If you're on the East Side and wonder, "Huh, why are approximately 80 police vehicles and 160 officers assigned to them departing from in front of the United Nations on First Avenue?" here's your answer: They're conducting a nuclear terrorism drill today through Saturday—it's a "full-scale exercise involving hundreds of personnel from 150 law enforcement and other first responder agencies in the tri-state region...[involving] activity in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey on land, including rail and highways, and in the waterways of the region," according to the NYPD.
The drill is being conducted as part of the Securing the Cities initiative, which focuses on radioactive materials. The NYPD also explains, "The exercise is designed to evaluate their combined ability to detect and interdict radiological materials that could be used in a terrorist attack in the region... The exercise is not the result of a specific threat."
The dozens of police vehicles will depart from the U.N. at 9 a.m. and there will be "increased police presence" at these Bronx locations: Macombs Dam Bridge, 138th Street (Madison Avenue) Bridge, 225th Street Bridge, 145th Street Bridge and Third Avenue Bridge. And on Thursday, there will be 40 NYPD, US Coast Guard, and other law enforcement agency vessels establishing choke points in the waters off NYC.
