Police are stepping up patrols across New York as the city prepares to commemorate 20 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
New York’s new Governor Kathy Hochul held a press conference in Manhattan Friday announcing the beefed-up security measures, saying the city was ‘vulnerable’ to threats over the coming weekend.
Hochul was joined by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermott Shea and Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who all addressed the media.
‘You’ll see individuals with long-arms, you’ll see them looking a little bit militarized. But the idea is to let anyone know that you mess with New York, there will be consequences,’ Hochul vowed.
She also appeared to take a swipe at recently ousted Gov. Andrew Cuomo, vowing that she would be tough on crime.
‘We are ushering in a new era of collaboration,’ she stated, speaking ahead of NYPD Commissioner Shea.
‘And I believe that that is going to give our mutual constituents… a sense of confidence that we will leave no stone unturned to protect the individuals we have
Police are stepping up patrols across New York as the city prepares to commemorate 20 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermott Shea and Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas held a joint press conference on Friday
‘You’ll see individuals with long-arms, you’ll see them looking a little bit militarized. But the idea is to let anyone know that you mess with New York, there will be consequences,’ Hochul vowed
Mayor De Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Shea – who have reportedly had a frosty relationship in recent years – both spoke at the presser
Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas also spoke about the security protocols at the address
‘Militarized-looking’ officers stood protecting the officials as they held their press conference
De Blasio declared there were ‘no specific and credible threats’ to public safety, but said he had poured ‘massive resources’ into protecting the public during the 9/11 anniversary commemorations.
‘The NYPD is watching not daily, not hourly, minute-by-minute, with extraordinary intelligence-gathering and counterterrorism capacity which we have built up in recent years,’ he declared.
‘Even though it’s 20 years later, we see threats all over this world directed at us. And we see challenges that are homegrown as well.’
De Blasio’s pronouncements come despite the fact he last year slashed $1 billion from the NYPD’s annual operating budget and has presided over a drastic spike in the city’s violent crime rate.
He spoke ahead of Commissioner Shea, with whom he has reportedly had a frosty relationship in recent years.
Hochul also appeared to take a swipe at recently ousted Gov. Andrew Cuomo, vowing that she would be tough on crime
Afterward, the politicians toured the Command Center at 1 Police Plaza to meet with officers working to protect the city over the 9/11 weekend
De Blasio declared there were ‘no specific and credible threats’ to public safety, but said he had poured ‘massive resources’ into protecting the public during the 9/11 anniversary commemorations
De Blasio and Hochul are seen leaving police headquarters after their tour on Friday. Hochul has vowed that her administration will ‘collaborate’ effectively with law enforcement
Police officers stand guard at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum on Sept 10
Afterward, the politicians toured the Command Center at 1 Police Plaza to meet with officers working to protect the city over the 9/11 weekend.
It comes as the city prepares for its annual memorial ceremony at Ground Zero on Saturday morning.
The ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, honors the 2,983 people killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon, aboard Flight 93, and those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The focus of this year’s commemoration will be the reading of the names of the deceased by family members.
The ceremony will also observe six moments of silence, acknowledging when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell and the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.
The program is slated to begin at 8.30am Saturday, with the first moment of silence taking place at 8.46am.
The annual Tribute in Light will also shine into the sky over lower Manhattan from dusk to dawn on Saturday.
Members of the public pay their respects at the 9/11 Memorial in New York on Sept. 10, 2021
Consul General of Poland in New York Adrian Kubicki (right) and Krzysztof Szczerski (left), Polish ambassador to the United Nations, lay a wreath of the Polish victims at the 9/11 memorial
Retired California Firefighter Dave Allan pays his respects at the 9/11 memorial
Allan looks up at the Freedom Tower, built in the years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks
People visit the 9/11 memorial in Lower Manhattan ahead of the anniversary on Saturday
People pay their respects at the 9/11 memorial in Lower Manhattan, New York. September 10 2021. Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks which killed 2,996 people
American Airlines staff lay a floral tribute for the victims of flight 77 at the South Tower 9/11 memorial in Lower Manhattan
Members of the public pass flowers left at the 9/11 Memorial in New York on Sept. 10, 2021
The One World Trade Center is reflected on a nearby building ahead of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan on Sept. 10, 2021
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans are paying tribute to the people who were killed and injured on the nation’s darkest day (Pictured: Smoke pours from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after they were hit by two hijacked airliners in a terrorist attack September 11, 2001 in New York City)