The New York Police Department deployed 10,000 police officers to ensure safety around the Knicks ticker-tape parade Thursday, its highest number of officers ever assigned to a public event.The Knicks’ NBA championship prompted mass celebrations in New York City but led to some violence, with riotous fans setting fire to school buses, scaling elevated surfaces, getting into fights, and firing gunshots. The city isn’t taking any risks for the ticker-tape parade, deploying two legions’ worth of police officers to both contain further riotous behavior and ensure the event’s safety.
“Heavy weapons teams, explosive detection k9s, transportation, transit, highway, aviation, drones, and more will be on hand to keep things secure,” the NYPD said.
The city has prepared for the logistical complications the parade is sure to entail. The city assigned roughly 650 sanitation workers to clean up the inevitable mess afterward, according to ESPN.NEW YORK KNICKS ACCEPT TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE INVITE AFTER NBA FINALS WINViewing pens along the route opened at 6 a.m., and they fully filled up by 8 a.m., two hours before the parade was set to begin. Everyone entering the pens was screened and forbidden from bringing in bags.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Lower Manhattan would be entirely car-free on Thursday for the parade. Mamdani will feature prominently in the parade, greeting the victorious players at the end of their route at City Hall, where he will present them with keys to the city.
