Police Test Technology to Safeguard City From Nuclear Attacks
As part of the $30 million Securing the Cities Implementation initiative, a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement in New York City will install a new technology in its subway systems capable of detecting harmful radiation present in nuclear weapons.
The technology, currently in its final phase of testing, is able to differentiate between harmful radiation in nuclear weapons, and harmless radiation present in those involved in recent medical tests by identifying hazardous and innocuous isotopes.
The detectors are part of a program focused on preventing nuclear weapons from entering New York City by establishing a 50-mile protective perimeter.
The Department of Homeland Security selected New York to host the pilot program for the radiation detectors, which the DHS plans to install in major metropolitan areas across the country.
New York City police are designing a state-of-the-art sport-utility vehicle to carry a radiation detector, allowing the city to detect nuclear weapons at bridges and tunnels.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the New York Sun (04/02/07); P. 4; Faherty, Christopher.