Fossella & King Announce $3.25 Million to Establish Nuclear Detection System in NYC
NYC is First in the Nation to Develop System to Stop Nuclear & Radiological Attacks

Sepetember 27, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC– Congressman Vito Fossella and Congressman Peter King today announced that New York City will receive a $3.25 million federal grant to begin establishing a state-of-the-art detection system to prevent a radiological or nuclear attack.

The Securing the Cities (STC) initiative, part of the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, has awarded a cooperative agreement to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to establish a system that allows real-time sharing of data from fixed, mobile, maritime, and human portable radiation detection systems. New York is the first region in the nation to participate in this federal initiative.

Fossella said, “This system will help law enforcement detect and stop an attack using weapons of mass destruction. We know that terrorists want to launch a radiological or nuclear attack in the United States. This system will alert law enforcement of the presence of nuclear material in New York and give them valuable information to prevent an attack from occurring. This provides one more layer of protection for the residents of New York City against an act of terror.”

King said, “We must take all precautions when it comes to keeping New York City safe from another terrorist attack,” said King. “The NYPD is already doing a phenomenal job, and this system is going to take them one step further with better regional coordination and radiation detection.”

The system will help improve regional coordination for detection and interdiction of illicit radiological material and establish lines of communication between regional partners to share sensor alarms.  The information from alarms will be available to regional intelligence centers and to appropriate command centers.

The grant includes the participation of key STC stakeholders, including: NYC (New York City Police Department, in particular), the State of New York, the State of New Jersey, the State of Connecticut, the counties proximate to NYC, the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey (PANY/NJ) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).  In addition, NYPD is coordinating Memoranda of Understanding with all STC regional stakeholders, with the majority of MOUs already negotiated and signed.  The two outstanding MOUs are in process, and are expected to be signed within a month.