NEW YORK — The New York Police Department will deploy thousands of officers to handle security for a slew of huge Independence Day celebrations and a World Cup match that will make the July 4 weekend especially challenging, even for one of the world’s largest police forces.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday that there are no known specific or credible threats to this year’s celebrations, which will include parades of sailing ships and naval vessels on the Hudson and East rivers, jet flyovers and a massive fireworks show – all happening during a heat wave that could also tax emergency medical personnel.
Plus, police will be dealing with another event that will bring a lot of attention to the city – the wedding of pop star Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce.
“In a briefing about major events happening this weekend in New York City, I would be remiss not to mention an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night,” Tisch said in a winking reference to the nuptials. “The NYPD will, of course, have a detail in place, but I am not going to go into more specifics on that at this time.”
A law enforcement official briefed on security plans told The Associated Press that the celebrity wedding will be held Friday, with a smaller rehearsal dinner Thursday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the events publicly.
Uniformed officers, K-9 units and heavy weapons teams will be out in force along the city’s waterfronts for the Sail 250 festivities, which will bring around 100 vessels and about 27,000 sailors, crew members and dignitaries to the city for events Friday, Saturday and beyond.
Attendees will be required to go through security checkpoints as they head to waterfront viewing areas Saturday, officials said.
In the evening, the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show will draw thousands of eyes upward as 85,000 shells are launched from six barges and a laser show beams up from the Brooklyn Bridge.
Also in the sky: the police department’s aviation unit and drone teams, which will be monitoring the city and looking out for illegal drones hovering in the restricted flight area around the show.
“The message is clear: If there is any illegal drone activity that violates our temporary flight restrictions, your drone will be seized,” Tisch said.
The department will also deploy counterterrorism resources, explosive detection K-9s, bomb squad personnel and heavy weapons teams, along with plain clothes officers and a harbor unit for the waterways.
Meanwhile, the city will again have special security restrictions in place at its busiest rail hub, Penn Station, on Sunday to accommodate thousands of fans headed across the Hudson to see Brazil take on Norway in the World Cup. Only people with a ticket to the match will be allowed into some parts of the station.
Police have already been setting up crowd-control barriers and hanging “no parking” signs near Madison Square Garden, which sits atop Penn Station, in anticipation of crowds of Swift fans and other gawkers hoping to catch a glimpse of wedding-related events.
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Associated Press reporter Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story.
