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Here's some news from yesterday on fox 5. Thought might be worth reading and up to date news on federal funding for certain resources that the city needs. I don't see why NY wouldn't get the funds and possibly have a big January Class.
NEW YORK (AP) - The arrest last week of former coffee vendor Najibullah Zazi on charges of plotting to attack New York City gives added urgency to the city's pleas for federal funding to deter nuclear attacks, Mayor Bloomberg and area lawmakers said Sunday.
"Despite the incredible job the NYPD is doing, our city does remain a prime target for terrorists," Bloomberg said. "That's a fact. And so we can always use more resources, more technology and more boots on the ground to keep this city safe."
City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and U.S. Rep. Peter King of Long Island joined the mayor in pressing Congress for $40 million for a program to ring the region with sensors to detect radioactive material.
The Securing the Cities (STC) initiative is a federally funded effort to protect New York City from the threat of a makeshift nuclear device or a radiological dispersal device, also known as a dirty bomb.
"With additional funding of $40 million that we're looking for, we'll be able to put in permanent, fixed cameras and radiation detection equipment at all the entry points into Manhattan," Kelly said, "and we'll also be able to establish a regional wireless system that will enable all the partners in this program to get notified immediately if in fact radiation material is discovered."
The Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Committee is considering the act that would fund the program.
Lieberman said the arrest of Zazi is "the realization, unfortunately, of our worst nightmares". Federal prosecutors say Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan immigrant, planned to unleash a terrorist attack on New York City on the Sept. 11 anniversary.
They said Zazi received explosives training from al-Qaida in Pakistan and returned to the U.S. bent on building a bomb. He was arrested in Denver a week ago. Zazi's lawyer denied the charges.
King said the arrest "really drives home the fact of what a threat New York always faces.". King continued, “Very simply, the New York City region is the number one terrorist target. To shortchange funding for this critical program which will help protect this area from a terrorist attack carried out by a radiological or nuclear weapon is the height of irresponsibility.â€
New York City is the first site for the Securing the Cities program, which creates a multi-layered ring of sensors throughout the tri-state area. Sensors at highways, toll plazas, bridges, tunnels, and waterways can detect radioactive and nuclear material before it enters the City. Detection devices have already been placed at major entry points into the City and distributed to law enforcement partners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Additional funding is being requested to purchase more sensors, link the equipment, and conduct training exercises.
King, Bloomberg and the others spoke at the Citigroup Center on Manhattan's East Side, site of a terrorist plot that was uncovered in 2004.
At a separate news conference, New York Sen. Charles Schumer also urged funding for the radiation-detection program.
"Following 9/11, the federal government correctly put resources into this program," Schumer said. "NYPD is leading the way in implementing this high-tech system, but we need federal funding to provide sufficient resources to finish the job."
NEW YORK (AP) - The arrest last week of former coffee vendor Najibullah Zazi on charges of plotting to attack New York City gives added urgency to the city's pleas for federal funding to deter nuclear attacks, Mayor Bloomberg and area lawmakers said Sunday.
"Despite the incredible job the NYPD is doing, our city does remain a prime target for terrorists," Bloomberg said. "That's a fact. And so we can always use more resources, more technology and more boots on the ground to keep this city safe."
City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and U.S. Rep. Peter King of Long Island joined the mayor in pressing Congress for $40 million for a program to ring the region with sensors to detect radioactive material.
The Securing the Cities (STC) initiative is a federally funded effort to protect New York City from the threat of a makeshift nuclear device or a radiological dispersal device, also known as a dirty bomb.
"With additional funding of $40 million that we're looking for, we'll be able to put in permanent, fixed cameras and radiation detection equipment at all the entry points into Manhattan," Kelly said, "and we'll also be able to establish a regional wireless system that will enable all the partners in this program to get notified immediately if in fact radiation material is discovered."
The Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Committee is considering the act that would fund the program.
Lieberman said the arrest of Zazi is "the realization, unfortunately, of our worst nightmares". Federal prosecutors say Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan immigrant, planned to unleash a terrorist attack on New York City on the Sept. 11 anniversary.
They said Zazi received explosives training from al-Qaida in Pakistan and returned to the U.S. bent on building a bomb. He was arrested in Denver a week ago. Zazi's lawyer denied the charges.
King said the arrest "really drives home the fact of what a threat New York always faces.". King continued, “Very simply, the New York City region is the number one terrorist target. To shortchange funding for this critical program which will help protect this area from a terrorist attack carried out by a radiological or nuclear weapon is the height of irresponsibility.â€
New York City is the first site for the Securing the Cities program, which creates a multi-layered ring of sensors throughout the tri-state area. Sensors at highways, toll plazas, bridges, tunnels, and waterways can detect radioactive and nuclear material before it enters the City. Detection devices have already been placed at major entry points into the City and distributed to law enforcement partners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Additional funding is being requested to purchase more sensors, link the equipment, and conduct training exercises.
King, Bloomberg and the others spoke at the Citigroup Center on Manhattan's East Side, site of a terrorist plot that was uncovered in 2004.
At a separate news conference, New York Sen. Charles Schumer also urged funding for the radiation-detection program.
"Following 9/11, the federal government correctly put resources into this program," Schumer said. "NYPD is leading the way in implementing this high-tech system, but we need federal funding to provide sufficient resources to finish the job."
