In the aftermath of last night’s Times Square car-bomb attempt, the Times casts a spotlight on the “high-tech security network” that the NYPD has been developing for midtown which would include surveillance cameras, license plate readers, and chemical sensors, similar to a system already in place in lower Manhattan. The network — which would be able to track all moving vehicles between 34th and 59th Streets — would not necessarily have helped to prevent last night’s attempted bombing, though, as neither the SUV involved nor its license plate had been reported stolen.
Eventually, according to police, the network would be able to notify police if a car “was circling any area suspiciously” and also pick up on any unusual chemical, biological, and radiological signals. The Department of Homeland Security gave the city a $24 million grant last fall to begin building the network, but police commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said he is seeking more funding to complete it.
