Edited Video: NYPD could shoot down plane, says Chief...

New York City police could take down a plane if it posed a threat, the city's top cop told the CBS "60 Minutes" program aired Sunday, two weeks after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

New York City police department commissioner Ray Kelly created a NYPD counterterrorism unit after 9/11, deciding that the city couldn't rely on the federal government alone, the AP reports.

The unit is one of the most sophisticated in the world, with sea, land and air capabilities. Kelly says the department is prepared for multiple scenarios and could even take down a plane — although, he said, "obviously this would be in a very extreme situation."

Other measures include sending NYPD officers abroad, using radiation detectors and creating a network of surveillance cameras in Manhattan.

"60 Minutes" reports that Kelly — who fought with the Marines in Vietnam, joined the NYPD as a cadet, and has since earned a law degree and a master's degree from Harvard — has spent 10 years and $3 billion setting up what he believes is the world's "most powerful and technologically advanced counterterrorism bureau."



In the "60 Minutes" interview Kelly did not elaborate on what methods the NYPD's would use to take down a plane deemed a threat, saying simply that:

"NYPD Aviation has weapons that could be deployed with that capability."

Kelly did discuss the precautions made before the General Assembly meeting at the United Nations during the week, attended by President Obama, in light of threats made to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary. They included snipers on rooftops, divers in the East River and helicopters equipped with radiation detection equipment.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ray kelly
• 60 minutes
• shoot down plane
• NYPD
• New York Police
• New Yourk City
• Terrorism
• Times Square
• NYC
• Police
• Crime

[Rollcall2go]

NYC - great place and thanks for keeping it safe...

[bearmassaro]

This guy is a fool.

Yeah, I could see it now. 200 overweight idiots with badges in Times Square firing their police-issue revolvers at a commercial airliner 40,000 feet in the air travelling at 400 MPH.

What a schmuck...

[spacepatrolman]

@matterh1 they let george bush into the airforce reserve even though he had a low score on an entrance exam

[matterh1]

@spacepatrolman the US air Force might have had objections to this especially after the F-16s near Statue of liberty photo op 2 years ago

[spacepatrolman]

todays news is kelley said he can only shoot down small planes like sky kings songbird and the space shuttle kirby grant was killed in a car crash enroute to cape canavaral when the space shuttle challenger exploded

[elitistnot]

Why would anyone visit NYC! Never would I travel to or visit NYC.

[kuanged]

If they are really worried they should spend some money and put some tactical high energy lasers on the observation decks of the new wtc building. That way they can also stop missile attacks if they ever had to.

[TheTrieye]

everybody checkout my 12/21/12 videos

[spacepatrolman]

@spacepatrolman now kelley thinks he is bogart bogart was permanently disfigured in a police brutality case by a cop that punched him in the mouth with handcuffs and cut his lip where was kelley and all the NYPD pigs when the boy was being lit on fire for refusing to take drugs its like dick gregory said a 12 year old can find the heroin man why cant the cops

[spacepatrolman]

which planes are they going to shoot down TWA Israel airlines the X-15 is this a publicity stunt so jack warden and the NYPD are going to shoot down planes with a rocket full of drunken irish cops and bloombergs pornagraphy