Security Remains Tight Across NYC In Wake Of Brussels Terror Attacks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- While officials said there are no known credible threats against New York City, security remains tight in the wake of the Brussels terror attacks at transit hubs and major landmarks.
More than 500 officers are deployed at key city landmarks and major transportation hubs, including Grand Central and Penn Station, as well as airports. A new 55-person unit also started patrolling underneath Times Square on Tuesday.
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"We are the number one terrorist target in this country and potentially in the world," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said.
"All of these units were deployed literally between the time of the attack in Belgium in the beginning of the morning rush hour," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New Yorkers said they feel safer seeing the extra security.
"Coming out of Penn Station there are cops here, there are cops there, there are cops everywhere," Jamal Vanderburg or Hempstead said. "I feel a little more secure knowing there are people who are watching us and watching over us for everything."
"I always see cops, K-9 units, tactical units so I definitely feel pretty secure," midtown resident Joe Cundiff said. "I feel that it's pretty well watched."
Bratton said New York City had perfect examples of what he described as a "soft-target," meaning areas that are vulnerable to attack.
"We're a city of 8.5 million people, with thousands of locations where large numbers of people congregate," Bratton said in an interview on "CBS This Morning." "So the idea of trying to protect all of that -- it's not possible.
Instead, Bratton said active intelligence gathering is key to preventing potential attacks by identifying and apprehending suspects even before a plan could be executed.
Police officials reiterating they will use all the resources available to keep the region safe.
"Every tool in the counter terrorism tool kit, from radiation detectors to vapor wave dogs that can smell explosives moving through a crowd on a suicide bomber, to our special weapons teams," said NYPD Deputy Chief for Counterterrorism John Miller.
Mayor de Blasio noted that New York bore the brunt of the War on Terror in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but since then, the NYPD has halted 20 plots against, or originating in, New York City.
NYPD brass say maintaining an adequate level of security requires adequate funding. The federal government recently proposed slashing the city's $180 million counterterrorism funding budget in half.
