New York City – On a cloudless spring day, the NYPD helicopter soars over the city, its sights set on the Statue of Liberty.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
A dramatic close-up of Lady Liberty’s frozen gaze fills one of three flat-screen computer screens mounted on a console. The hundreds of sightseers clustered below are oblivious to the fact that a helicopter is peering down on them from a mile and a half away.
“They don’t even know we’re here,” says crew chief John Diaz, speaking into a headset over the dim of aircraft’s motor.
The unmarked helicopter’s corporate, silver-and-white motif belies what’s inside: an arsenal of sophisticated surveillance and tracking equipment powerful enough to stealthily read license plates _ or even pedestrian’s faces _ from high above.
Police officials say the chopper’s sweeps of the city landmarks and other potential targets are invaluable to the NYPD’s post-Sept. 11 mission of guarding against another attack. They also argue that keeping it an “unmarked ship” provides a see-but-not-be-seen advantage against lurking terrorists and ordinary bad guys alike.
“It looks like just another helicopter in the sky,” said Assistant Chief Charles Kammerdener, who oversees the aviation unit.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has said that “no other law enforcement agency in the country has anything that comes close” to the surveillance chopper, designed by a team of engineers at Bell Helicopter and computer technicians based on the exact specifications of the NYPD.
The helicopter is named simply “23” _ for the number of police officers killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks
Great! Now the secret is out. What great reporting!
Dummy, so because of that terrorists will stop their activity and crime will screech to a halt? This is great! “They don’t even know we’re here”.
LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS.
Now they can start writing parking tickets from the sky
Geniuses, if there was a problem with revealing this info, then it wouldn’t be revealed. You have such a low opinion of the NYPD?
Obviously the Police department feels that letting people know about this may be a deterrent.
Tune in tommorrow for the latests secrets On “America’s best kept secrets”!
more tickets