Mayor Adams Provides Robust, Visible Police Coverage Over Fourth of July Weekend

By Yehudit Garmaise

Although Americans celebrate their independence on the Fourth of July, the weekend often also shows increases in crime, gun violence, car accidents that result from intoxicated drivers, and other careless behaviors.

In addition to providing a surplus of visible officers who are out patrolling the streets as part of the NYPD’s safety plan this weekend, the department has deployed additional officers to patrol by air, on water, and in the subway system, said Mayor Eric Adams.

To provide supplemental and continual coverage, a network of citywide cameras will record real-time images that are monitored by officers in the NYPD’s Joint Operation Center.

Until the early hours on Tuesday morning, NYPD officers are also cracking down on drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“We encourage those celebrating to take mass transit: but if you do get behind the wheel, there is no excuse for deadly driving that endangers yourself and others,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

Today the UN's World Health Organization reported a shocking 236,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation reminded all New Yorkers and visitors to swim only when and where lifeguards are on duty.

New Yorkers who want to watch fireworks from their rooftops, terraces, balconies, and fire escapes should do so without creating risks for tragic falls.

In particular, the Department of Buildings emphasized that “unauthorized use of building roofs and fire escapes have tragically led to fatal falls in recent years, and the risk of deadly falls is heightened when these spaces are overcrowded or require leaning over ledges.”

As mass shooters in the US continue to terrorize Americans, fireworks set off in New York City in recent weeks are easily mistaken for gunshots, causing people to look around nervously and sometimes: to panic.

“People do appear to be on edge,” said Brian Higgins, a former police chief in New Jersey and a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice told Gothamist. 

Higgins advised New Yorkers to stay aware of both people around them who appear to be mentally ill or violent and to note all exits and structures to hide behind, if necessary, G-d forbid.