Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Media Availability with NYPD Commissioner Bratton, OEM Commissioner Esposito, and Officials From the United States Secret Service and FBI

September 15, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you very much, commissioner. I want to thank the commissioner for his leadership as we prepare for this unprecedented series of visits to our city. I think it’s fair to say the United Nations General Assembly alone – excuse me – alone – a hundred and seventy plus world leaders – would constitute an extraordinary moment in this city’s history. And the visit of His Holiness, obviously, at any moment, would be one of the extraordinary moments we would experience. But when you combine them, we can say safely we’ve literally never seen something like this before. And we welcome it; we embrace it; we look forward to it. And I have tremendous confidence in Commissioner Bratton and the men and women of the NYPD, and all our partners assembled here – and their ability to make this extraordinary series of events come together safely and effectively.

This is a group of leaders from a variety of agencies working in tandem. And I’ve witnessed this teamwork this very day, and the exercise that I participated in earlier, which we prepared for a series of eventualities – and it was extraordinary to watch the effortless – the seamless teamwork between a variety of security agencies at all levels of government, and all the other authorities involved.

This is something that really is a testament to the level of partnership that has become the norm now. And we are thrilled about that fact – it is part of why we are such a safe city; it’s part of why our nation has been protected so well – the kind of partnership we experience every day. It’s a testament to the value of planning. It’s a testament to the extraordinary work that’s done every day in drilling and preparing for every eventuality.

The visit of His Holiness, to me, will be something that will inspire us and will enlighten us, and will give us – I think – fuel for the constant betterment of our city for years and years to come. And I think it will be a particularly powerful moment for millions and millions of American Catholics, and particularly Catholics in New York City. But for many, many New Yorkers who happen not to be Catholic, this will be an equally extraordinary moment because His Holiness has become, I would argue, the single strongest voice of conscience anywhere in the world – someone that people of all backgrounds look to for leadership. To have him here – at the same time to have leaders from around the world at the United Nations – always a symbol of the great human possibilities for peace and understanding. I think this will be an extraordinary and inspiring time.

First and foremost, we want this to be a safe time in our city. That’s why such extraordinary efforts have been engineered to ensure the safety, first of all, of His Holiness and of all the world leaders, but of course, of all New Yorkers and all our visitors as well.

No one is better at protection then the Secret Service, and locally, no one is better at protection than the NYPD. And joining forces together with the FBI and so many other partners, you’re going to see an extraordinary effort. Now, this effort, as we always say, it will involve the best-trained personnel and leaders. It will involve the best strategies. It will involve the most state-of-the-art technology. It will involve many tools and many measures you can see. It will involve many measures you can’t see. But it will all add up to an extraordinary effort that will protect all involved.

Just to give you a sense of how extensive the partnership is, the agencies involved in the exercise earlier today included – in addition to NYPD, of course – the Secret Service, the Office of Emergency Management of this city, FDNY, FBI, Coast Guard, FEMA, Port Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, the Parks Department, and even partners like Con Ed – every one of them together at the same table, in effect, working on how to coordinate. And not just preparing for the typical scenarios, but also for scenarios previously unimaginable, because that’s the level of preparation that is demanded by each of us of each other.

We have – and I say this with no fear of contradiction – the finest police force anywhere in this nation – anywhere in this world – here in this city. This police force has seen it all, and is ready for it all. And we will have available capacity on land, on sea, and in the air. We’ll have thousands and thousands of officers and the advantage of tremendously effective surveillance technology, including cameras, explosive trace detection devices, radiation detective devices, and some of the more traditional measures, such as K9 units. All of this brought together to ensure the safety of all.

At the same time, I want to emphasize, while all this unprecedented effort is underway, New Yorkers can be assured that the usual level of safety we achieve in this city and the extraordinary efforts made every day to keep New Yorkers safe in every neighborhood will continue at the same time. We will continue to have the kind of strong presence throughout our communities as we focus on the areas where the dignitaries are in the city simultaneously.

