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It's become a familiar occurence these days: A swarm of police officers and squad cars descending upon a location investigate "something suspicious." Reader John emailed us with a photograph and story about the police cordoning off an area on the western part of the loop in Central Park yesterday:
I was taking pictures, and the next thing I knew, there was influx of police officers and hardware like I've never seen in the park. They cordoned off the drive, much to the dismay of the cyclists, and wouldn't let anyone get through. At first, seeing a lot of cyclists stopped in the area, I was afraid there'd been a nasty bike accident (I overhead some passersby suspecting the same). One guy asked the police if it was related to "that guy with the backpack," which they denied. The police then told some people that there was a bag left on the drive. Perhaps all those signs saying "Si ves algo, di algo" have had some effect.John adds that the police allowed people to leave after 10 minutes and were very professional and efficient as the crowd was calm. These events will become more and more commonplace as the NYPD does their best to show they are taking every call seriously, and Gothamist expects the Mayor and Police Commissioner will remind New Yorkers not to be frightened by them. In fact, we noticed the MTA's new signs telling commuters that bag checks can take time, which essentially translates to "Don't blame us if you're delayed in getting to work." And if you're in Central Park, biking or running, just think of the time you spend waiting as part of interval training.
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Does anyone have any idea what was happening in Battery Park this morning/ You could see the lights all the way out on the harbor when coming in on the ferry.
In possibly related news, what was the deal with that helicopter flying super low back and forth over the Manhattan on Saturday? It couldn't have been more than 100 feet off the ground when I saw it on the UWS/Morningside Heights (obviously going higher at times to avoid buildings).
It was just flying back and forth east/west, going progressively further north with each loop. Didn't have any police markings, just an number on the tail. And it wasn't one of the tourist helicopters. Maybe it was doing a geographic scan of the city or something.
Similar situation outside of BAM on Wednesday night when police blocked off a block of Lafayette to to seach a suspicious bag of garbage.
Anyone know what's up in Boerum Hill? I've noticed quite a few police officers walking and biking on Bond and Hoyt Streets in the past few days.
Get a police scanner, set it on your local pct and on SOD. Most calls are for supicious package.
Whose iPod got stolen in Central Park this time?
Seriously...
EJ, what's happening in Boerum Hill is--in many ways--a center for Islamic/Muslim merchants. In fact that mosque between 4th and 4rd Avenues on Atlantic Avenue was directly connected to a fund raising group that was connected to Al Qaeda.
Ever since 9/11 there has always been a stronger police presence here. Even in the Subways. And not just becuase of negative racial profiling against some of the people here. But also to protect the stores and such from racist morons who target these people as if they ALL are connected to terrorism.
But that's not all.
The fact that the courts are here adds to the police pressence as well. 9 times out of 10 when you see Police helicopters and vehicles near the west end of Atlantic Avenue, chances are it has something to do with the courts or holding facilites. Now that the Brooklyn House of Detention is temporarilly shut down, it's a tad quieter. But come 5:00pm on many days and you'd see cops transporting prisoners back and forth and helicopters in the air for support.
Welcome to Boerum Hill!
For even more info you can check out the excellent July 25 article the new yorker ran on the 'new' NYPD. a lot has changed since 9/11 and i think these things are all part of a new, aggressive anti terrorism plan. (which is good IMHO)
tim
"For even more info you can check out the excellent July 25 article the new yorker ran on the 'new' NYPD. a lot has changed since 9/11 and i think these things are all part of a new, aggressive anti terrorism plan. (which is good IMHO)"
Yes, agressive anti-terror tactics really helped in London. They arguably had a better system in place than NYC thanks to years of IRA conflicts. But look what happened.
I have nothing against things being done that actually prevents attacks. But it seems that much of what is being done in NYC is being done to visually make people feel better. Like these assinine random bag checks. Give us all a break. You're talking about a system that has graffiti in the tunnels and kids in high-school who know how to break into conductor booths, but check bags makes a difference? C'mon. Let's get real.
What is a National Guard guy with an M16 going to do if a guy with a backpack blows himself up. Shoot at an explosion?
random bag checks; cops with machine guns and similar tactics my not be as assinine as you think. Many of these and similar measures are intended to act as deterrents, not necessarily a solution to the terrorism problem. No plan is foolproof as you noted with the subway tunnels & conductor booths but i think the plan is to try the best we can. Have you read the article? I think the strides the NYPD has made in this area are remarkable, putting the FBI, CIA and Homeland security Dept to shame. Maybe that guy with the machine gun could kill a suicide bomber in a van trying to drive into the lobby of the empire state bldg before he does.
my 2 cents
Aren't Bag Checks at Subway stops so LAST WEEK, the media doesn't cover it anymore, so why would the cops spend time bag checking..
a deterrent?! as if a cop with a gun looking through bags does anything to stop ideological extremist seeking martyrdom. if anything, i would guess it strengthens their resolve. does this deterrent work in israel?
and how much does this unproven deterrent for a hypothetical risk cost? pathetic on so many levels.
hijiki brings up a good point. Does anyone have an idea if this sort of thing works in Israel?
If I recall correctly, a bouncer at the Tel Aviv bar Mike's Place prevented a suicide bomber from making his way into the crowded establishment before blowing himself up in 2003. Two customers and a bartender were killed, but the death toll could have been much higher. Often security winds up paying with his life for trying to stop suicide bombers, but I do think there have been instances where they've minimized the impact of an attack.