NYPD steps up counter-terrorism efforts at Thanksgiving parade after Colorado shooting; Haven’t received any NYC threats

While the NYPD emphasized that it has received no “active, credible or specific threats” regarding tomorrow’s annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the NYPD said today that in light of this week’s nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs and the recent online shooting additional agents and counter-terrorist threats are deployed against the Jewish targets.

At a press conference at the traditional balloon inflation event on New York’s Upper West Side, Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD officials outlined the security measures — without going into specific numbers and details — in place for Thursday morning’s holiday event. Officials expect more than 3 million spectators to line the parade route in Manhattan.

NYPD Counterterrorism Chief Martine Materasso began her remarks by noting that while there are no active, credible or tangible threats facing New York at this time, this week’s shooting at the LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs and the most recent arrests of two men in connection with threats against a New York synagogue prompted the department’s counterterrorism office to “allocate additional resources to ensure security.”

“Expect to see additional anti-terror agents [during the holiday season] at places of worship, holiday markets, religious institutions, shopping malls and the Rockefeller Center tree,” Materasso said.

While both Materasso and Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell declined to provide exact numbers on how many officers would attend the parade — “there will be officers you see and officers you don’t,” Sewell said — Materasso has some nicely given sketchy information about what was otherwise a happy event.

“We will,” she said, “deploy a full cadre of counter-terrorism resources, including but not limited to heavy weapons teams, explosives detection teams, our bomb squad, radiological and chemical sensors, surveillance, detection and mitigation teams, drones, Sand and block vehicles and additional cameras” along the parade route.

Officials said they do not expect adverse weather conditions or winds to affect the parade.

The 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begins tomorrow at 8:45 am. ET and will air on NBC and broadcast on Peacock from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.