New York – CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer has an exclusive look at the city’s post-9/11 security.
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There are radiation detection boats in the waters, cameras that have been placed all over lower and Midtown Manhattan and there are cops with guns and tanks and all kinds of weapons, because in New York a terror attack could come from anywhere, and anyone.
“There’s no shortage of people who are willing to give up their lives for the cause,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
It’s been 10 years but our concerns about terrorism are still staggering and constant. Even the death of Osama bin Laden didn’t lessen the fear.
Two thirds of Americans, 67 percent in a stunning CBS/New York Times poll say killing the al Qaeda mastermind didn’t make them feel safer.
But that’s not all. A majority – 57 percent — say subway security measures are insufficient.
And as for other potential terror targets:
* Only 27 percent say airports are a lot safer
* Only 20 percent say bridges and tunnels are safer
* And just 14 percent say area nuclear plants are safer
Kramer sat down with Commissioner Kelly for a rare and candid talk about terror. Some of the arrows in his anti-terror quiver are pretty amazing and newly revealed.
For openers, he has his own navy.
“We actually have the ability to have a small submarine, not manned, to check the part of the boats that are submerged,” Kelly said.
“We have a new boat on order. We envision a situation where we may have to get to an island or across water quickly, so we’re able to transport our heavy weapons officers rapidly.”
Kelly also has his own army — 1,000 anti-terror cops with tanks and weapons, carved out of the NYPD after 9/11.
“We have to do things differently. We know that this is where terrorists want to come,” Kelly said.
But in the city’s war on terror it’s often about what you don’t see. You do see the cops and the weapons and the bomb dogs. You don’t see the legion of bi-lingual undercover officers and analysts. You also don’t see much of the intricate web of surveillance cameras the commissioner continues to build.
“Now you’re going to see a fairly rapid increase in the number of cameras,” Kelly said.
Why let our enemies know all of this?
T’hilim 127 “im hashem lo yishmor ir shov shukat shoimer”
Bloomberg is building a army to steal a fourth term- Hussein, Kahaddafi, Mubarak and now Bloomberg
The average New Yorker has more to fear from those who commit felonies, such as strong arm robberies (muggings), armed robberies, felonious assaults, burglaries, steal cars, etc., than he/she does from a terrorist.
With all the money from tickets, they could afford some extra trinkets. Glad they’re using it in a great way, make our place a police state – literally… – as opposed to things like fixing potholes or something.
It think the headline is a bit of a guzma–after all, the tanks and boats don’t have guns mounted on them, do they. Even the sub will be unarmed. But it sounds cute.
One might argue that the NYPD surpasses the military since the former also has the traffic agent brigade, which is a valuable asset to the police force.
So when will Shomrim be getting their own submarine?