TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS IN NYC BRINGS COLLATERAL BENEFITS

Aug 1, 2005 12:00 PM

The New York Police Department has dispatched its own explosives expert to Great Britain to study the London suicide bombings.

And although terrorism is uppermost on patrolling officers' minds in the New York subway, the increased vigilance has netted a pleasant side effect: Crime in the subways is down 23 percent over last year. Transit officials say their increased presence has “led to a drastic drop in violence.”

But the city is pushing on in its anti-terrorism efforts. According to The Associated Press, the NYPD has asked chemical suppliers and other potential commercial sources for bomb components in the New York city area to contact investigators if they notice anything suspicious.

Investigators in London have reportedly speculated the bombers in the July 7 attacks used TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, a highly unstable explosive made from commercially available chemicals such as acid, acetone and peroxide.

An NYPD detective with training in explosives recently returned to New York “with a detailed analysis of the bomb-making techniques used in London,” says Michael Sheehan, deputy commissioner of counterterrorism.

Officials say the expert's trip was part of a broader effort to work with private companies to secure the city. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly recently invited 600 security directors from large hotels, Wall Street firms, Broadway theaters, storage facilities and other businesses to police headquarters to unveil a program called NYPD Shield.

The program will encourage businesses to team with the NYPD to assess and revise their security measures. The police department plans to share unclassified intelligence and security tips at an upcoming series of counterterrorism briefings and training programs.

Sheehan said the NYPD already has conducted hundreds of security assessments of businesses around the city, advising them to use more video surveillance, better lighting and more guards.

The department hopes “to strike a balance between protecting the sites and keeping the city open and inviting to live, work and invest in,” he told The AP.

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