On Friday, the NYPD will deploy more officers than at any previous 9/11 anniversary, driven by the ongoing conflict with Iran and the overlap with the Jewish New Year, police officials stated on Wednesday.
The department is set to implement “heightened security measures” ahead of the annual Ground Zero ceremony. A separate operation will focus on safeguarding synagogues across the five boroughs as Jewish New Yorkers observe Rosh Hashanah that evening, announced NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“We’ve increased our deployments for large events, especially following the onset of hostilities in Iran,” Tisch mentioned during a security briefing.
“This year, our presence at the World Trade Center for 9/11 will exceed past years, as will our presence at Jewish cultural institutions, reflecting the current global realities,” Tisch explained.
Tisch withheld the exact number of officers to be deployed on Friday, indicating that two primary security operations would be the focus.
The first operation targets Lower Manhattan, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned of significant public access restrictions on Friday morning due to the annual ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Notable attendees, including Vice President JD Vance and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, are expected to attend the event, which will not be open to the public.
The NYPD’s Counterterrorism Bureau and heavy weapons team will be on duty in the area, officials confirmed.
Although no specific threats from Iran were detailed, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner noted that threats have evolved significantly over the past 25 years.
“The threat landscape is now more spread geographically, with a variety of ideological sources beyond al-Qaida and ISIS, including conspiracy theories and nihilistic violence from various political spectrums. This requires us to be constantly vigilant,” Weiner explained.
A security perimeter will be established by the US Secret Service along the east side of the West Side Highway from Liberty to Fulton Street, and around the 9/11 Memorial site, Tisch mentioned.
Starting Friday, vehicular traffic will be restricted south of Canal Street to Battery Place and from Broadway to West Street.
Southbound traffic on Broadway will be permitted, though trucks will be prohibited.
The Hugh Carey Tunnel will remain accessible, allowing cars to reach the FDR Drive.
The No. 1 train will not stop at the World Trade Center Cortlandt station.
Guests invited to the Ground Zero ceremony will need to pass through security screening stations.
The Memorial Plaza is set to reopen to the public around 3 p.m., approximately two hours after the ceremony concludes.
By then, the second NYPD operation will have commenced, Tisch noted.
Patrols will be intensified around Jewish institutions across all five boroughs as Jewish New Yorkers begin their Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur observances at sundown.
This enhanced police presence is a response to an 8% rise in antisemitic hate crimes this year, according to NYPD data. Jewish New Yorkers accounted for half of the city’s total hate crime incidents in the first eight months, Tisch reported.
Incidents contributing to these “troubling statistics” include a stabbing outside an Upper West Side synagogue this summer and thwarted plots targeting Jewish institutions by the NYPD intelligence unit.
“Currently, no specific or credible threats have been identified against High Holy Day celebrations in New York City, but our vigilance remains high. There are visible and covert security measures in place,” Tisch assured.
“Our intelligence and counterterrorism teams are actively monitoring both local and global situations, collaborating closely with federal, state, local, and international partners to identify and respond to emerging threats,” Tisch concluded.
