NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday said the NYPD is in a “high state of preparation” for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, following an incident in Wisconsin in which an SUV driver plowed through a Christmas parade.
Authorities in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha said at least five people were killed and more than 40 people were injured when the driver sped through the parade Sunday afternoon.
At least one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident, and authorities are looking into whether the driver was fleeing a separate crime at the time.
On Monday, Mayor de Blasio reacted to news of the parade tragedy, calling it “horrible” and noting that New York City’s police force is on high alert for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“I will tell you NYPD for years and years has planned for very careful security around the parade,” he said. “It's something we talk about the night before, we give an update every year on what's going on.”
The mayor added that “very meticulous efforts have been made to prepare.”
“We've dealt with a lot of threats previously, at this moment there's no credible and specific threat to New York City but, we take it seriously and we're in a high state of preparation,” de Blasio concluded.
De Blasio did not elaborate on the measures that are being taken by the NYPD, but department officials are expected to make an announcement on Wednesday.
In years past, the NYPD has deployed K9 officers trained to detect explosives, radiation detectors and drone interdiction technology. The department also frequently uses blocker vehicles, including Department of Sanitation sand and collection trucks, to protect the parade route.
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