Of course, there will be street closures. There will be inconveniences, but I would say New Yorkers are – first of all – we’re tough and we’re resilient. We can handle it. Second of all, we know what it is to be a capital of the world – many would argue the capital of the world – and to have a gathering of such leaders in our presence speaks to who we are as well. And certainly to have His Holiness with us is a blessing for all of us.

I want to emphasize at the same time, although there will be extraordinary measures in place – there will be some street closures, both some temporary and some longer lasting – regular business goes on at the same time in this city. Government offices will be open. Private businesses will be open. All of that will continue – and New York City is a place that can actually balance all that together and make it work.

And I want to thank all of the leaders gathered here today. I also want to thank all the men and women who serve under their command for the efforts they’ve undertaken already and that which they will do in the days ahead to ensure the safety and security of all.

Just a few words in Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

Thank you very much, and we look forward to this extraordinary moment in our history.

[…]

Commissioner William Bratton, NYPD: Okay. With that, we will be available to initially – those that have spoken to you – to speak on any questions you might have relative to the event – so the Pope’s visit and the United Nations General Assembly.

Question: Mayor, these first two questions go to you. My first question is how do you determine if someone is credentialed to see the Pope and who is not? [Inaudible] And secondly what does this event mean for you personally, since you are mayor of New York, whereas [inaudible]?

Mayor: As we all know what?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Ah. So, let me talk about my personal views for a quick moment. On the question of the credentials and how we’re handling that, I think that’s one part – obviously relates to the security perimeters being set up by NYPD working with our federal partners, so they can better speak to that. I can certainly say we’re going to a lot of effort to ensure that there’s multiple ways that people have to verify their identity. And the head of our Citywide Office of Special Events, Michael Carey, is here and he can speak to the details of that if we need. For me personally, this is a moment to be very proud as a New Yorker. Again, I think it is a fair statement to say that Pope Francis is the leading voice of conscience in the world today. He is calling all of us to do better –to work together to address conflicts around the world, to address what is now a global challenge of migration in a compassionate manner. He’s addressing in many, many ways the challenge of inequality all over the earth. He’s calling for solidarity with the poor in a way that I think has been striking and has helped all over the world for people to rethink their approaches and their policies. So in just the short time of his papacy, we can say that Pope Francis has really become a particularly powerful voice in this world, and has had a particularly strong and fast impact. But that’s just one part of the equation. I think for the millions of Catholics in New York City and in the metropolitan area, this is a jubilant moment, and a moment where their supreme leader – the person who they look to as the voice and the interpretation of their faith – is going to be here among us. That is a moment of profound meaning to millions and millions of people. And finally, as I said, if people happen not to be Catholic but still are moved by the Pope’s example as a leader, as a voice of conscience – there’s something about Pope Francis that is uplifting to all of us, I believe, and encouraging to all of us, and speaks to the possibilities that humanity can reach. So to have him here in the place that still in many ways defines the center stage of the earth, I think is going to be powerful. I think it’s going to be exciting. I think it’s going to be inspiring. Again, to the question of how we’re going to ensure that the various credentialed events are handled properly, I’ll let the commissioner and our security leaders speak to you about that. 

Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Sica, New York Office of the United States Secret Service: I’ll be happy to answer that question on credentialing. As part of the National Special Security Event, we actually have a subcommittee that works exclusively on credentialing. There will be strict controls as far as credentialing is concerned for access during the papal visit – and beyond, quite frankly. And I think it’s really important – yes, we have the papal visit, but we have 170 heads of state in here, and there’s going to be some strict controls as far as access concerning those protectees as well. 

Question: [inaudible]

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: Just that there will be credentials in place for access, and that access is going to be controlled by the Secret Service in conjunction with the New York City Police Department.

Mayor: So I might add, on a practical news-you-can-use point, bring valid ID or you will be turned away. Would you agree with that statement?

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: That is always very helpful.

Mayor: Yes.

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: Thank you, Mayor. 

Question: Yes, I would like to know [inaudible].

Commissioner Bratton: We have had a number of discussions with archdiocese representatives, as well as papal representatives, about security issues, and trying to the best of our ability to meet our needs – that of the Secret Service, certainly, and the NYPD – and the desires and wishes of the Pope. So we are very comfortable that we are going to be able to meet both sets of needs and have a very safe event that will satisfy, certainly, the Pope’s desire as well as the concerns that we would have from a security standpoint. 

