NYPD will set up METAL DETECTORS at Fourth of July viewing areas for only the second time since 9/11 as NYC faces a 43% spike in gun crime
People watching New York City's Fourth of July fireworks from official viewing areas will first have to go through NYPD metal detectors as the city grapples with a 43 percent spike in gun crime.
It's only the second time ever that the New York Police department has employed metal detectors on the Fourth of July: The first was in 2002 - after the 9/11 terror attacks.
In an effort to keep guns out of the crowds likely to flock to the watch the annual Macy's-sponsored spectacular this year, the NYPD will require those looking to view the pyrotechnics from FDR Drive along the city's East Side to pass through metal detectors and submit to a police search, NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes announced Thursday.
The city will also close two bridges that span the East River - the Williamsburg Bridge and the 59th Street Bridge. Both take traffic from Manhattan to Brooklyn and typically are clogged with fireworks-viewers as the pyrotechnics are set off from barges in the river.
The moves come as gun violence has surged in the city in recent weeks, with incidents so far this year up 43 percent from the same time last year - from 503 to 71.
Meanwhile, the number of people injured or killed in gunfire is up 36 percent - from 606 to 826.
NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes announced stepped-up security measures for the city's 4th of July fireworks extravaganza this year, including metal detector screenings
In the just one week - the one that ended on June 27 - there were 39 shootings and 50 shooting victims, according to NYPD statistics.
Spectators on the Fourth will also be prohibited from bringing Items such as backpacks, large blankets, seats and umbrellas to the fireworks event.
There will be five designated access points for anyone looking to step onto the FDR Drive 's to watch the show, and Holmes said, 'Everyone will be searched at these particular access points.
In addition to the screenings, Holmes said, 'we will have officers virtually everywhere throughout this event.'
Holmes said those looking to watch the pyrotechnics from FDR Drive will need to submit to police search and are barred from bringing items such as backpacks, large blankets, seats and umbrellas to the event
'Beyond our uniformed officers we will also some plainclothes officer out there,' she said as well as K-9, bomb squad, harbor patrol and counterterrorism teams.
She maintained, however, 'At this time there are absolutely no credible threats.'
Macy's, which is the event's chief sponsor, makes no mention of the screenings, in its FAQ for the event.
Police did not immediately return a request for comment on what prompted the stepped-up security.
Holmes' announcement comes after a week of surging gun violence in the city, which from June 23 through through June 29, saw incidents such as a Marine hit by a ricocheting bullet in Times Square and a three teenagers wounded in a drive-by shooting of a graduation party.
On June 23 A man dismounted a dirt bike and opened fire at an Acura SUV in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. A bullet passed through the open driver's-side window but the 25-year-old in the car is not hit.
Additionally, Psalms Ajayi, 31, was shot dead on Fulton Avenue in the Bronx. Neighbor Timmy Johnson, 30, is arrested for his murder. No reason was given for the shooting.
On June 24 an innocent bystander was caught in crossfire as she stands at the rear of a housing project in the Claremont Village section of the Bronx. The 27-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
NYPD released video of the wild shootout in the Bronx after a graduation party on June 25
On Friday, June 25, a 50-year-old man was robbed in broad daylight in the Bronx. The suspect grabbed the man's necklace and ran off. As the victim ran after him the assailant took out a gun and fired a single shot but missed
Samuel Poulin is the Marine who was shot in the back in Times Square Sunday and is the newlywed son of former Pentagon official Col. Jack Jensen
On June 25 five people, including three teenagers, were wounded by gunfire in a drive-by shooting at a graduation party in the Bronx
Angel Caraballo, 19, was shot and killed in an apartment building in the beachside community of Rockaway in Queens.
A man also opened fire aiming several bullets into a crowd of people in the Fordham area of the Bronx. Two men were hit, one in the ankle and one in the thigh.
Additionally, a 50-year-old man was robbed in broad daylight in the Bronx. The suspect grabbed the man's necklace and ran off. As the victim ran after him the assailant took out a gun and fired a single shot but misses.
On June 27 Marine Samuel Poulin was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a ricocheting bullet on 45 Street near Times Square. Two rival gangs of CD sellers were believed to have gotten into an argument and one man opened fire.
Additionally, Keyshawn Cureton, 21, was fatally shot multiple times after getting into an argument on Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem.
On June 28 A 19-year-old was shot as he played basketball in an annual tournament in the Amsterdam Houses in west midtown, Manhattan. He was not believed to be the targe, police said.
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