Port Authority Cop: AirTrain Is Just Asking To Be Attacked

Some pleasant news to send you off into the weekend in comfort: a high-ranking Port Authority Police Officer testified at a state Senate hearing today, and pointed out all the many vulnerabilities of the AirTrain at JFK Airport. "It's unmanned and unpoliced...it's just a bad situation," said Robert Morris, executive vice president of the Port Authority PBA.

Morris made it clear that the AirTrain was ripe for a terror attack, especially the enclosed area near Terminal 4, which houses many international airlines. He testified that when it opened in 2003, the PA security plan called for 18 police officers to patrol the train, which translated into 1,095 patrol tours a year. Instead, "the last 12 months we've had 40 tours, which is about two weeks of coverage with one officer," he said.

Morris gave a list of four terror-threatened areas to the committee that were particularly vulnerable to attack and needed more security. He said that he tried to handle this internally with the PA, but was told by PA supervisors that, "'It's their prerogative to staff.' That's what we're being told."

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By Ben Yakas in News on April 8, 2011 6:48 PM

Comments [rss]

TAPman

And all private vehicles (cars) have been banned from JFK roadways, correct?

unretrofiedforu

AKA "MY DEPARTMENT COULD USE A FEW MORE ANTI-TERRORIST' CONTRACTSS!!!"

ANGRYGOD11

There are hundreds of places you could roll in a giant bomb on a cart and kill lots of people. I've wondered why terrorists haven't attacked shopping malls as they should know the rest of America is rather dismissive of NYC.

ANGRYGOD11

Don't assume any cop is going to save the day if a competent bomber places a well-made bomb anywhere. That only happens in films and TV shows.

ih8bloomturd

Every bus every train every street corner every school hospital sporting venue can be attacked at any moment all the police in times square couldnt stop a potential attack only stopped it was the terrorist couldnt execute or scores of people would have been injured or killed.

ewryhtrujh

http://frsh.in/k4

splicernyc

This is all about the police union trying to get increase the number of jobs by manning the Air Train.

MrNomer

Word up. Like they say on cop shows, "Follow the money." They want more of it.

BoogieDown

This country is largely comprised of fear junkies. I don't really get the appeal of being scared all the time. Just smoke some fuckin' weed and chill out, people.

bobchadwick

Yeah, like it's so much easier to sneak a bomb onto the AirTrain than it is to sneak one onto the subway. You can have as many cops as you want on the train, but the only thing that's going to stop a bomber is his own ineptitude. If you want to stop people from blowing other people up, you have to stop them before the guy's at the station with his bomb. The fact that it would be so easy to cause some serious terror here, yet it hasn't been done in ten years, makes me feel like there really aren't that many people in the world who want to kill us (yeah, sure, there are probably a lot of people in the Middle East and South Asia who wouldn't mind blowing up some Americans, but lucky for us, they're in the Middle East and South Asia).

randomtransplant

And they might as well stay there for all the luck they'll need making a connection through Newark.

mrcamel

"there are probably a lot of people in the Middle East and South Asia who wouldn't mind blowing up some Americans, but lucky for us, they're in the Middle East and South Asia)."

Where they should stay. There is no reason to issue visas to Anyone from any of those countries to come here

randomtransplant

oil plastic mircoprocessors textiles sea food produce coffee tea labor & American university outposts

no reason at all

GothamExtremist

Blow up the air train, big deal, maybe 5 people will die, next.

Fofofofofo

Bombing a bodega would hurt more people.

randomtransplant

and would be easier.

inoyourider21

This train is only a viable target in the small stretch where it is near the airport.
It shouldn't be that difficult or expensive to get some security coverage.

nicemarmot

I really do love it when they publicize the obvious. My favorite is the Continental international area at Newark. It's a death trap waiting to happen in the security area, which clearly wasn't designed for the modern security procedures at all. It's a crush of people in a tiny space. Everytime I fly through there I think how absurdly easy it would be to attack, completely fuck up the airport and kill a shitload of people.