NYPD prepares bioattack contingency for New Year's Eve
by Daniel Purt on December 29, 2009
New York City
The New York Police Department will utilize biological and radiation detection devices in Times Square this year to guard against a terrorist attack on New Year's Eve.
In addition to the detection devices, decontamination facilities will also be set up, backpacks will not be allowed, garages will be search and surveillance operations will be conducted.
"It will be a full fledged deployment of our resources," Commissioner Ray Kelly told MyFOXNY.com. "We assume New York is the number one target and we've assumed that since January 2002. There are no guarantees. We are doing more than any other city to keep us safe from a terrorist attack, but there are no guarantees. We live in a dangerous world."
The NYPD refers to its suite of protections, which also includes a massive police presence and officers scanning the crowds, as a counterterrorism overlay.
Little has been done to adjust to any terrorist threats following the recent attempted terrorist attack of a U.S. airplane in Detroit. The NYPD has said that its security plan is comprehensive and did not need to be changed.
There are no known or published biological threats against the city at this time, but the security measures that are in place are being called the most sophisticated safeguards against biological and chemical weapons since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Hundreds of thousands of revelers are expected to take part in Manhattan's New Year's Eve festivities, Times Square Alliance's web site estimates, making it a prime target for a biological based attack.
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