Counterterrorism Efforts

FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force

Increased staff from 17 to 120.

Terrorist Plots Defeated or Averted

Between 2002 and 2013, at least 15 terrorist plots were defeated or averted in cooperation with federal partners. This included plots to bomb the Herald Square subway station, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Federal Reserve Building.

Established New Linguist Programs

Speakers of such strategic languages as Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, and Farsi were assigned to the department’s Counterterrorism Division to assist in translation and other services.

Hercules Teams

Those teams were highly trained in the use of special weapons and tactics.

Operation Nexus

Detectives in the Nexus Unit traveled the tri-state area visiting a wide range of businesses including truck rental firms. The goal was to enlist the private sector in helping to recognize anomalous business activity that might indicate terrorist planning.

Overseas Liaison Program

Senior officers were assigned to liaison posts within police agencies in select foreign cities to develop direct access to terrorist related information that could affect New York City.

Subway Bag Search

After a failed attack on the London transit system, the NYPD announced a plan to search the bags and backpacks of subway riders.

NYPD Shields

The program was created to engage private security industry to increase coordination and information sharing.

Lower Manhattan Security Initiative

A network of closed circuit surveillance cameras and license plate recognition readers, as well as chemical, biological and radiological sensors were deployed in Lower Manhattan. In 2009, the NYPD expanded its camera network to Midtown Manhattan.

Securing the Cities

This collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the NYPD was aimed at preventing a dirty bomb from being detonated in NYC.

Operation Sentry

This brought together law enforcement agencies from along the east coast to share information about possible terrorist activity in the region.

“Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat”

The NYPD published a study of homegrown terrorism in the United States that identified four distinct phases of radicalization: pre-radicalization, self-identification, indoctrination and jihadization.

Operation Torch

Heavily armed teams of Emergency Service officers and specially trained dogs conducted daily patrols of subway stations, platforms and trains.

Global Affairs Lecture Series

A lecture series for uniformed and civilian executives was created to enhance their understanding of the terrorist threat and international events that could impact NYC. Speakers included former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

New Civil Service Title of “Intelligence Research Specialist” Created

The NYPD hired intelligence experts from academia and the military to study trends in terrorist tactics and regions of the world that serve as havens for terrorists.