Question: [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: We have at this time, as we’re speaking to you and going forward, no credible threats directed against this event that we’re aware of – constantly monitoring, as you might expect, and we have the combined efforts of some of the best intelligence forces in the world at this juncture working on this event. And – but at this time, there is nothing that, from this point going forward, that we are aware of. Constantly watching and constantly scanning, but, again, nothing at this juncture. 

Question: On that same topic, for Commissioner Bratton, from the Secret Service there was some threat against the Pope that has been foiled. Do you have any information on that?

Commissioner Bratton: [inaudible] to speak to that.

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: I will defer to Diego to go ahead and answer that question. It – there was a JTTF investigation, and that’s about as much as we want to say, so –

Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez, FBI New York Field Office: And that’s all we’re going to say, folks, regarding that. We’re just not going to comment on any ongoing investigation at this time. And as the police commissioner said, there’s no credible threat at this time to this event or to the Pope.

Mayor: Wait, wait wait – hold on, hold on – Rich has been waiting patiently.

Question: Mr. Commissioner, but – but the Holy Father’s been –          
    
Commissioner Bratton: One of the deans of the New York press corps. 

Mayor: Yes. 

[Laughter]

Mayor: Seniority has its privileges.

[Laughter]

Question: But the Holy Father is pretty unpredictable – he loves to get out of the Popemobile –

Commissioner Bratton: Tell me about it.

Question: – he goes to hug people. So is this a concern? I mean, obviously you must have some plans in place that you probably can’t outline entirely of course, but can you – 

Commissioner Bratton: Certainly for those of us wearing the security hats, it’s always a concern – that if we could, we’d keep them inside a bubble as we could, but this Pope has made it quite clear as he’s traveled around the world that that’s not what he does. Again, we will attempt to, as much as possible, try to find common ground on this issue, and I’m very comfortable that we’ll be able to meet his needs as well our needs. And at the end of the event, we’ll all look back and feel that it went of very, very well.

Mayor: And Rich, I’m going to add, as you’ve heard me say before, invoking one of the most famous of advertisements – “He answers to a higher authority.” 

[Laughter]

So, we’re going to respect that.

Question: Is there [inaudible] as to how many officials it takes to secure an event like this, and how much is it costing the city to provide security?

Commissioner Bratton: The numbers of personnel at this juncture – that we’re still – as recently as this morning’s table top, things that we learned from that, those numbers we’ll be adjusting, but I think the opening comments that we believe this is probably the largest security event the department has had to deal with because of the idea of – if you think of it, three major events. The president coming in at the tail end of it is normally a major undertaking for any city, but the Pope and the U.N. at the same time – and then just to put in a little entertainment on top of it all, we have Beyoncé entertaining 100,000 people in Central Park as the Pope is leaving. So – and I think we have a couple of baseball games scattered in and about at the same time. No, there is no city in the world that’s as prepared as this one to deal with the multiplicity of events. As to the cost, the cost will be what it is to ensure that everybody that is involved has a safe event. That’s where the costs are going to go, and we will seek to be mindful of them, certainly, but these things do entail a cost, and that’s one of the things that New York has to contend with when we ascribe our self as the center of the universe.

Question: Is there any estimate on how many people will have access to the Pope? So,  you have Fifth Avenue, Central Park, Madison Square Garden, in terms of ticketed people, dignitaries is there any – 

Commissioner Bratton: I think for the planned events we certainly would know – St. Patrick’s, Central Park – how many can actually ticket holders get in. Some of the other movement around the city, that the limitation would be this geographic space. But, I think it’s safe to say in the course of his time here he will be exposed to, you know, hundreds of thousands of people as he moves around the City.

Question: Mr. Bratton, [inaudible] –

Question: [inaudible] people have been selling tickets for over $1000 dollars. Is that going to be [inaudible]?

