New York, NY – Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined area lawmakers in a push to secure federal funding for the Securing the Cities program.
“We can’t, and I tell you we won’t, be complacent when it comes to protecting our city against terrorism,” said the mayor.
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The city is looking to receive an additional $40 million on top of the approximately $73 million already secured for the program.
The money would be used to install sensors to detect radioactive material.
“This funding needs to be fully restored immediately. Because it’s not just New York City that gets short changed,” Bloomberg said. “The longer it takes to build this system the longer it will be for cities around this country to apply what we learn here.”
“It’s obvious that New York, for all the reasons, is a prime target of the terrorists who want to attack America,” said Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. “But the good news is that under Mike Bloomberg and Ray Kelly, I would say there is no city in America that is better protected from terrorist attack than New York City.”
The mayor also announced a January police class that had been canceled due to budget cuts is now back on.
More than 100 new police officers will be hired using a $36 million federal stimulus grant from the Transit Security Grant Program.
A Mayor fighting for what’s right.
Keep up the pressure Mayor on the feds and get the money we deserve.
Thanx Senator Lieberman for saying what’s right.
Mike’s surely getting busy for elections. But sorry mike your a little too late.
im hashem lo yishmor eir shov shoked shomer
As long as these officers are commissioned with issues of safety, I am inviting. But I fear that they will be directed to circulate the city and look to issue tickets for parking violations. Look at it in the Bloomberg way – fighting crime and terror costs money – Issuing parking tickets generates revenue.