A federal program is set to fund distribution of portable radiation sensors to thousands of law enforcement officers around New York City as a defense against potential radiological or nuclear strikes, Reuters reported today (see GSN, June 29).
State police and sheriffs' officers within 50 miles of New York City are eligible to receive the new sensors funded by the Securing the Cities program, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.
The scanners, which fit onto officers' belts and vibrate when they sense radiation, might soon incorporate Bluetooth technology that could instantly relay the location of radioactive material traces to a central command center, police said. Authorities also planned to expand the use of radiation detection equipment on police vehicles and on public infrastructure.
"We still don't have an adequate strategy of detecting nuclear material," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. According to Browne, Kelly's comment referred to measures used to scan cargo containers entering the nation's ports (see GSN, June 29; Christine Kearney, Reuters/Yahoo!News, July 2).
Meanwhile, a new NYPD report recommends measures for protecting high-risk buildings against chemical, radiological and biological attacks and other terrorism threats, the New York Daily News reported today. Measures include sealing air-conditioning and ventilation systems against airborne biological or chemical agents (Jonathan Lemire, New York Daily News, July 1).