Keystone Kops Antics

The NY Post highlights the attempts of NY City to remain vigilant for the possibility that terrorists are bringing hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials into their fair city.

The NYPD has stepped up its inspections of trucks at checkpoints to protect against radioactive, biological or chemical bombs entering the Big Apple, officials said.

Enlisting an array of new detection tools, New York's Finest, working with a host of federal and state investigators, have launched a two-pronged assault against terrorists trying to slip bomb-making materials into the city.

On Sunday, about 40 cops using radiation detectors stopped some 50 trucks, trying to determine whether there were traces of radioactive isotopes - the type that would indicate a dirty bomb. They were also looking for other potential explosive ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide or chlorine, which are favored by al Qaeda.

Inspectors thought they intercepted a radioactive threat a week earlier in lower Manhattan, in the days after the foiled terror plot against Kennedy Airport's aviation fuel system was revealed. But the truck's high reading turned out to be isotopes in the soot of an industrial vacuum.

Oops! You mean that not all radioactive material is bad stuff with the potential to be turned into the dreaded "dirty bombs?" Ah well. Live and learn. But that hydrogen peroxide stuff, yeah, got to keep that out. 'Cause it's a dangerous chemical... sorta... Especially all that stuff going to the Rite-Aids...

The screeners pay extra attention to dump and cement trucks.

Police officials believe the roving checkpoints and array of inspection technology could thwart potential plots, including ones involving fertilizer-based truck bombs like those used in the attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 and a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

The NYPD recently put more emphasis on screening shipments of chlorine in response to evidence that it has become a favored ingredient of homemade bombs in Iraq. It can turn into a deadly toxic gas when exposed to air.

Come on, New York. Dump and cement trucks? Why? because no one would suspect them? Lots of nondescript white vans could bring in 55-gallon drums and cylinders of explosive gases without much trouble. And chlorine is the "favored ingredient of homemade bombs"? Since when does 15 incidents of the hundreds of IEDs and carbombs give the status of favored? (that's a knock on the journalist, not the NYC cops)

Maybe I'm being too cynical. Maybe the NY cops got hot intel from the FBIers that something was incoming. I personally doubt it - I rather think this is more of NYC's personal view that their city is the number one terrorist target for the world, and that grants them the right to do strange and eccentric things, despite the absence of any active threat indications. Maybe they were just testing out concepts and conducting training. Hey, what do I care? It's not my tax money and I don't plan to go there anytime soon. Have fun, guys. You'll tire out soon enough from all the fruitless searches.

UPDATE: Minor snarky comment - if the state/locals can manage things like searches for radioactive materials, why do we need the massive network proposed by DNDO?

Comments

[Belphegor1527]

J.,

Countermeasures conducted by local and state authorities have virtually nothing to do with the likelihood of threats or their potential damage. Rather, law enforcement/anti-terrorism programs are enacted based on:
1) the how much grant money can be extracted from the federal government (so, unfortunately, it is your tax money)
2)how many promotional opportunities such a program will create
3) personal interests of the person in charge ("Hey, I really liked that Tom Clancy novel...let's do the same thing in our department.")
Obviously, everyone wants to get in on the counter terrorism bandwagon since 'foiling a terrorist plot' (no matter how unlikely or ridiculous) is perceived as putting the concerned officer(s) on the career fast. track.

I have yet to see a state or local law enforcement agency do a decent threat assessment whose results weren't predetermined.

[CBH]

You can laugh at the hydrogen peroxide threat, but that's some serious stuff! Think about it: New York City is a minority-majority city. In 2005 44% of the population was white. 25.3% of the population was black or African American, 11.6% was Asian and 0.4% were American Indian. Another 17% belonged to some other race and 1.6% of New Yorkers belonged to more than once race.

I would think it's self-evident that if massive amounts of hydrogen peroxide were released into that environment, all those diverse cultures would have their hair and skin bleached to the same white and blonde. With the already prevalent use of blue-tinted contacts, they'd all be Hitler's perfect Aryans!

The entire city would have no choice but to start goose-stepping across the country, smashing things and shouting in German! Even if it is with a Pakistani accent, that would be scary. Don't forget - New York City's population is as large as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston combined! That's a lot of bleached-blonde Gestapo beating on your door!

Laugh all you want, but New York's Finest obviously have a true appreciation and desire to protect the cultural diversity that makes NYC the envy of Holland, and I'll gladly work a fourth or fifth job to afford the taxes to support such a noble effort.

[NVH]

Nothing wrong with a little proactive training and reaction guys. Ever heard of a Hard Target? Well maybe that's what NYPD is trying to project. Give 'em a break. The premise is all f'ed up but once they run thru a couple of times they'll see the disadvantages to the tactic, adapt another, and still appear as a proactive hard target to the outside. Don't forget the last two "cells" broken up were in there state (Buffalo and Fort Dix). They're being as proactive as they can without fielding an NYPD army to fly over to the sandbox...

[Grandjester]

Hard Target? Sure, it's Van Damme's second best movie after Bloodsport.

"Don't forget the last two "cells" broken up were in there state (Buffalo and Fort Dix). " Uh huh. Those retards couldn't terror their way outta a wet paper bag, try again NVH.

[Belphegor1527]

NVH,

That whole 'adapt and change' model depends on having an organization that actually reflects on its practices (pretty darn rare at the state and local level). Regardless, you're unlikely to see any change unless the new system provides more money, resources and/or promotional opportunities. Occasionally you'll see change in response to public pressure but in either case it is very rare to see any attempt at making an objective assessment to determine if a new course of action will be better than the old one.

I know this sounds a bit cynical but I just call 'em as I see 'em.

Also, I have to agree with Grandjester at least with regards to the 'Ft. Dix 6'. A reading of the criminal complaint against them would convince anyone that these were some of the most incompetent terrorists you could imagine. I guess it's possible they might have actually killed someone eventually...maybe. But they had a long way to go.

[glarson3]

Aren't there already enough chlorine cannisters and radioactive isotopes in New York City's healthcare, sanitation and testing facitlties for a terorist to construct a dirty bomb or "chemical weapon"?

[CBH]

glarson3 is on the money -
what NYC needs to do, in conjunction with current efforts, is get rid of all the chlorine, radioactive material, and, of course, peroxide within their city limits.

Jersey can foot the bill, since they'll probably welcome all the refugee water treatment facilities, x-ray equipment and hair salons that such actions would send packing. And I almost forgot the radioactive isotopes used to eliminate static in the garment production and dry cleaning industries - get them out of NYC now!

I wonder if they've considered the enormous nail clipper threat that looms on the horizon...

[NVH]

look I'm not rating the cells capabilities, but obviously they were based in NYC for a reason. And yeah, it's a good movie GJ, but it can also be a deterrent; remember deterrence and a shitload of money (which NYC is getting from Homeland now) went a long way to defeating the Soviet Nuke threat in the 80s, which I think we can all agree was more significant than ANY domestic Terror threat is today. Alright?