Strategic Response Group (New York City Police Department)
| Strategic Response Group | |
|---|---|
Patch of the SRG | |
| Active | 2015–present |
| Country | United States |
| Agency | New York City Police Department |
| Role |
|
| Part of | Citywide Operations Bureau (aka Special Operations Bureau) |
| Abbreviation | SRG |
| Structure | |
| Officers | Approx. 500 (2024) |
| Squads |
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Deputy Chief John D’Adamo |
| Notables | |
| Awards | 2023 Unit Citation |
| Website | |
| www1 | |
The Strategic Response Group (SRG) is a unit under the Special Operations Bureau of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The unit was formed in 2015 for counter-terrorism and the policing of protests and riots.
They maintain a bike squadron and are outfitted with anti-riot gear, rifles, and body armor. The unit has been criticized for its use of excessive force and mass arrests against political demonstrators protected under the First Amendment, disproportionately high numbers of complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, among other things. Activists, the New York City Council, the New York City Department of Investigation, and organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the New York Civil Liberties Union, among others, have called for its regulation or disbandment.
Commissioner William Bratton, the commissioner responsible for the SRG's formation, was also the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and reformed the LAPD Metropolitan Division's A, B, C and G line platoons into the Tactical Response Teams. The SRG is based on the A, B, C and G platoons, as well as the Seattle Police Department's bike squad.