[neverdem]

Let me reassure you. The ammunition for M-4 rifles or MP5 submachine guns is not considered high powered ammunition by anyone who knows what constitutes high powered ammunition. There's no there, there. It's not that the ammunition can't be lethal. It's just not high powered ammunition. I hope the projectiles that the NYPD will use will shatter on impact, i.e. it's frangible. IMHO, what's a self-proclaiming, black clad SWAT team with a bomb dog supposed to do? They need bomb dogs that can act like seeing eye dogs with nondescript dog handlers who have communication for a SWAT team back-up.

Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
Counterterrorism teams like these city detectives armed with M-4 rifles will patrol the subways.

What a weird camera angle?

[JoeSixPack1]

But King Bloomie hates guns! This can’t be! /S

[Cindy]

Yes, it is a weird camera angle.

As for putting armed officers in subways — good, very good.

[Tarpon]

They are supposed to do what all the scary looking gun toting goons posted on the street corners of dictatorships worldwide ... intimidate people. Now we have our own goons. It always comes down to this.

[Kakaze]

They need bomb dogs that can act like seeing eye dogs with nondescript dog handlers who have communication for a SWAT team back-up.

That is one good idea!

[endthematrix]

Plan on seeing this around the country too. The Federalization and militarization of police is going full speed with DHS. Now the legalistic wrangling of the Posse Comitatus to within the framework or the Northern Command becomes clearer.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Somehow, the faces in the photo don’t inspire confidence in me. I would rather take care of myself, thank you!

[airborne]

Is this a sudden decision, or one that was made years ago, and the ‘gubmint’ is just getting around to it!

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

It would be much easier to just deport anyone who belongs to the subversive group that plans to take over the USA and convert it to its ideology by violent means.

[Waco]

If I were a law enforcement type I would get the hell away from New York, pronto!

[FR Class of 1998]

I remember the days when the image of civilian police with military gear in our streets would have caused a riot around here.

I don’t think anyone can really come up with a legitimate reason to arm cops with these weapons. If there is a real military threat, the Army should be defending against it, not civilians. And if there is no such threat... the question remains, to whom is this show of force directed?

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

The POSSIBILITY of lightly-armed CITIZENS would accomplish the stated objective although not the real objectives.

[Dilbert56]

A week before last Tuesday I was getting on the uptown W/R train at Whitehall Street. As I went down the stairs I passed two uniformed police officers. On the escalator I passed two more. On the platform there were pairs of officers every third or fourth girder. Something was up. The next night, just a couple of officers total.

Perhaps NYPD would rather deter the criminals with shows of force rather than trying to catch them afterward. It supposedly worked when Al Qaida was trying to sabotage the Brooklyn Bridge. NYPD flooded the zone and they gave up.

[Fido969]

This is part of a larger strategy to have in place a heavily armed police force when the government hands down the order for all citizens to turn in their guns.

And they know who you are, too. They’ve been reading Free Republic.

[El Gato]

New Operation to Put Heavily Armed Officers in Subways

They are going to set up Ma Dueces in the subway stations, and equip the officers patroling in the tunnels with LAWs? No .22 caliber rifle makes someone "heavily armed".

Not sure I care for the idea of NYPD officers having automatic weapons (or even semiautomatic rifles) in a crowded subway. They have historically had problems with "target ID", and restraint.

Detectives using M4s as investigative tools? Scary.

[wastedyears]

Don’t need all of those guys, there we two sets of officers searching bags at the subway to Grand Central Terminal.

[wastedyears]

Oh, and I guess this means I can’t have a small folding knife attached to my belt now.

Thanks for taking away my only feasible means of self-defense when I go into NYC, Bloomberg.

The things I could scream about him would give a priest a heart attack.

[TexanToTheCore]

Something’s up.

[Axenolith]

They’re gonna need a boat to get to North Africa...

[Myrddin]

The subways in New York will look like the airports in Germany and Belgium. There were plenty of cops walking the streets of Izmir, Turkey with 9mm sub guns when I last visited. An extra measure of situational awareness would be prudent when sharing spaces with these guys.

[javachip]

armed with automatic rifles

Anyone else think automatic weapons aren't the best choice for patrolling the subway?