September 2008

Craig Mongeau - September 2008

The New York Police Department recently unveiled a new security plan — Operation Sentinel — which it hopes to put in place by 2010. Among the more positive and absolutely essential elements of the plan would be radiation detectors on bridges and in tunnels and explosive-trace detection systems, according to the New York Times. The city also would place about a dozen guard booths around the new trade center in Lower Manhattan as well as underground screening areas through which all delivery and service trucks must pass.

After all, since we’re rebuilding on ground zero, essentially creating another target for terrorists because they’ve proven to be obsessed with this area, the NYPD must create, well, a sort-of police state there.

Where the plan would go too far, however, is with the installation of cameras, which would record the license plates of ALL motorists entering anywhere in Manhattan. The information would then be stored in a facility for one month.

I don’t see this as one of those, “if you’re not doing anything wrong, then you don’t have anything to worry about,” things. It’s bad enough that wherever we walk nowadays we’re on camera, but now the city wants to know by whom, when, where and how often it is visited. To me that’s just the Big Apple being Big Brother.

Rest assured, though, that we’ll not be taking license plates at the upcoming N.Y.S. Highway & Public Works Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Verizon Center of Progress Building on the New York State Fairgrounds located in Syracuse.

Look in this issue for some highlights from last year’s show and see this column next month for an announcement of valuable door prizes that will be awarded during this year’s show. P