The fact of the matter is that there has been very little in the way of direction and support for American law enforcement agencies from federal officials for what has become known as the ?war on terror.?Even in New York City, which is now known to be a target of choice among terrorists, police officials have mostly been on their own in terms of how to prepare for and prevent more carnage.On its face, the disconnect between federal authorities and NYPD commanders and planners would seem to be a problem. But where there's a will, there's a way, and Commissioner Ray Kelly and the NYPD have taken extraordinary measures, on their own, to protect the greatest city in the world from harm. Ever since the strikes of September 11 the NYPD has been working with city health officials, international terrorism experts and a wide variety of other organizations in order to prepare for a possible attack. Officials and cops from every echelon in the department meet secretly to discuss strategy, identify threats, and conduct complex training exercises. Special units have trained and drilled to board cruise ships from helicopters and piers and have begun reviewing floor plans of most large Midtown theaters, conducting exercises inside some to improve their ability to respond to a possible attack. That training was the result of the deadly siege of a Moscow theater two years ago. This spring the police will work alongside the city health department and other agencies to open a pilot program that they hope will ultimately allow officials to test the air across the city for biological agents quickly and around the clock, 365 days a year.
The NYPD has also started to prepare for its role in a sweeping citywide plan to get antibiotics or vaccine to every resident after a widespread attack with biological weapons. The department has even taken to the city's streets to conduct a drill with the city's medical examiner's office to prepare for a chemical weapons attack that would fill the streets with contaminated bodies. ?We?re thinking about the unthinkable ? what a few years ago was the unthinkable,? Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in a recent interview with The New York Times. ?It's something we?re trying to take head-on, but the scope and magnitude of the problems are daunting.? Department officials said that much of the planning was still going on and they?re a long way from ready. But just the fact that police are putting so much time, energy and forethought in the preparations should be a lesson for others. ?They are trying to do what Washington is supposed to be doing, but isn't,? said a former national security official in the Clinton and the second Bush administrations, Richard A. Clarke. For instance, the department was scheduled to begin chemical and biological training for entire units last month with the goal of having 10,000 officers ready in time for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 at Madison Square Garden. Some health department officials will also obtain top-secret security clearances so they too can use classified information as part of those inquiries, officials said. The department is also preparing a plan to house and feed thousands of police officers, in some cases in city schools, to help keep them working in the aftermath of a catastrophic attack.