New York – The NYPD may have the power to blast a small plane out of the sky, but Mayor Bloomberg is the one who would make the final call for an air strike, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
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“The mayor makes the final decision,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told a City Council hearing Thursday.
Kelly said that would be the game plan in “a very extreme situation” – meaning if a small plane manned by terrorists was bearing down on the city, promising destruction and death.
NYPD helicopters have the ability to shoot down a small plane, such as a crop-duster that could be used in a bioterror attack, but it does not have the firepower to take out a jetliner, Kelly said.
“What we didn’t want to be is totally helpless, at 2 o’clock in the morning, [with] a small plane disseminating anthrax over Manhattan and waiting for somebody to come from an Air Force base in Massachusetts,” Kelly said.
Under questioning by Councilman David Greenfield, a Brooklyn Democrat, Kelly said the mayor is “notified immediately” whenever police learn the city is facing a terror threat.
Finally — someone has clarified the identity of NYC’s defense minister.
hashem yerachem – he’s gonna authorize a shoot down if the pilot fails to pay his parking ticket
From where will his majesty give the okay, Florida, London, which mansion?
Wise comments of # 1 thru 3. Tell me and think. From where does the President of the United States or the Chaiman of the Joint Chief of Staff make his decisions whether to shoot down a plane or take any military action in New York or anywhere in the country or world. The President could be in Europe or the middle East or anywhere in the world. He doesn’t have to be in the t’chum shabbos to make an informed decision. You hate Bloomberg. No problem. But they were discussing a serious issue and it should be taken as such.
“Bloomberg and only Bloomberg Can Authorize NYPD to Shoot Down Planes.”
Why does that not fill me with confidence?
Yeah till they’ll get to him and till he signs the paper “Rome will be burning”. Terrorists will pick a time that he’s in Australia etc and till he will be reached it will be much too late…
Stop Critisizing him!
Let’s just hope this scenario will never happen!