Mayor: Look, that’s truly troubling. It’s disgusting that anyone would take a free ticket for someone to see His Holiness and decide to re-sell it. So let’s start with sort of some basic human values. No one should do that. No one should buy such a ticket. It’s just absolutely inconsistent with everything that this Pope stands for. We are working – we the City are working, in terms of the ticketed events that we are organizing, with some of the outlets that often provide the platform, like EBay and Craigslist – and they’ve been very cooperative in helping us to inhibit this type of activity. But I think this has become a very human equation – no one should sell such a ticket, no one should buy such a ticket.

Question: [inaudible] there’s going to be a wall built [inaudible]?

Commissioner Bratton: [inaudible] want to speak to that? He’s talking about the fence going through both the park as well as some of the other locations.

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: Sure. Is there a specific question about the fence, or – 

Question: There’s been a lot of reporting about a fence and walls. [inaudible]?

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: Fencing is used by the Secret Service routinely to identify those that have been screened versus those that haven’t been screened. We have gone to great lengths working with the City, to try to ensure that we would be able to keep businesses open, particularly along Fifth Avenue. And to that end, I think that’s where a lot of the narrative about the fencing and the height of the fencing may arise. So, beyond that, if there’s –

Mayor: That’s it. [inaudible]

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: Ok.

Question: Has the Pope expressed any interest in using public transportation? He sees himself very much as a man of the people [inaudible].

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: We hope not!

[Laughter]

Mayor: Excellent. Excellent answer. 

Commissioner Bratton: And if he does, he better pay the fare. 

[Laughter]

Commissioner Bratton: We have strong laws against fare evasion here.

Mayor: That’s right. 

Commissioner Bratton: [inaudible]

Question: [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: He’s asking about the [inaudible] from Central Park – from Central Park then down to the next event [inaudible] switch vehicle.

Agent Sica: Okay. As far as the vehicles that the Pope will utilize during his visit, we will not have any comment on that. 

Question: [inaudible]

Special Agent-in-Charge Sica: I would say that we are very, very familiar with this Pope and how he travels, so one would expect that what has been used both in Italy and certainly some of the other countries that he’s visited – we would expect to see the same type.

Mayor: Let me just add to that. Look, the Central Park element of this visit, which we helped to organize, I think people will have a very positive experience and they have an opportunity to see the Pope. But, again, we’re not going to get into more detail about the specifics for security reasons. 

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I think I just said that people will have a very positive experience – I’m talking about the Central Park piece in particular. But, again, I think it’s clear that any opportunity to see the Pope will be meaningful to a lot of people in this city, and I think there will be several good opportunities to do that. 

Question: [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: I did not hear that question. 

Mayor: People want to know if there’s some place they can go if they don’t have tickets to see the Pope.

Commissioner Bratton: I think as we get closer to the event that – and if the information is disseminated as to where he’s going to be, people may have to try to figure that out for themselves in the sense we will have an announced motorcade route, certainly Central Park, and other events. But as to other movement through the city, we will not be advertising that, if you will, as he moves from location to location other than for major events. 

Unknown: Two more on-topic, please.

Question: Commissioner, a couple of weeks ago Commissioner Miller put out a [inaudible] about 5,000 [inaudible] number of police officers who are going to be involved in the papal security. Is that still holding? Or is that being adjusted up or down?

Commissioner Bratton: I don’t think we have given out numbers in terms of that 5,000 figure. I’m not sure that would come from – Jimmy, I don’t know, if you have really finalized yet what you’re working on. That’s still a work in progress in terms of what we will have utilized for total numbers during that event. And also, it will go up or down day-to-day depending on the events we’re talking about also. And last one here before we move off-topic.

Question: I know you can’t speak to specifically about what you’re doing in Central Park, but, I mean, does that aspect of the Pope’s visit present particular, or different, or more challenging security issues as [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: Well, I think Central Park is more challenging in the sense of the scope and scale – the distance, et cetera. It is a ticketed event, however, as the others are also. So that allows some control over the fencing that the Secret Service has referenced. No, I think we’ll be fine – that all of these events are challenging. Let’s face it, that’s the reality of it. But I think the collective expertise that is going to be involved in this, both at the federal, state, and local level – I think we’re going to be in very good shape as we go forward. 

