Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan to improve safety on East 14th Street, unveiling a $1 million Mobile Command Center for the NYPD.

This state-of-the-art vehicle is the latest tool in the city’s strategy to tackle crime and quality- of-life issues in the area.

“We find that these mobile command centers work—they’re great deterrents,” said Mayor Adams during the announcement.

The Mobile Command Center is the centerpiece of a broader initiative called the "14th Street Community Improvement Coalition."

This coalition will unite various city agencies, including the NYPD, Homeless Services and Sanitation, to address ongoing concerns in the neighborhood. The high-tech vehicle will allow police officers to respond swiftly to incidents, helping to reduce crime and improve the overall atmosphere on 14th Street.

“You don’t want to walk down your block and see the level of disorder we saw on 14th Street,” Mayor Adams stated. “We’re going to deal with the illegal vending, retail theft, substance use, and the mental health crisis that we’re seeing play out on our streets.”

While the mayor and NYPD have reported that crime is down citywide, they acknowledged that this may not reflect the reality that residents of East 14th Street feel. The Mobile Command Center will act as a hub, coordinating efforts with officers on the ground.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban emphasized the operational focus of this initiative: “We’ll have uniformed officers on dedicated, highly visible foot posts who will respond to any issue in the area immediately. We will conduct weekly operations to address homeless encampments, illegal vending, and other concerns.”