On Sept. 10, I attended a NYPD SHIELD conference with over 500 law enforcement and private security professionals at One Police Plaza in New York City.
NYPD SHIELD is an outstanding public–private partnership dedicated to countering terrorism through information sharing.
The agenda for the event focused extensively on Pope Francis’s visit.
During his opening remarks, Commissioner William Bratton stressed that American law enforcement, specifically the NYPD, have an unprecedented security challenge later this month.
Bratton stressed that it would be the first time that the U.N. General Assembly, had simultaneous visits by Chinese head of state Xi Jinping and the pope.
Compounding these security complexities, with the United Nations event alone involving leaders from 170 countries, Bratton also noted that the Jewish high holyday of Yom Kippur and a Central Park concert with an estimated 100,000 people will also be taking place.
Each of these events demands meticulously orchestrated security principles of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. But with Pope Francis at the same time often making spontaneous encounters with people, the need for impeccable vigilance is intensified further.
Vigilance: An Essential Security Principle
Honoring the NYPD SHIELD information sharing concept, I gave a briefing on Sept. 17 to 100 members of the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association (BCPCA) in New Jersey. The attendees included police chiefs from over 70 jurisdictions and the FBI.
It has been my privilege to serve the BCPCA as a committee spokesman addressing issues of leadership, violence prevention, crisis planning, and community policing at monthly meetings for the last 12 years.
During my briefing I shared concerns from the NYPD SHIELD conference and disseminated copies of my Feb. 27 Epoch Times article titled “Terrorism Concerns Accelerate: Protecting America.”
