The stepped-up deployment will continue after the Midtown parade ends, with officers and specialized teams positioned Sunday night in areas where violence has historically occurred, Tisch said during a security briefing alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“We will have enhanced deployments of our teams that deal with guns and gangs, particularly once the parade concludes, to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid those issues this weekend,” Tisch said.
Tisch stressed, however, that police have not identified any specific, credible threat to Sunday’s event.
“At this time, there are no known specific credible threats to the Dominican Day Parade, nor any information pertaining to potential gang-related violence,” she said.
The precautions come after police arrested 16 people and recovered 16 firearms during and after the Bronx Dominican Day Parade on July 26. As previously reported by amNewYork, a 19-year-old man whom police said was caught later that night carrying a loaded, defaced assault rifle in a black bag was among those arrested.
Tisch said enhanced deployments of officers and gun and gang teams have become a regular part of the NYPD’s strategy on summer weekend nights, particularly in locations where violence has historically occurred. She said she believes those deployments have been a major contributing factor to the city’s low numbers of shooting incidents, shooting victims and homicides.
“Sunday will be no different,” Tisch said.
More than 400,000 people are expected to line Sixth Avenue for the 44th annual National Dominican Day Parade, according to Mamdani. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Aug. 9. Tisch said marchers will start at Sixth Avenue and West 38th Street and proceed north to West 55th Street.
Mamdani, who participated in the parade last year and will march Sunday again, described the event as one of the city’s largest celebrations and highlighted the Dominican community’s place in New York.
“There is nothing quite like the sound of bachata, the aroma of Sancocho as it fills our city streets, the joy of New Yorkers coming together to celebrate a heritage that is so integral to our city’s history,” Mamdani said.
Uniformed officers will be stationed throughout the parade route and surrounding area, with an increased police presence on and around Sixth Avenue, Mamdani said. Crisis Management System (CMS) partners will also have teams along the route.
The NYPD deployment will include traffic agents and personnel from the Emergency Service Unit, mounted unit, K-9, Harbor and counterterrorism teams. Police helicopters and drones will also be used during the parade to assist officers on the ground.
“There will be security assets that you will see and those that you will not see,” Tisch said.
Police will also use a double-barricade setup along the parade route, a measure Tisch said grew out of incidents at some parades in 2024 in which people jumped over barricades.
The additional separation gives officers more time to keep unauthorized people from entering the parade route, Tisch said, adding that the practice is becoming standard at parades where the width of the roadway can accommodate it.
Sixth Avenue will close to vehicle traffic from 34th to 42nd streets beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday. At 10:30 a.m., the closure will extend north to 55th Street and remain in place through the end of the event. Fifth and Seventh avenues will also be affected.
Once the parade begins, pedestrians will only be able to cross Sixth Avenue at 39th, 42nd, 48th and 51st streets. Officials urged attendees to use public transportation because of the street closures.
Alcohol will not be permitted, and open-container laws will be enforced for marchers, other parade participants and spectators. Only authorized vehicles and properly credentialed participants will be allowed onto the route, with vehicles subject to safety checks.
This year’s parade theme is “culture and identity,” according to Christina Contreras, the immediate past chairwoman of the National Dominican Day Parade.
The parade’s grand marshal is Dr. Ramon Tallaj, founder and chairman of SOMOS Community Care, which serves more than 1 million Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in New York City.
“This is a moment for the Dominican community to celebrate and honor our contributions to the city of New York and this great country,” Contreras said.
U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who joined city officials at Friday’s briefing, urged attendees to celebrate while cooperating with parade organizers and police.
“We want them to enjoy their parade, their heritage, their celebration, but we want it to be safe,” Espaillat said.
Notably, Espaillat did not acknowledge the mayor during his remarks, instead only thanking Tisch and senior NYPD officials, despite the mayor mentioning him.
Mamdani endorsed DSA-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier in this year’s Democratic primary against Espaillat. She went on to defeat the longtime congressman in June.
