Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers an address earlier this year. De Blasio’s motorcade was caught speeding and running stop signs Thursday. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File)
The NYPD responded to a controversy that developed Thursday after Mayor Bill de Blasio’s motorcade was caught breaking traffic laws.
De Blasio’s motorcade was returning to city hall after a news conference in Maspeth, Queens when CBS 2 journalists, who were driving behind, filmed the two black SUVs violating traffic laws. According to CBS 2, the motorcade went through stop signs and drove faster than the speed limit, among other traffic violations.
The incident came just two days after de Blasio unveiled a large traffic safety plan called Vision Zero, aimed at eliminating deaths caused by traffic accidents. Among the proposals are increased enforcement of speeding and red-light violations.
The NYPD is responsible for the mayor’s security, and its detectives were behind the wheel in the motorcade. The department released a statement Friday morning, saying that the security detail receives specialized training, which “may include the use of techniques such as maintaining speed with the general flow of traffic, and may sometimes include tactics to safely keep two or more police vehicles together in formation when crossing intersections.”
De Blasio’s office deferred to the NYPD for comment.
Harris Silver, founder of pedestrian advocacy group City Streets, said in an email, “It seems like the Mayor’s driver, drives like a typical New Yorker.”
More reaction came from around the Web Friday, as journalists and social media users posted their feelings online.
