With the massive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the horizon, the NYPD held a special interagency meeting last week to make safety preparations for the extravaganza.
amNewYork Metro was given a peek inside the behind-closed-doors conference, which saw representatives from every New York City agency in attendance at One Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Chief of Department Jeffery Maddrey spearheaded the session, going over the basics of keeping New York’s biggest autumn parade safe.
“This is a massive parade; it’s not just about the police,” Maddrey said. “It’s about making sure buildings are secure, DOT to secure our streets and our lights, traffic, everything has to be maintained. Everything has to be looked at; everything has to be prepared.”
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off on the morning of Nov. 28 at Central Park West and 77th Street and will finish in front of the Macy’s building in Herald Square; tens of thousands of people are expected to participate and spectate.
The big march will occur a week after a series of high-profile crimes that saw the random stabbing murders of three New Yorkers, a shooting of a police officer in Queens, and two slashings of tourists.
Maddrey said the incidents were a reminder of how carefully prepared the NYPD must be to ensure everyone enjoying the Thanksgiving Day Parade has a safe and fun time.
“These are random acts that happened early in the week. They’re devastating, they’re devastating to the families — my condolences to all the families. It’s devastating to us as an agency because we want to make sure people are protected. So, what are big events like this is always about making sure our officers are highly visible, that they’re all out there, they’re vigilant,” Maddrey said, stating that they are there to ensure spectators are protected. “We will have assets that you’ll see out there with assets that you won’t see out there. Undercover officers. We’ll be using our drones and other technologies to make sure that people are safe. And we ask all of our community, people, everyone who comes out to party, to enjoy the parade.”
Police brass say they are also keeping a keen eye on potential disruptors. Last year, a slew of pro-Palestine protesters attempted to block the parade floats by gluing their hands to the roadway. Maddrey says officers will be on the scene and ready to deal with any issues that may arise.
“The first order of prevention is high visibility. But if they do jump the fence and glue themselves, we have the necessary equipment to get them to unglue them and to remove them off the scene,” Maddrey said. “We will be highly visible and ready to go.”
