By Marlyn Montilla
24 Sep 2023, 16:19 PM EDT
A New York Police Department (NYPD) counterterrorism unit, the “first line of defense” against a possible terrorist attack, faces staff cuts of up to 75%, according to multiple reports.
Members of the NYPD’s Counterterrorism Bureau’s Critical Response Command (CRC) unit were alerted about an upcoming reduction in an internal memo.
“Today I was informed that our unit will be reduced significantly, by up to 75%,” Deputy Chief Scott Shanley, the unit’s commander, wrote in the memo, according to the Post.
“Although we are still striving to reduce this number, whatever the outcome, many personal and family lives will still be affected,” he added.
The reports came after New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that all departments face budget cuts as the city pours more money into managing the migratory wave of asylum seekers from the southern border.
The mayor said he faces a “financial tsunami” that would affect all government services, from “children’s services to our seniors and housing.”
According to the Post, there are about 300 officers assigned to the CRC unit. Up to 240 could be reassigned to street-level patrols to make up for lack of personnel in other commands.
Likewise, about 60 supervisors who staff the unit could be reduced to just 10, the document says.
An NYPD spokesperson said there were no immediate plans to reduce counterterrorism personnel while the U.N. General Assembly meets in New York, according to Fox News.
“The NYPD periodically reviews personnel assignments and considers bolstering resources in various areas whenever it is deemed advantageous to our public safety mission,” said Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard.
“We have not committed to altering the size of any unit, and we certainly do not plan to modify components of our intelligence and counterterrorism apparatus during the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.”
Adams has repeated on different occasions that the immigration crisis will cost New York City around $12 billion dollars.
Several major cities in the United States have faced an influx of thousands of asylum seekers who have packed homeless shelters after entering the country.
As a result, New York’s shelter system has been particularly strained.
The Big Apple has welcomed at least 110,000 people since the spring of last year, of which almost 60,000 live temporarily in government shelters.
Adams has denounced the immigration situation as unsustainable and has repeatedly asked that President Joe Biden’s Administration provide him with federal aid.
Keep reading:
- Crime, high costs and massive immigration are New York’s “big” problems; majority does not believe Biden or Trump should be president: survey
- They reject Mayor Adams’ plan to cut funds to municipal agencies to cover expenses for new migrants
- The immigration crisis “will destroy New York”: Mayor Adams sees no end in the short term and demands that President Biden respond to the 110,000 newcomers