New York’s top cop on Friday personally pledged the Big Apple would be safe from attack on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
“I absolutely guarantee the safety of the city tomorrow,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea vowed during a news conference outside One Police Plaza.
“Come out and enjoy New York. It’s the greatest city in the world.”
When asked if there were any places people should avoid, Shea said, “Well, it’s New York City, so there’s going to be normal traffic, etc.”
He also said the NYPD would be posting traffic advisories on its “NYPD News” Twitter account.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, however, warned New Yorkers that they’ll notice an “increased presence” of heavily armed cops around mass-transit hubs operated by the MTA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“You’ll see individuals with long arms. You’ll see them looking a little bit militarized,” she said.
“But the idea is to let anyone know that, ‘You mess with New York, there’ll be consequences.'”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “There are no specific, credible threats directed against New York City at this time.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul advises New Yorkers that there will be an “increased presence” of security on transit hubs. Getty Images
NYPD Counterterrorism officers gather outside the 9/11 Memorial on Sept. 11, 2020. Getty ImagesFollow our 9/11 20th Anniversary coverage here:
“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 because, 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,” he added.
Port Authority officers walk past FDNY Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 by the World Trade center on Sept. 8, 2021. Getty Images
The annual Tribute in Light marking the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as seen from Jersey City, NJ, on Sept. 5, 2018. Getty Images
Gov. Kathy Hochul greets police officers after laying flowers at the edge of the south memorial pool by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on Sept. 8, 2021. Getty ImagesUS Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said there were “no specific threats to the homeland.”
“We are watching the flow of information very carefully, not just domestically but around the world,” he said.
