Thursday, April 24, 2008

Machine Gun Toting Guards Patrol NYC Subways

The State Department has forbidden the use of the word Jihad" so I have no idea what to attribute this news to. I mean, why are machine gun toting guards patrolling New York subways? Maybe to protect the public from terrorists trying to steal the election for John McCain?

From CBS TV:


NEW YORK (CBS) ― More protection against terrorists is coming to a subway station near you. Starting Thursday, special bomb teams, known as "Torch Teams," will be toting submachine guns and bringing bomb-sniffing dogs onto the platforms and into the trains.

CBS 2 HD was out first thing Thursday morning on the lookout for these significant security measure improvements. It's a first for mass transit in the United States. NYPD officers, armed with rifles, submachine guns, body armor and bomb-sniffing dogs will begin patrolling the city's subway system thanks to a 50 percent increase in a homeland security grant.

The city's massive subway system has long been considered a potential terror target. Six officers and a dog will constitute a team, patrolling all platforms and trains in 12-hour shifts. The "Torch Teams" will be toting MP5 submachine guns and M4 Carbine rifles that are used by Navy seals and FBI hostage-rescue teams. The teams are being paid for by $151 million from the Feds.

Similarly equipped NYPD units, known as "Hercules Teams," have patrolled Wall Street, the Empire State Building and other aboveground city landmarks for years as a response to the World Trade Center attacks. A police official likened the "Torch Teams" to "Hercules Teams" with MetroCards.

In this age of heightened security, commuters and keen canines will share the underground world of mass transit. "It's a very good idea. It's like a deterrent. It's going to make me feel safer, much safer, yes it will. It's a good idea," said commuter Patricia Knight Williams.


Feel safer from what?

2 comments:

Pastorius said...

You think they're making themselves targets?

Michael Travis said...

They are certainly making it easy for the bad guys to know what is and what is not, protected. (Of course that's a bit academic, the typical NYPD cop is far to obese and weighted down to give chase to even a wheelchair!)

Everyone involved in this charade should be jailed for fraud and mis-use of FEDERAL funds, beginning with that fruitcake Mayor.