Chaos at JFK Airport! An individual who had been flagged by the TSA and was asked for a secondary screening apparently walked away around 5:20 a.m., causing security to shut down Terminal 7, clear it out, and then re-screen all the passengers. The terminal reopened at around 7:40 a.m. more ›

Nevermind those pesky strip searches—people still like to bring guns on planes, goshdarnit. The TSA has found 1,238 firearms, or roughly four a day, at airport checkpoints last year. It's unclear whether that figure includes the many, many stun guns that seem to keep popping up around New York, but either way—that's a lot! more ›

A US Airways flight at LaGuardia bound for Charlotte, North Carolina was aborted minutes before takeoff yesterday after the pilot noticed an unauthorized man wandering around by the runway, mere feet from the plane. A police official tells the Post the man, Andre Reid, was walking by the Airbus 321 "like he was taking a stroll in his backyard." Upon spotting Reid, the pilot reportedly became "spooked" and decided to "dump" the flight, meaning all the passengers and all the luggage had to be transferred to a different plane. Just another day at our "third world airport." more ›

The city has beefed up security in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, and Governor Cuomo has repeatedly told New Yorkers that the "if you see something, say something" plan applies now more than ever. And New Yorkers are listening! ABC reports that in the past three days there has been a spike in suspicious package reports, with over 60 on Monday alone. However, all of those were false alarms. more ›

Authorities have increased security in New York City in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death by U.S. forces. There are more NYPD officers out and about, as there are additional Port Authority police officers and MTA police officers on alert. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told commands, "While there is no information indicating a specific threat to New York City, members of the service are reminded to remain alert in the aftermath." He also issued a public statement, "While we know of no specific plot against New York now underway, the Police Department is not taking any chances." Well, terrorists do love the Brooklyn Bridge. more ›

Yesterday details were scare regarding the man who managed to sneak into the Dakota, but now more are emerging. 24-year-old graphic design student Sungno Kim, a Korean tourist hitting up some spots in his guide book, says he went to the building because he's a Beatles fan and read that is where John Lennon lived (and died). more ›

While we no longer need to fear the Snooki Ball this New Year's Eve, that doesn't mean Times Square is free from danger tonight. City officials are ramping up security as they brace for nearly a million people to show up for the ball drop (streets will close at 3 p.m. today). The decision to strengthen the police presence was made after the failed Times Square bomb discovered in May of this year. According to the Daily News, "counterterrorism officials, FBI agents and thousands of rank-and-file cops will patrol the area with bomb-sniffing dogs and snipers on rooftops." More barriers will be added to the area, and all mailboxes and garbage cans have been removed from streetcorners, and on top of all that, manhole covers are being sealed up. more ›

The movement to ban the so-called "Porno Scanners" at airports got a boost today from a group of City Council members who held a press conference at City Hall in support of legislation to ban the scanners at LaGuardia and JFK airports. To back up their argument that the scanners are as useless as they are invasive, the lawmakers cited Israeli security experts' refusal to install these scanners at Ben Gurion International Airport, which is widely hailed as the safest airport in the world. Rafi Sela, the former Chief Security Officer of the Israel Airport Authority, said he could "overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to take down a Boeing 747." It's probably for the best he didn't elaborate further on that. more ›

The city's subway system could trap commuters like a trap in a trap in an emergency, because anybody with a padlock and chain could lock the 24-hour security gates shut, a lawsuit filed by a subway supervisor alleges. According to whistle-blower Peter Nichik, there's nothing stopping the bad guys from closing the gates, locking them, and creating "a very dangerous and potentially lethal event in an emergency situation." This is a real possibility, Nichik portends, because these gates are not locked in the open position. Food for thought! more ›

Marina Abramović may not be present at MoMA anymore, but her internet presence will never die. We got in touch with one of the performance artist's final (and controversial) face-to-face guests, who until now has just been referred to as the streaker. 29-year-old Josephine Decker (who camped out to be first in line) did indeed strip down for Marina during her last day of "The Artist Is Present," but why? Here's what she told us: more ›

Two couples have filed a somewhat belated suit against Hotel Edison for their lax security system which allowed a complete stranger to sneak into their suite in the middle of the night almost three years ago. Raul Montoulieu-Lopez awoke to find the man making off with jewelry, cell phones, clothes and cash, and claims the hotel offered little in terms of condolences or help. They apparently didn't even offer the victims robes, leaving them to talk to the police in their PJs! The four have filed a $10.5 million suit, which claims, "The emotional distress suffered by plaintiffs was severe and of such a nature that no reasonable person could be expected to endure it." more ›

Deciding that the iPad falls under the "laptop" category (but it's so much more!), Yankee Stadium has included it on its banned items list, forcing spectators to play with their suddenly inadequate iPhones instead. The news broke after IGN board user spacekatgal posted that she and her tablet were turned away at the gates, saying, "Why on earth would they have this policy? Terrorism concerns? I couldn't get an answer. I snuck it in under my jacket...I bring it to Fenway all the time and they don't care." Probably because she needs the distraction from the Red Sox! more ›

There's nothing like almost losing track of a terror suspect and the no-fly list almost not work at all to make the feds change things up. The Washington Post reports, "Until now, airlines have had 24 hours to check the list after they are notified that a name has been added to it through a special, expedited process that indicates a high level of potential risk. Starting Wednesday, they must check within two hours." more ›