Question: [inaudible] windows, rooftops, it seems like it’s almost impossible to cover everything.

Commissioner Bratton: Well, that’s correct. You never have the ability to cover everything in the sense of control access. But even those areas that – as much as you’ll see, there’ll be that much more that you won’t see in terms of rooftop observation, et cetera. There’s quite a bit of behind-the-scenes, if you will, security involved with this also.

Mayor: Okay. We have covered the – this topic. We want to thank our colleagues from the Secret Service, the FBI, and FEMA for their support and their partnership. And –

Commissioner Bratton: They’ll be on the tour with us.

Mayor: Yeah. They’ll be on the tour with us in just a moment. But now we’re going to go to off-topic. Any off-topic issues at all? Cindy?

Question: This is for Commissioner Bratton. Commissioner, the NYPD has said that before the James Blake incident, there was no reason to remove Officer Frascatore [inaudible]. Back in December, WNYC reported that Officer Frascatore had accumulated a relatively high number of CCRB complaints in a short amount of time. Should that have been a red flag? And also, what system does the NYPD have in place to tag officers with excessive complaints?

Commissioner Bratton: The department is developing an extraordinarily robust initiative in that regard, modeled after one that I developed as part of the Federal Consent Decree in Los Angeles. We have created a risk-management unit that is staffed by a significant number of attorneys and analysts – that’s under the direct leadership and control of a two-star chief who reports to our deputy commissioner for legal matters. We have retained consultants from the LAPD who worked on this in Los Angeles. Some of the top people in the country are working with us and advising on it. We have certainly expanded our collaboration with the CCRB that is also involved, as you know, in the investigation of certain categories of complaints against our officers. A lot of this is intended to create a more comprehensive early warning system on top of the one the department already has. So I’m very comfortable, as we’re forward, that, like the LAPD, that we’ll have one of the most comprehensive performance review systems in place not only for identifying potential issues with officers, but when officers do engage in behavior that needs to be corrected through training, discipline, that that will also be done in a way that will be state of the art. 

Question: [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: I’m not going to speak at all to that investigation. That’s an ongoing investigation. So I won’t speak at all to that issue. 

Question: Have your investigators met with the officer yet – Frascatore?

Commissioner Bratton: They will be meeting with that officer. And CCRB, as you know, is doing a parallel investigation. So you’re all – those of you that cover us understand these investigations take a period of time. And so he will probably be interviewed at some point in time – I would assume this week.

Mayor: Jen. 

Question: Daily News ran a story today about the NYPD using, like, CompStat style techniques, tracking homelessness. Can you talk about that, and talk about whether it would include [inaudible]?

Mayor: Let me preface, just a quick moment, and then turn to the commissioner. Look, there has been extraordinary coordination between the NYPD, the Department of Homeless Services, Department of Sanitation, and local nonprofit agencies that work at the community level to ensure that we are addressing any issues related to homelessness, whether it is on the enforcement side, whether there’s been a quality-of-life offense, whether it is there are homeless folks in need of assistance and we’re helping to get them to shelters or safe havens or mental health treatment or drug treatment, or, as you saw with your own eyes the other day, the process of ending what’s been a longstanding problem in this city of the encampments, which are being dismantled this month once and for all – and the NYPD plays a crucial role but working very, very closely with the other agencies as well. So I just want to commend the commissioner and Chief Fox and all that have been involved for having established a very, very powerful collaboration across that whole range of activities – and that’s going to continue to deepen.

Commissioner Bratton: Thank you. In reference to the specific story you’re referencing, which I think was the front page story in one of the tabloids today, I always caution you – particularly those of you who cover us – if you use unnamed sources, you do so at your risk. The sources in that story significantly misinformed the reporters in that story – that we have not CompStat-ed anything having to do with homelessness. Certainly, shootings, murders, and other crime that we track very closely and CompStat have not taken a backseat, as was inferred in that story, to homeless issues – never will. Homelessness is a priority at this time in terms of a quality-of-life issue that we’re addressing. Chief of Patrol Gomez has been charged with developing the department’s response to that as part of the collaborative strategies that the mayor is referencing. But we’re not separately CompStat-ing it. Have I spoken to it on occasion in CompStat? I probably have. I speak about a lot of things. But has there been a CompStat focus entirely on that? Not at all. So a great deal of the information in that report this morning was erroneous. And as always, when you use anonymous sources, you run the risk of just what happened in that story – a lot of erroneous information.

