A former NYPD official who helped form the Strategic Response Group, the controversial unit that responds to protests in the city, told Gothamist that he now backs a complete overhaul of the unit.
“There has to be a wholesale reset of this,” said Anthony Raganella, a retired NYPD deputy inspector who said he was integral in the formation of the Strategic Response Group.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on disbanding the SRG, and said at a recent press conference that he’s still committed to doing so. His remarks came after NYPD officers – including those assigned to SRG – arrested more than 60 anti-ICE protesters last month as they occupied the lobby of a Lower Manhattan hotel. The mayor added that he’s had conversations with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch about what could replace the unit, but did not detail what that would look like.
Civil liberties groups and others have harshly criticized the SRG since its inception in 2015, accusing officers assigned to the unit of brutality while responding to protests. To settle claims brought by demonstrators protesting the killing of George Floyd in 2020, the department agreed to limit the circumstances under which officers from SRG could be deployed to protests.
In an email, NYPD spokesperson Brad Weekes said SRG officers receive seven weeks of training on a range of topics, such as crowd control, First Amendment rights and arrest tactics.
Officers receive a monthly refresher course that covers all the topics, Weekes added.
Inherent conflict
Raganella said he first had qualms about the SRG’s design soon after it launched, partly because officers in the unit were being trained to carry heavy weapons while also being trained to respond to peaceful protests.
Before the SRG launched, Raganella said he and other NYPD officials suggested that officers in the unit be required to complete an extensive training academy, but he said the scope of the training was ultimately scaled back. He said he viewed the initial training as flawed, partly because it focused on training officers to use specialty weapons.
“I thought that it was not necessary for them to have heavy weapons, and I did not like the idea of crossing over, having a unit that carried heavy weapons, but then was also responsible for facilitating First Amendment assemblies,” Raganella said.
“I just thought that there was an inherent conflict in that approach and that optic,” he added.
NYPD oversight agencies have repeatedly raised the conflict created by the unit’s dual responsibilities.
In a 2020 report on the NYPD’s protest response, the Department of Investigation recommended that the NYPD create a separate unit to respond to protests that does not also respond to emergencies like terror attacks.
“NYPD should re-evaluate the central role of the Strategic Response Group and Disorder Control Unit in response to large protests given their orientation to handle counterterrorism, riots and other serious threats,” the report noted.
In recent remarks, Mamdani cited those competing responsibilities as a reason why he believes the SRG should be disbanded.
“We don’t believe there should be a unit that has both counterterrorism responsibilities and responsibilities to responding to protests,” he said.
Raganella said he’s encouraged and cautiously optimistic about Mamdani’s focus on overhauling SRG. But he added he’s fearful the NYPD could replace it with something that is not significantly different.
“My concern is that the department, if left unchecked, is just going to rebrand this and give it a new name and it’s going to be the same old, same old, and we’re going to end up right back where we started again,” he said.
The future of the unit
Supporters of keeping the SRG say a properly trained unit that can quickly respond to significant emergencies in the city is necessary for ensuring public safety in New York.
“It’s something that’s needed,” said Tyron Pope, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
He added that he believes the structure of SRG should be examined – but said it should not be dismantled because of the controversy around it.
He acknowledged that military-grade weapons make critics uncomfortable, but added: “The paramilitary aspect of it and the optics they create with the protective gear and long guns, the group tactics, the formations, to the police that’s preparedness.”
