Page 4 - atoday
P. 4
A4
U.S. NEWSMonday 23 November 2015
NYC emergency responders go through active shooter drill
VERENA DOBNIK shooter exercise took New York police line up near an abandoned subway station in a lower Manhattan to stage a
Associated Press place in the pricey Soho
NEW YORK (AP) — Hun- neighborhood populated drill simulating a terrorist attack Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, in New York. Following the Nov. 13 terror
dreds of New York emer- by art galleries and bou-
gency responders simulat- tiques. Members of the attack in Paris and four days before New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, emergency
ed a coordinated terror at- police, fire and federal
tack Sunday, days before Homeland Security depart- responders from the New York Police Department, Fire Department of New York and Homeland
one of the city’s biggest ments went into action af-
public events: the Macy’s ter a mock call reporting Security participated in the drill. (New York Police Department via AP)
Thanksgiving Day Parade. a gunman on the station
The long-planned drill at a platform.
Manhattan subway station Of about 30 simulated
got a last-minute update in straphangers in the station,
the wake of the deadly at- a dozen suffered “critical
tacks in Paris. Officials add- wounds” from weapons
ed an “attacker” wearing firing blanks. Firefighters re-
a suicide vest. moved them on thick yel-
“In New York City, we low plastic sheets — some
are, at this time, very well- covered with fake blood —
prepared and continually and law enforcement per-
improving that prepared- sonnel took on the threat.
ness,” Police Commissioner First responders from vari-
William Bratton said outside ous emergency depart-
the abandoned Bowery ments worked as a team,
station in Lower Manhat- with communication and
tan. coordination between
The three-hour active- agencies an important
goal. enforcement authorities,
“There have been very sig- together with Homeland
nificant improvements in Security, are working close-
that capacity since 9/11, ly with Paris investigators
also the coordination with studying details of the Nov.
the fire department,” Brat- 13 attacks there, aiming
ton said. to prepare for similar sui-
The Department of Home- cide-bomber terrorism that
land Security used the ex- New York has never expe-
ercise to test technologies rienced.
including GoPro-like cam- The commissioner said
eras worn by first respond- New York would send a
ers and acoustic gunshot law-enforcement team
detection systems de- to Paris when that probe
signed to give police and was completed to learn
firefighters information to as much as possible from
coordinate their responses. those operations.
Such systems are being Mayor Bill de Blasio
developed for surveillance watched the three-hour
of the subway system, the drill, later calling it “an
commissioner said. impressive display of the
Sunday’s drill was funded capacity of this city to re-
by Homeland Security, and spond.”
Bratton said there would The Islamic State group,
be more such practice runs which claimed responsi-
he says are “vitally neces- bility for the Paris attacks,
sary” and provide valuable has said it would target
response lessons. the U.S., especially Wash-
Bratton said New York law ington and New York.q
Obama warns of overreaction
to violent Islamic State attacks
JOSH LEDERMAN into extremists’ hands. “We
Associated Press will destroy this terrorist or-
KUALA LUMPUR, Malay- ganization,” he vowed.
sia (AP) — Trying to reas- Ending a trip to Asia,
sure a nation on edge, Obama implored Ameri-
President Barack Obama cans not to let the spec-
said Sunday the Islamic ter of terror cause them to
State group “cannot strike compromise their values
a mortal blow” against or change the way they
the U.S., and he warned live.
that overreacting to the “We do not succumb to
Paris attacks would play fear,” he said.q
