NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams lauded the NYPD’s controversial riot unit Monday and suggested it would stay in place — days after it and the police department came under fire for failing to appear at a City Council hearing on the unit’s handling of the 2020 George Floyd protests.
Adams suggested Monday on “CBS News New York” that the unit, known as the Strategic Response Group, would remain as is, despite calls from several City Council members to have it disbanded over the heavy-handed tactics it used during the protests.
“I think it’s an appropriate tool used effectively,” he said, adding that the unit is part of the reason for recent dips in crime. “That’s where these numbers come from. Proper policing — not heavy-handed policing — is moving us in the right direction.”
