Photo: Getty Images North America
The events of the past few days in the Middle East are already being called “Israel’s 9/11” by some, which does raise the legitimate concern that a second 9/11 could happen in New York, or elsewhere in the United States, for that matter. With tensions ratcheted up, how likely is the chance of a terrorist event happening here, and how vigilant should we be? Appearing on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program, former New York and Los Angeles police commissioner Bill Bratton essentially stressed the old axiom: expect the best but be prepared for the worst.
“This issue of terrorism, while it’s been somewhat dormant in the United States, it has the potential, as a result of what’s going on in the Middle East, to come back,” Bratton told Berman and Riedel. “The NYPD and other police agencies around the country and our federal colleagues are going to be watching very intensely to see if there is an uptick, in not only in the rhetoric, but also the threats. And we’re seeing clearly in New York the tension and emotions in the various demonstrations that are being held at various locations. So, it’s going to be a tense time in the next several weeks, certainly.”
Bratton cynically contends that the biggest stumbling block to our vigilance is a City Council that has been soft on crime in recent years. “Thank you, City Council of New York, for basically, at this critical time, managing to weaken the NYPD. The good news is the department has incredible talent. It still is a huge operation, 33,000 officers, but the City Council better wake up… with the resurgence of potential terrorist activities in the city, they need to start re-funding instead of de-funding. Plus, they’re wearing out the cops that are left… their morale is down, despite Mayor Adams and his new commissioner trying to deal with these issues. They’re dealing with a City Council that has created a potential crisis in this city.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images