NYPD Disorder Control Unit Holds 'Mobilization Exercise' In Wake Of London Riots

After violent riots broke out in London last week, the NYPD Disorder Control Unit held "mobilizaion exercises" on Randall's Island Friday, the Metro reports.

Approximately 180 police officers from each borough’s task force, including the horseback and aviation units, were present for the drill.

It is widely agreed that the initial police response to the London riots was largely ineffective.

English Prime Minister David Cameron tapped former NYPD police chief Bill Bratton to be a consultant to Scotland Yard.

The NYPD also announced the formation of a social media unit to catch criminals who use Facebook and Twitter to announce law-breaking plans or to brag about their latest crime.

The relationship between mayhem and social media was brought into focus last week as the London riots were coordinated largely via Twitter and Blackberry messages.

The last major riots to hit New York City were the Crown Heights Riots in 1991, when racial tensions between the black and Hasidic communities in the Brooklyn neighborhood erupted into violence.