Posted on 05/21/2004 11:22:08 AM PDT by jimbo123
(Penn Station-WABC, May 21, 2004) — There are new concerns about rail security after a surge of suspicious activity in the Northeast. The new FBI warning has law enforcement agencies again tightening security on trains.
Eyewitness News has learned that just last night, three Amtrak trains were stopped and searched after unspecific, anonymous threats were called in. Two of those three trains were from Baltimore just outside Philadelphia. But this still raises concern here in the NY area.
Investigators have focused on the New York-Washington D.C. rail service, which is the busiest commuter rail network in America. The FBI is investigating at least seven cases where men were spotted taking videotape and still pictures of train tracks and train stations along this crucial stretch of rail.
What is so troubling is the fact these are not tourist attractions and it all comes as authorities in Philadelphia have revealed that a conductor discovered an infrared sensor hidden in the rail bed on SEPTA which is their commuter rail system. The concern is that this may be some type of detonation device and so far no one can explain what it was doing there.
Word of this discovery has set transit officials on edge. Today, the executive director of the MTA is now being stepped-up here in the New York area.
Katherine Lapp, Executive Director Of MTA: "We do put the extra manpower on. We now have a more vigilant canine patrol. Our 65,000 employees know what to look for, and we work closely with local law enforcement. We want to keep our passengers safe everyday when they use the system to go to work, commute or for recreation. We want to keep them safe and that is what we are doing."
According to Larry Royer, the President of the New York City Transit Authority, the rails in the New York City transit system are inspected routinely and there is a certain margin of safety in the fact that the NYC transit system is a 24-hour a day operation.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1139620/posts?q=1&&page=1
bttt
referrencing the other thread: Wireless transmitters found hidden under Philadelphia railroad tracks
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