Whenever I travel somewhere, I have a tendency to notice armed police/security. Especially when they are carrying rifles. Just one week after the Chelsea bombing in NYC, my wife and I took our 4 month old to visit NYC. It was a bit of a risk since I could not legally carry in NYC, but then CCW won’t do much against an IED like what was used last week.. Anyway I noticed an increase in police activity. A lot more police officers on patrol. When I took this picture, I saw people coming up to these officers and thanking them for their service.

However these other officers stood out like sore thumbs in Time Square. They are all wearing Ops-Core helmets and what look like plate carriers. I do like that they have modernized and are using hearing protection which also doubles as communication head sets to their radios.  The rifles are sporting what looks like Aimpoint Pros with rear MBUS. The front sight is a folding gasblock front sight and the railed handguards have Inforce WMLs.

Would these officers be a part of NYPD’s ESU?