Terrorism

One thing that I expected to have to deal with working in NYC was the occasional bomb threat in Times Square, what I wasn't expecting was how often.

You may have heard this morning that multiple UPS planes and trucks around NYC were stopped pending the discovery of a "suspicious package" that was a toner cartridge manipulated to look like a bomb. These were found not to be dangerous, but the fact is this is just one scare of many that have gone unpublished since I've arrived. Being in Times Square everyday, I get emails regarding safety in the area, and probably once every 4 or 5 days there are a string of emails updating on suspicious vehicles or packages that shut down multiple avenues and blocks in and around Times Square.

Obviously none of these suspicions and threats have turned out to be true, but it goes to show what kind of day we are living in. It also shows how quickly the NYPD and Port Authority PD are responding to these threats as well. These reports generally go unheard of because the police shut down the blocks, call in the bomb squad, and have things back to normal within an hour and a half. There are NYPD cops on patrol on street corners all over Manhattan on actual shifts that are designed just to watch and deter terrorism.

Reports say that the scare this morning was a dry run for a mail bomb plot. Practice. It's good to know that almost all of these suspicious packages were found and stopped before they even got off the plane. Terrorism is a legitimate fear I have working in Midtown, but it's nice to see the authorities are always on their game here. Makes me feel a bit safer.