By Jill Colvin 4/25 3:55pm

Police Surveillance

An NYPD counterterrorism officer watches cameras after the Boston attack. (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg Uses Terror Announcement to Bash Anti-Camera ‘Special Interests’

During his press conference announcing that Boston Marathon bombers intended to target Times Square, Mayor Michael Bloomberg slamed “special interests” he accused of trying to block the city from installing crime-fighting surveillance cameras.

“The role that surveillance cameras played in identifying the suspects was absolutely essential to saving lives, both in Boston, and now we know here in New York City as well,” Mr. Bloomberg told reporters at City Hall.

“We’ve made major investments in camera technology–not withstanding the objections of some special interests,” he continued. “And the attacks in Boston, I think, demonstrate just how valuable those cameras can be.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/25 1:33pm

Terrorism

Times Square. (Photo: Wikimedia)

Report: Boston Marathon Bombers Discussed Targeting Times Square

The two suspects involved in the deadly bombing of the Boston Marathon planned to detonate the rest of their explosives in Times Square, according to NBC 4 New York, a plot echoed by the New York Post, Reuters and many other outlets.

It was initially said that the accused duo, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were planning to come to New York to “party,” but earlier this afternoon, widespread reports emerged that Dzhokhar told investigators that he and his brother discussed using their remaining explosives against the city’s tourist-filled landmark. Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/23 9:21am

Ballin'

Greg Ball. (Screengrab: YNN)

Ball Explains Support for Baseball Bat Torture: ‘Just Speaking for Greg Ball’

State Senator Greg Ball has been on a bit of a media tour since he tweeted his support for torturing the Boston Marathon terror suspect in the aftermath of his arrest, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. To wit, his round of interviews took him to at least two news shows yesterday evening, Capital Tonight and Piers Morgan Live, where he put his argument into rather direct form.

“All I can tell you is what I would do as an American. If we saw what just happened where we had men, women and children–a child–killed,” he said at one point, for example. “I can tell you that as Greg Ball, if I felt that torture–whether it be making them listen to music at night, or using a baseball bat–would save one innocent life, including that of a child, I would use it. But I’m just speaking for Greg Ball.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/19 11:40am

Reactions

Shootings In Cambridge, Watertown Draw Massive Police Response

Governor Cuomo Says Boston Bombing Part of ‘New Normal’

Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have canceled his morning radio appearance today in response to the ongoing manhunt for a suspect involved in Monday’s deadly bombing attack on the Boston Marathon, but another top New York official, Governor Andrew Cuomo, scheduled his own radio interview on The Capitol Pressroom soon after. Mr. Cuomo directly addressed the high-profile situation in the Bay State by employing a phrase he previously used to describe climate change in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: “the new normal.”

“It’s a terrible situation in Boston. And, unfortunately, … one gets the sense that this is more reflective of the ‘new normal,’ if you will,” he explained. “So much of society is changing so rapidly. We talk about a ‘new normal’ when it comes t0 climate change and adjusting to a change in the weather patterns. ‘New normal’ when it comes to public security in a post-9/11 world. Where these random acts of violence, which at one time were implausible, now seem all-too-frequent.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/16 2:27pm

Threats

Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly. (Screengrab: NYC.gov)

Mayor Bloomberg Warns About ‘Special Interests’ After Boston Bombing

This afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly gave a press briefing to update the public on the city’s security efforts in the wake of yesterday’s deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon. And, while stating there are no specific threats connected to the Boston incident, Mr. Bloomberg ominously warned about “special interests” shaping the city’s security policies in a way “that the terrorists are waiting for.”

“The N.Y.P.D … has helped deter and thwart numerous terrorist attacks on our city in the past,” Mr. Bloomberg explained. “But we must remain vigilant for the future. And we are vigilant. The fact is there remain people who want to attack us. The moment we let our guard down, the moment we get complacent, the moment we allow special interests to shape our security strategies is the moment that the terrorists are waiting for.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/16 11:36am

Boston Bombing

Pete King on Morning Joe. (Screengrab: MSNBC)

Pete King Says Boston ‘Terrorist Attack’ Shows Need for Police Surveillance

President Barack Obama may have been reluctant to use the term “terrorism” to describe yesterday’s deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon, but Long Island Rep. Pete King, who up until recently was Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, thinks there’s no doubt.

“Clearly, this was a terrorist attack,” Mr. King said on Morning Joe today. “You had the multiple explosions. You had someone who was able to penetrate security. Amateurs don’t do that, so this was well-planned and coordinated. It was a terrorist attack. It’s a question of who did it, … it’s too early to say. Obviously we have to consider whether it was Islamic jihad. It could also be white supremacist, it could be anti-government people.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/12/12 12:24pm

rolling with rudy

Rudy Giuliani speaking. (Photo: YouTube)

Giuliani Blames Libya Attack ‘Cover-Up’ on Obama’s ‘Fantasy World’

You can officially count former Mayor Rudy Giuliuani among President Barack Obama’s critics over his controversial handling of last month’s attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. At a fundraiser for GOP congressional hopeful Dan Halloran earlier this week, Mr. Giuliani simply unloaded on the Obama administration’s “cover-up” of the incident’s terrorist roots, which he described as a “bunch of lies” based on Mr. Obama’s political calculations and “fantasy world” delusions.

“This was a ‘terrorist attack,’” Mr. Giuliani said. “The president has hard time saying those words. He has a hard time saying those words because he lives in a fantasy world. The fantasy world he lives in is that Islamic extremist terrorism, even if it exists, shouldn’t be acknowledged. We pretend they’re not at war with us; we’re certainly not at war with them.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 5/07/12 5:43pm

tell us what you really think

(Photo: YouTube)

Grimm: 9/11 Families Shouldn’t ‘Have to Go Through Any More of This Crap’

Congressman Michael Grimm didn’t mince words earlier today when he discussed the ongoing trials of individuals accused of helping mastermind the infamous September 11th attacks.

“At this point, it’s a complete circus,” Mr. Grimm said, referring to the mocking antics some of the accused put on display for the victims’ families watching. “The world though is seeing that these are just animals, thugs, low-life criminals that are void of humanity, and that they don’t have any cause at all.” Read More