The key that allows access through the gates at all 468 subway stations—dubbed the "magic key" by the Daily News—is now giving the MTA a headache: NYC Transit president Tedd Prendergast said that agency is auditing to see who has received the key. The News reports, "If the audit determines too many keys have fallen into the wrong hands - the keys are supposed to be used only by firefighters and certain authorized transit workers - then the agency will change locks wholesale, Prendergast said." So not only would the locks need to be replaced, NYC Transit will need to reissue keys as well! more ›

In an article spanning all sorts of subway security, the Brooklyn Eagle takes a look at secret emergency exits throughout the system. Did you know that in Brooklyn Heights, there's a fake brownstone leading into the underground? They report that the three-story building "looks like any other on the cobblestone block, but it isn’t. It leads directly down to the nation’s largest subway system. If you opened the door [to exit], you would find yourself on a stoop, which is just part of the façade." (Kind of like Sesame Street?) The Heights in particular is home to many secret exits, unknown to most except for some locals. If you want to find the brownstone, it's the one armed with silent alarms, motion detectors and other hidden security. Better stick to the regular way out. UPDATE: Curbed threatens our city's security by posting photos of the decoy brownstone! more ›

Police arrested a man this weekend for brazenly concealing cocaine folded in five dollar bills in his wallet at JFK airport, instead of in a body cavity like a normal person. According to the Post, security agents at the airport found the drugs on Stephen Garraity as he went through a checkpoint. Garraity first told officers the white powder was "medication," and then flashed a card from the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and claimed to be a former NYPD cop, though it's not clear why he thought being a cop with cocaine would make things any better. He was arrested and charged with criminal impersonation and possession of a controlled substance. more ›

So far 70 stations are rigged with the cameras, and by June that number is expected to reach 100. The agency asked that $250 million be set aside for security projects over the next five years, but Albany—where Gov. Paterson is hashing out a budget for the upcoming year—rejected the proposal. Bridge tolls, which would have paid for subway surveillance in addition to other improvements to the MTA, were voted down by the legislature. With things as they are the administration warned earlier this year that the planned security overhaul "may never be completed."
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The White House announced that airports will use intelligence information to screen travelers to the the United States. According to the Washington Post, the passengers will no longer be screened based on nationality and "will instead select passengers based on possible matches to intelligence information, including physical descriptions or a particular travel pattern." An anonymous official told the NY Times, "This is not a system that can be called profiling in the traditional sense. It is intelligence-based." more ›

While the Empire State Building's management is keeping mum about Cameron Dabaghi's suicide on Tuesday, some security guards are talking to the press anonymously. The Yale student jumped to his death from the 86th floor's observation deck, which yesterday was watched over by at least six guards. One of them told the Daily News, "We have all sorts of security measures in place. It's not like we didn't try to stop him. It wasn't quick. We tried to talk him down for a while. It's not easy to get over these gates for a reason." It's unclear how many security guards were there that day, but the paper notes that their bosses, not expecting large crowds due to the weather, told several to stay home. more ›

After the apparent suicide bombings in two Moscow subway stations that left 39 dead yesterday, the NYPD increased its presence at subway station around the city. Mayor Bloomberg condemned the attacks, "The New York City Police Department stepped up its patrol of the subways. We will learn from the terrible tragedy in Moscow, as we do from every terrorist incident around the world, and we will continue to do everything possible to protect our transit system - and our entire City - from the threat of terrorism." more ›

Brooklyn Bridge Park has been open for three days—which is apparently long enough for newspaper editors to demand a negative stories about it. In a classic hit piece, the Daily News blasts the greenspace for using money from a condo building on premises to pay for nine security officers, while other Brooklyn parks without such condo deals share a mere 15 officers. more ›

Despite invasive full body scanners popping up at our nation’s airports, Janet Napolitano says you’ll still have to take your shoes off to get through security. According to the Homeland Security Secretary, shoes are so impenetrable that they can’t be fully screened while they’re on your feet, reports the AP. Too bad these never caught on. During a live video chat session, she also spoke to the shortage of air marshals on domestic and international flights, and about incidents, like the Newark airport kisser, where non-passengers cause security meltdowns by entering unauthorized areas. She said that for now only ticketed travelers would be allowed in secure areas but that "It may be possible to change that as we move forward." more ›

Security cameras at Newark Liberty International Airport are being equipped with alarms that will sound if the cameras stop working. More than 30 cameras at nine security checkpoints will be connected to alarms, according to 1010WINS. The planned fail-safe measure comes after a man brought air travel to a halt when he bypassed security to say goodbye to his girlfriend. Following that breach, authorities realized airport cameras had not stored images for days, and were forced to obtain backup footage from security cameras operated by Continental Airlines. Since then, security at Newark has been breached by wine bottles and an obese cat. more ›

Full body scanners, we hardly knew you. An Obama administration official has reportedly stated that hand-swabbing will be the latest anti-terrorism technique put into use at airports nationwide. more ›

Former terror trial supporter and current terror trial opponent Mayor Bloomberg asked the federal government to offer some kind of guarantee that it would cover the costs of bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters to justice in New York City. According to the Washington Post, Bloomberg said he is skeptical "because a lot of times the federal government promises to pay and then the monies don't come." more ›

The MTA says its biggest security overhaul in history "is taking too long, costing too much" and now it's running out of money. The agency has only $59 million left in the bank for the program—not nearly enough for the installation of motion sensor cameras and other high-tech gadgets at every subway station. more ›