By Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
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NEW YORK — More than 10,000 cops — the largest NYPD deployment ever for a planned event — will be securing Thursday’s Knicks ticker-tape parade up the Canyon of Heroes, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
NYPD heavy-weapons teams, bomb-sniffing K-9 units and mounted units, as well as the “full scope of the NYPD’s counter-terrorism capabilities,” including officers with the technology to take down unauthorized drones, will be deployed during the 10 a.m. parade, where attendance is expected to be “in the millions,” Tisch said during a briefing Wednesday.
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Thursday’s parade, she said, “presents an operational challenge on a scale that this city rarely faces,” she said. “Attendance is expected to exceed the available space in lower Manhattan, and once designated viewing areas reach capacity, people will be redirected or turned away.”
In comparison, the NYPD historically assigns about 7,000 cops to cover the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, which brings about 2 million people to the area each year.
According to an NYPD threat assessment for the parade obtained by the Daily News, there is no credible threat but, as usual, there is the possibility of lone-wolf incidents.
In preparation for the Knicks parade, vehicular traffic in lower Manhattan south of Canal St. will be halted beginning at 7 a.m. Anyone attending the parade will have to come by public transportation, Tisch said.
Screenings for penned-in viewing areas will begin at 6 a.m. on Thursday at 23 locations along the parade route. Residents and workers in lower Manhattan will be able to get through with proper identification.
Attendees will be barred from bringing in large bags, backpacks, coolers, umbrellas, or glass or metal bottles. They will be allowed to bring in plastic water bottles.
“There will be no tolerance for violence and disorder,” Tisch warned. “Anyone who breaks the law should expect swift enforcement action and immediate consequences.”
“We want people to enjoy this moment,” she said. “We want this to be a safe and memorable celebration for Knicks fans and New York City, but public safety comes first and we will be planning accordingly. We look forward to ensuring a safe celebration for such an important moment for so many New Yorkers.”
About two dozen police officers were injured and more than 100 people were arrested last week during various watch parties during the Knicks triumphant NBA Finals run to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
Fired-up fans set at least five school buses ablaze Saturday night after the Knicks clinched the Finals. Other videos of various watch party celebrations on Wednesday showed people destroying and trying to flip over a yellow taxi.
Also on Wednesday, a 17-year-old boy was beaten into a coma as he and his friends attended a watch party at a bar a few blocks from Madison Square Garden.
Following the parade, Mayor Mamdani will give each member of the championship Knicks team a Key to the City at a celebration outside City Hall.
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