Question: [inaudible] Chris Christie [inaudible]. Can you speak to [inaudible]?

Commissioner Bratton: I think you’re referring to comments that the governor of New Jersey made last week on Morning Joe that I immediately responded to, and then comments that he made yesterday on one of the national shows. I’ll reiterate my comments last week on CNN rebutting the governor of New Jersey and his comments about this city – that we’re quite proud of our crime figures. And when you use statistics to buttress an argument, you’d best make sure you have accurate statistics. Otherwise, you’re blowing a lot of hot air. I would suggest there’s a lot of hot air blowing over this way from New Jersey. The governor referenced a 9 percent increase in homicides. As of this morning, it’s up by about 12 – or 5 percent. He referenced a figure of 20 percent in shootings – I don’t know where he got that figure. As of this morning, we’re actually down in shootings. And in fact, in both our homicide and shooting counts as of this morning, this will be the second best year in modern history, relative to those categories of crime in New York City. Once again, when you, as I indicated, you throw stones at a glass house, be careful where you throw them. Camden, Trenton, Newark all have homicide rates about ten times the size of that here in New York City. The State of New Jersey has a higher homicide rate per 100,000 than the City of New York. So again, be careful with your facts, particularly when you don’t have them.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible] The video of the officer taking down Mr. Blake – and commissioner you as well. What did you think when you saw it? A lot of people were upset.

Mayor: Sure. Well, I obviously have apologized to Mr. Blake, and the video certainly made clear why the apology was the right thing to do. But the real issue here is where are we going? We are investing an unprecedented amount of resources in retraining over 20,000 officers in how to deal with all interactions with the community properly, and how to use the least force in each situation. We’re going to be doing a lot to bring police and community together. And we know that’s going to lead to a safer city for all. So, this is one incident, but really what matters here is the major policy changes; and the major resources we’re putting into reform in this department. The retraining is being done on a level that’s never seen previous – never been seen previously in this city, and I commend the commissioner for his vision of how to help this department to a better place.

Commissioner Bratton: In terms of the incident involving Mr. Blake, it was very quickly apparent that he was a total innocent, if you will, in this matter – and warranted an apology both from me as chief of the – commissioner of the police department and the mayor – feeling very comfortable as mayor of this city; that part of our response to this incident has been to, where possible, try to provide clarification. So, for example, the release of the video showing the takedown of Mr. Blake, part of that was to rebut some of the news stories including national news stories. I watched a national news story, which the reporter basically reported that he had been kept on the ground handcuffed for 15 minutes. The total from the time he was – encountered our officer to the time he was handcuffed and placed on his feet was 56 seconds, not 15 minutes. So the reporting on this often times was very egregious, and in terms of its incorrectness that – as has been my practice, if I think that there’s been inappropriate behavior as the investigation begins I will place the officer in a variety of forms we can do, suspension, modification, desk duty. And that investigation as it goes forward will take a look at the veracity of what occurred. We have a saying in policing that the first story is never the last story. And we will try to get to the last story and make it as accurate as we possibly can with the quality intensity of our investigations.

Mayor: John?

Question: Just a follow-up to that. In interviews over the weekend, Mr. Blake said he appreciated the apologies he received from you and the commissioner, but suggested he was getting them because he was celebrity and therefore, he was receiving a sort of special treatment. He suggested that others who were also wrongfully identified in an incident like this – who are not as [inaudible] figures like him should also receive apologies. Do you want to respond?

Mayor: My view is this is about moving forward as a city. This is about continuing the retraining, continuing the reforms, ensuring that people are treated properly, and that officers know how to use the least possible force in each situation. That’s precisely what we’re doing. And I agree with the commissioner, in each and every situation if we see something we think is inappropriate, there will be a clear statement about that. But the most important thing is to get ahead of the challenge. The challenge is not new, its decades old. We want to get ahead of the challenge and fix it going forward. Anna?

