The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded the New York City Police Department a $3.25 million grant to establish a network system that will link radiation detection systems with command and control centers for quicker response and resolution as part of the Securing The Cities initiative.
NYPD will use the money in part to select a contractor to perform the integration work. A decision on the contractor is expected soon. NYPD will get some help from the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office’s (DNDO) in-house systems engineering contractor as well.
Under the Securing The Cities Initiative states and localities in the New York City region, with the help of DNDO, will be using radiation portal monitors, handheld devices and pagers to monitor roadways, bridges, tunnels and eventually even waterways, for the transport of illicit radiological and nuclear material. DNDO has already purchased some monitors and devices that have been installed and are being used for the program, although much equipment is expected to be acquired using FY ’08 funds.
In addition to the purchase of equipment, DNDO funding is going toward training and exercises as well.
Currently the radiation detection equipment that has been deployed under Securing The Cities isn’t networked and requires manual reporting back to a command center. Once the various sensor systems are wired into a network, then emergency responders across the region will be able to get instant alerts, collect more data and take quicker action to resolve an alarm, a spokeswoman for DNDO tells TR2. “This system will help law enforcement detect and stop an attack using weapons of mass destruction,” Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) said in a statement. “We know that terrorists want to launch a radiological or nuclear attack in the United States. This system will alert law enforcement to the presence of nuclear material in New York and give them valuable information to prevent an attack from occurring.”
Eventually, Securing The Cities is expected to be expanded to other high-risk urban areas. For now the program is focused on the New York City region, with the coordination being led by the NYPD. In addition to the NYPD, regional participants include various county and state police and sheriff departments, the New York and Connecticut State Police, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and other appropriate agencies and departments in New York City.
Already the NYPD has developed working agreements with most of the regional stakeholders regarding Securing The Cities. The final two memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed within a month.
This fall the House and Senate will have to resolve their funding differences over Securing The Cities. The House has approved $19.7 million for the program in the FY ’08 budget request while the Senate has appropriated $30 million.
The Senate has warned that the expansion plans for the program are “premature” due to a lack of a strategic plan and performance metrics, and is based on some assumptions that are counter to intelligence. The Senate wants a strategic plan that, among other things, prioritizes the cities that will be covered by the program as well as establishes a five-year projected funding profile for the effort.