(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 31, 2010.)
NEW YORK — Commuters today were greeted by the sight of hundreds of law enforcers fanning out at transit hubs as part of a drill.
The three-hour exercise was planned before the Russia suicide bombings.
The public went about its business amid heavily armed officers, bomb-sniffing dogs and explosive detection devices.
The tactic, called a “surge,” is designed to disrupt or deter potential terrorists from attacking the transit system.
The NYPD does it on a smaller scale every day. This drill focused on a multi-agency response.
Deputy Chief Vincent Giordano said, “By their mere presence they could disrupt a plot.” Giordano is the NYPD’s counterterrorism coordinator.
Also participating were the National Guard and police officers from Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New Jersey Transit, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Transportation Security Administration.