Police officers will be issued more powerful equipment, including strengthened helmets, ballistic bulletproof vests and, in some cases, new ballistic armor for police cars, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton announced at a press conference at the 84th Precinct in Downtown Brooklyn on Monday.
The 84th was the assigned precinct of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, who were gunned down as they sat in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant in December 2014.
Commissioner Bratton said the total expenditure for the 20,000 helmets and 6,000 vests is about $7.5 million. The vests will be worn on top of the standard bulletproof vests cops already wear under their uniform shirts. The helmets are similar to those that are worn by U.S. soldiers in combat.
Almost 5,000 officers have already had multiple-day training to deal with active shooters, Bratton said.
“An attack on our police officers is an attack on all of us,” de Blasio told reporters. He added, “And we have to make sure we’re taking every measure available to protect our officers with the latest gear, the latest technology given the horrible scourge of guns in this country, and how we’ve seen these guns turned against law enforcement.”
De Blasio said that all cops are receiving enhanced training and retraining.
“It’s necessary to constantly improve the training of our officers and to make it an every-year kind of thing because we’re in a different world now,” he said.
Commissioner Bratton said the total expenditure for the 20,000 helmets and 6,000 vests is about $7.5 million. The vests will be worn on top of the standard bulletproof vests cops already wear under their uniform shirts. The helmets are very similar to those that are worn by U.S. soldiers in combat.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former cop, told reporters that it was “a great moment” for the people of New York City. “And it shows that we will continue to adapt. We will not have a Police Department that will bring a knife to a gunfight. We will bring the right equipment to fend off anyone that endangers the public,” Adams said.
Police unions say that cops need to be better equipped to combat gunmen armed with powerful military-style rifles.
Neighborhood patrol officers are the first to arrive and engage an active shooter, Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) president said in a recent statement.
“Sadly, 47 percent [of patrolmen responding to active shooters] are shot and 20 percent die, according to an FBI study,” Lynch said.
In response to civil liberties concerns, the White House dialed back a program last year that distributed surplus military equipment — including out armored trucks and night-vision goggles — to police departments nationwide.
After the press conference de Blasio headed to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. He’ll remain there until Friday.
