Massive Terror Drill Successfully Detects Nuclear Threat

Yesterday a group of law enforcement agencies launched the largest counter-terrorism demonstration in history at the New York Harbor. The operation was led by the NYPD who unveiled two new state of the art radiation-tracking boats worth $750k each. Police say the crew of one of the new boats was able to pinpoint a bottle containing harmless germanium a half-mile away on a fishing boat. It launched 17 vessels to put a "choke-point" on traffic coming into New York Harbor under the Verrazano Bridge. When the NYPD "Tracs" boat pulled up the to "The Last Dollar," a recreation speed boat, cops knew from their top secret devices that they would find a radiation device on board.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in News on August 16, 2008 10:22 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Supposedly, Los Alamos Labs developed a sophisticated, handheld detector using a nanophosphor compund scintillator (I'm not that smart, I just Googled it) which replaces a unit with a single germanium crystal that could detect radiation masked by a medical instrument. They claim that even shielded ratioactive material can be detected. My problem is the "handheld" part. Human factor applicable.

Spirit of 76

It's fairly easy to detect something when you know it's out there. The acid test will be if it ever finds the real thing, especially if the terrorists are smart enough to keep it in a shielded container.

NannyState

^Thank you. All the money and high technology devoted to detecting a threat can be totally undone simply by one jaded officer.

interlard

So as long as these two boats can be within 1/2 mile of everything in New York harbor, we're safe?

MY friend was stopped a few years ago at one of the tunnels. The police said her car set the radiation detector off. She had nothing, of course. Oh, they said, it must have been someone else. Never mind.

thefacts

My friend was stopped and questioned at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal because radiation detectors were triggered by the radioactive iodine she had consumed to diagnose a thyroid condition.