protests is just crazy talk 
. I mean, how can you trust that they're not gonna end up using the same tactics on protesters as they would on terrorists? It's a total conflict of interest and I think it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or worse 
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. It's like, how can you be all about keeping people safe when you've got officers with guns and batons on the scene?
with the protesters"? it's like they're trying to do two jobs at once and can't decide what's more important - being a riot cop or taking an Instagram pic 
. anywayz, back to reality, someone needs to come up with a better plan for policing protests than having a unit that's trained for counterterrorism but also has to deal with peaceful protesters. maybe they should just call in the pizza delivery guy instead of deploying the SRG?
I'm glad the mayor is pushing for change, even if it's slow going 
. We can't have a unit that's supposed to protect us but ends up intimidating us instead 
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. Can't we just stick to de-escalation techniques and crowd control instead of arming them with heavy weapons?