Group 1
Terrorism mitigation Strategic Plan
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (MTDP) happens every year on Thanksgiving Day
in downtown New York City. The parade spans 2.5 miles through some of New York’s key areas.
With an event this size, there are many risks involved with it. From knowing how many
participants are in the actual parade to estimating how many people will attend, no little detail
can be left unnoticed. We’ve compromised some of the top key vulnerabilities and risks that go
along with the parade and will discuss how to make security plans stronger in this paper.
Over all, MTDP has a great number of risks associated with it. We looked at past like
events, intelligence gaps, consequences, and protective measures. Each of these areas impact the
parade in a significant way. First would be the past like events. There have been issues with
attacks in the past. Just last year there were six protestors arrested for intent to disrupt the parade.
There was also an issue in Iran where there was an attack on a parade by shooters in Ahvaz that
left 29 killed and more than 70 wounded. After examining past like events, we looked into the
threat analysis surrounding the parade. One of the issues we found were international attacks.
FTOs like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have shown interest in attacking large events in the west as well as
internationally. In 2017, there was a vehicle ramming in NYC and the driver claims he was
associated with ISIS. Another example would be the attacks in France in 2015 at the CCTA. Both
of these events were immense in size, which makes the parade just as equal of a target. HVEs
were also another aspect of our threat analysis. They are dangerous because they have been
radicalized on US soil, but not necessarily by a group. Individuals being capable of that pose
huge threats on any event. In addition to attacks posing a threat, and the many intelligence gaps,
the parade route itself has many vulnerabilities like the location and the structure of the
buildings.
One of the first things that came to our attention was the number of law
enforcement staff working the parade. Between 2015 and 2018, the average number of police
officers working the parade was about 2,500. With that many officers working, a few different
things come to mind such as money, shifts for the officers, and placement. According to the
NYPD website, average salary for an New York Police Officer just starting out is 42,500 dollars
per year. With over time, and holiday pay, they can eventually and potentially earn up to 100,00
dollars. Macy’s cooperation keeps the actual cost of the parade private, but in just looking at
those numbers, having that many law enforcements for one day increases costs across the board.
The next few items to analyze are shifts, and placement. Many spectators start setting up their
seats very early in the morning. With 2.5 miles to cover, having shifts and adequate spacing of
the officers is crucial. Not having enough officers is a problem, but too many can also pose a
threat. Using a schedule, hand held radios for communication among officers, and more
importantly using officers to do more than just monitor the parade route will give them the
option to use all the assets equally.
An intelligence gap that goes along with the number of law enforcement on hand is the
security routines. With that many spectators there have to be an elaborate evacuation and threat
plan in place to protect everyone in attendance. To reduce the risk of mass chaos if something
were to happen, basic guidelines should be available to public. Posting them on the MTDP
website (where most of the parade information is found) would be a good start. Nothing
detrimental to security should be posted, but items such as what to do if someone sees something
suspicious, different telephone numbers, or where to seek first aid might be helpful to the public.
In depth security routines should be reviewed with every single person participating in the parade
(security and performers) so they understand what to do. Understanding that past attacks on
different parades have happened, and this just a way to educate everyone.
For 94 years the parade has been happening. The schedule has gotten more concise over
the years, and it is even available online. Making sure the order of the balloons and performers
stays on track is key for a successful parade. In order to assure that nothing would go wrong if
something got off schedule, creating back up plans, and communicating with all essential
personnel about what to do if something like this would occur would help reduce the risk of
confusion.
The last intelligence gap we looked as was possible insider threats in an even this big is a
step that shouldn’t be over looked. Anybody who is in the parade (apart from performers and the
band) has a relationship to Macy’s or its partners. Nobody from the general public can volunteer
to walk balloons. Even though they have limited parade participation, the idea of an insider
threat is still there. Being a friend or having a relationship with one of Macy’s partner alone isn’t
enough. More information should be required for an event this size
Another issue that we thought of was the route of the parade. Although there are plenty of
officers to cover the parade, with the parade going along Central Park and through the city of
Manhattan, there are many areas that could be prone to attacks. Central Park needs to be under
security either by the police or by other security personnel such as the National Guard. This
would prevent any attack at the beginning of the parade and if any organizations were to try to
stage an attack in Central Park, they would be disrupted. This plan of action would keep most of
the parade protected since the route runs along Central Park. When it comes to the rest of the
parade route, it will be harder watch for possible attacks. Since there will be a large police
presence for the parade, we believe that it is vital that they are staged in different areas besides
Central Park and along the route. There will need to be officers along the parade route to monitor
traffic and the crowds. With over three million spectators, this is a must.
The parade route itself goes between tall skyscrapers. There needs to be police presence
on the buildings to prevent any possible attacks. Although there are multiple buildings, by having
police presence on every other building will provide surveillance over the parade as well as
surveillance on top of the buildings. The security will be improved since there will be overwatch
on the parade and any attacks that could be carried out on top of the buildings will now be
prevented. With the amount of police that will be provided, we believe this is the best way to
protect the parade.
While there would be surveillance carried out the officers, that might not be enough in
some cases. There are many serious scenarios that could happen such as shootings, bombings,
and vehicle ramming. While police presence will help deter anyone trying to carry out these acts,
there will need to be more done to prevent vehicle ramming. To help mitigate ramming, there
needs to be physical barriers put in place. This includes barriers such as sand trucks that can
block a street and can also take the impact of a vehicle in a worst-case scenario. We saw the use
of sand trucks in 2016 and it would make sense to see them once again to help protect the people
at the parade. These trucks with sand can weigh up to thirty tons and if someone were to hit
them, they would not move. The use of concrete barriers will also be effective. Putting these
along the parade route will prevent vehicles from disrupting the parade but also just like the sand
trucks, they can be used to close roads, so nobody can access them. This is very important, so
police can stage emergency vehicles but also to protect those at the parade. Police play huge part
in security for protecting the parade from different areas, but physical barriers will make sure it
stays even safer for preventing possible vehicle ramming.
Another main gap of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is funding. The cost of the
parade in 2016 was between 10.4 and 12.3 million dollars. This is a rough estimate because
Macy’s keeps the actual cost of the parade private. Macy’s covers most of the expenses of the
parade. They do accept sponsorships for floats which helps Macy’s pay for a small part of the
parade. Macy’s sales in 2017 were 24.8 billion dollars. Over the past years Macy’s sales have
been plummeting. A serious question that Macy’s faces is if they will continue to be able to put
on the Macy’s day parade in years to come.
The last part of our risk assessment includes past like events. Previously mentioned
above, there have been attacks on different large-scale events through-out the world. The Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade is just as susceptible, if not more, to these kinds of attacks. The
location of it makes it a prime target. Not only was NYC hit once in 2001, now because of that
FTOs are able to analyze how to do it again. Monitoring social media is a way to detect early
stages of an attack. Since the internet now has more devices connected to it than ever, using it to
promote ideologies or attacks is very easy. Most terrorists post just before they are about to do an
attack, and watching suspicious accounts would benefit the safety of everyone at the parade.
Over all, the risks and vulnerabilities associated with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade are known to the public not because of insider information, but because of recent attacks.
Because of this knowledge, threats are more likely from anyone than before. It is important that
these risks and vulnerabilities are taken into consideration and are addressed appropriately. If
these intelligence gaps and vulnerabilities are not taken care of, there will be consequences. So
