Police officers will be flooding the subways in and out of uniform, as the NYPD gears up for the Republican National Convention that's just 10 days away. The Daily News has an exclusive about the plans:
Hundreds of detectives in the NYPD's elite specialized units are being ordered to put aside cases and ride the rails as extra security as early as this weekend, the Daily News has learned. Narcotics, vice, gang and organized crime investigators will join hundreds of transit and patrol cops on the subways - creating a formidable underground police force to combat terror threats leading up to and during the Republican National Convention, sources said.
Cops will be shutting the books on their open cases - temporarily - to be on hand for the RNC. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says, "It's all part of our comprehensive approach. We have a generalized concern about the transit system in light of what happened overseas."
Meanwhile, Newsday reports the MTA's top counterterrorism official as saying, "It's physically impossible to check every bag. In reality, the best detection that you have are the employees and the people who ride the trains." Now Gothamist has even more reason to be nosy on subway cars! Now, we will stare without shame, and even dare to rummage through the bag that someone has plopped onto the empty seat. Newsday also has tips on your encounters with patrol dogs ("Don't startle or frighten the dog with sudden moves.")
The NY Times also has coverage of the NYC's increased presence and new tactics for the convention, especially in light of anarchists. Gothamist's posts on the Republican National Convention in NYC. Also, Variety reports that the League of Broadway Producers is offering $20.04 second tickets to any full price ticket during the convention for shows like Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, and The Producers, because producers are worried that people will be afraid to come to the city. We can't find any websites confirming the shows listed, but come on, everyone, support Broadway!