Question: The New York Wheel on Staten Island is undergoing the review – public review process again because there have been changes planned. And there have been a lot of locals who are concerned some of the changes and the review process being rushed through because the CEO of the project is saying that if it’s not approved –

Mayor: Okay. What’s the question please?

Question: I’m just giving you some background. I was wondering if you were concerned at all that the project might be being rushed in order to make sure that the project happens at all.

Mayor: It’s a great project. I think it’s a project that will have a very positive impact for Staten Island and New York City. And we have a lot of checks and balances in our land use process. So, I’m convinced those checks and balances are in place. Azi?

Question: Do you know how many officers are currently on modified duty?

Commissioner Bratton: You can check through [inaudible] office. They can give you that information.

Mayor: Last word.

Question: I wanted to go back to the Pope for just a second.

Mayor: You may. Special – you get a dispensation.

[Laughter]

Question: So we see a great array of equipment here. I’m wondering if anybody could just tell us a little bit about what kind of robust –

Commissioner Bratton: Well, actually we were just about to take a tour –

Mayor: Segue.

Commissioner Bratton: Segue into it. But mayor, if I may, maybe Chief Wedin and Chief Giordano can come up – they head up our Emergency Service Unit. They can explain what we arrayed behind us and what it does and how it fits into what we’re doing, relative to the UN and Pope Visit. Chiefs?

Unknown: Sure. 

Commissioner Bratton: Thank you, guys.

Chief of Special Operations Harry J. Wedin, NYPD: Good afternoon, everyone. Some of the equipment we have behind us is from our Emergency Service Unit. We have some of our large trucks and smaller trucks. There’s numerous equipment that’s on the truck – radiation detectors, chemical and biological detectors – that we use every day in the city. It’s something that we do every day, even more when the Pope is coming in of course. These trucks you see on patrol every day, there’ll be extra out there of course when the Pope is in town. Any rescue equipment you can possibly think of is on these trucks for any emergency that can possibly happen in the city, plus the protective equipment for the officers involved, which they can safely respond to anything that goes on. Vinny, need anything?

Deputy Chief of the Emergency Services Unit Vincent Giordano, NYPD: These trucks here contain not only equipment for radiological explosive detection, as the chief mentioned, but there’s also a number of tactical equipment on there that’ll enhance our deployments to provide security and safety at all the venues where the Holy Father will be visiting or staying, including the motorcade routes. We’ve been working very closely with the federal partners and the FBI, Secret Service, all our deployments, whether it’s high-point observation, tactical response, Emergency Service Unit is responsible, and we have extensive training and [inaudible] for the NYPD and counter-assault training[inaudible]. So the equipment that we have here will be utilized, again, to either prevent, and as a deterrent effect, or, if necessary, to respond to anything that we may come in contact with – whether it’s a direct threat against the Holy Father or a threat of any event or anything happening within the city.

Mayor: Alright, thanks, everyone.

Commissioner Bratton: If I may, just one further explanation. As you’re aware, in the most recent budget, the mayor authorized a growth in the department of about 1,300 additional officers – 500 additional civilians that frees up another 500 officers, and then about 500 cadets who will eventually become New York City police officers. So this year, we will start seeing, beginning in January, the addition of over 2,000 police officers to our strength – the first growth in the department since 2001. Those officers are also going to allow for the staffing of 400, 450 officers in our Critical Response Command, which will be the counterterrorism command, as well as 800 officers going into our strategic response group. Some of the vehicles you see here are marked SIG. Those are our Strategic Response Group. They’re the ones with the special tactical equipment – the long guns – who would deal with active shooter issues. They will also be cross-trained to deal with crowd management issues, much the same as the counterterrorism. So we’ll have the 600-plus incredibly cross-trained members of the Emergency Service Unit supported by the 400-some-odd in our Critical Response Command, and the 800 – a significant enhancement of the department’s capabilities to deal with issues of active shooter, counterterrorism, crowd management, crowd control. So this is some of the additional vehicles that you’ll recognize by the acronyms on the side of the vehicles. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you.