Black Hawk helicopters and infrared-equipped planes have begun flying over New York City under tightened security measures implemented around the start of war in Iraq, officials said Tuesday. The helicopters and Cessna Citation II jets, from the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began round-the-clock patrols Monday, the bureau said. The unarmed aircraft are linked with a base in California that uses ground-based radar and computer databases to analyze threats. Slower-moving than fighter jets, the Cessnas and Black Hawks are well suited to locating and warding off aircraft that accidentally wander into restricted airspace. In the event of an intentional threat, pilots can call in Air National Guard and active-duty aircraft patrolling over New York City.
Fighter jets under the North American Aerospace Defense Command halted their 24-hour-day, seven-day-a-week patrols over the city early last year but renewed them over the weekend, according to a federal official familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity. City officials said the renewed patrols are a reaction to generalized warnings from law enforcement and intelligence agencies - not specific threats against New York. ``Is there a real risk? I don't think so, but that doesn't mean you don't take precautions,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday.
Somebody know something? Or are we just displaying common sense? |