NYPD Commissioner Touts Counter-Terrorism Unit

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday at the Center for National Policy the New York Police Department has handled numerous terrorism threats in the wake of the September 11 attacks, including the recent terror scares on the New York Subway and in Times Square.

The NYPD has stopped “11 terrorist plots in eight and a half years,” said Commissioner Kelly, but noted that “NYPD has not given up an inch in its fight against crime,” citing a decrease in crime rates since 2001, despite losing around 6000 officers during that same period.

Kelly credited positive results to NYPD’s extensive counter-terrorism unit, noting that New York was “the first police department in the country to have [its] own counter-terrorism unit.” The commissioner said New York’s counter-terrorism unit has “hired a team of civilian analysts, experts in military intelligence and foreign affairs [who] follow trends in terrorist tactics.”

Notably, Kelly said that NYPD’s counter-terrorism unit has recruited from within their own ranks “some 700 certified speakers of 45 sensitive languages,” to assist in counter-terrorism measures.  In addition to the multi-lingual counter-terrorism unit, NYPD has sent senior officers to “11 international cities [who] work closely with the local police agencies if a terrorist attack occurs.”

Kelly stressed the importance of inter-agency cooperation, which he called “a must,” for combating terrorism, using NYPD’s information sharing strategy, where data is despersed to agencies across the country, as an example.  Kelly also said that the NYPD’s advanced surveillance systems, which have software that can seek out suspicious items or persons, and a random screening net in the subway has helped keep New York safe.

When asked if the New York model could be implemented with success in other large cities, Kelly said that “he could only speak for New York,” and that it was first necessary to “take the pulse of the local community,” to see if they feel threatened, noting that New York City had already been attacked twice.

Skelton: We Caught Him, We Caught Him

By Benny Martinez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) used just three words to describe how the United States has handled the Times Square bomb scare incident: "We caught him."

Skelton along with fellow Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters on Thursday that he supports the administration's response to and handling of the capture of the alleged plotter, Faisal Shahzad.

Thompson said that under the Constitution, Shazhad, who according to Attorney General Eric Holder was mirandized sometime after his arrest, was a naturalized citizen and therefore entitled to have his rights read to him.

"Few have focused on the facts that we also stayed true to our cherished constitutional principles," Thompson said. "To those who seek to politicize this very serious terrorist incident by attacking Miranda, the Fifth Amendment and due process, I say shame on you."

The Congressmen all applauded the efforts of the citizens of New York, saying that every American plays a role in counter-terrorism.

When asked why Faisal Shahzad was not being monitored by intelligence agencies after flying to Pakistan, Reyes said, "We know that we can't keep every single person under surveillance, that's not what you do in a democracy."

"The totality of this case says we've got our stuff together," Reyes added. "We're able to confront these threats...[and] I think we all need to understand that we all have a role to play here."