At the Bellmore LIRR station, there was a Nassau County Police Officer. At Merrick, two of them. Of course, Penn Station is teeming with cops, soldiers, etc.
What I think at seeing all of them is, will this help? The terrorists are vicious, rabid animals, but are they stupid enough to strike a prime target like New York now? I doubt it. I would expect them to wait or to strike at some lower profile place, maybe somewhere in the Midwest. There are plenty of "softer" targets that, sadly, would still offer a high body count.
I suppose no one wants to be held accountable for not stepping things up here (and in other high-profile locations), in case something happens, but is it doing any good or could this vast expense be better used? I don't have an answer, and I don't know if anyone can answer that. I just wonder.
On top of all that, they put the more seasoned cops out there when these things happen. I suppose their experience is reassuring, but the younger ones are cuter. ;)
1 comment:
I honestly don't see how machine-gun toting national guardsmen or cops on the subways are really deterring a terrorist attack. Bombings like those in London and, more commonly, Israel, occur because the attackers blend into the general populace and anything unusual about them doesn't get noticed until it's too late. It's not like a bomber's going to say, "Ooops, I won't get on that train, there's a cop." Israel should be definitive proof that all the surveillance, security and public awareness you can muster is no defense against a determined terrorist. I'm not saying we should let our guard down; I'm saying we need to concentrate the majority of our resources on response. I worry that New York City Transit isn't prepared for a London-like attack.
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