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Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much
(Post 13306752)
As usual, the media wimped out again. They will have to pick a station where they can get all their stuff in & out easily and one at which the media can easily set up cameras and trucks to get as much of it on film as possible. And, since it's cold out, I'm sure they will pick a station which is inside.
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Originally Posted by Global_Hi_Flyer
(Post 13311746)
And of course the Kettles (already surrendered) are out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...?hpid=newswell
Originally Posted by Superguy
(Post 13312715)
Shhh! Ignore the man behind the curtain ...
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Prevention? Or emergency response training?
Yeah, okay, the media gets things wrong, blah blah blah, but what's the actual intent of this exercise? :confused:
On the one hand: Scores of Metro Transit Police officers with dogs and bomb technicians will swarm one of the system's busiest stations during the morning rush Tuesday in a show of force against a potential terrorist attack, ... will move into the station about 7:30 to demonstrate heightened vigilance ..., conducts random, high-visibility patrols in an effort to deter terrorists from targeting the system. ... carried out a "targeted train inspection" during rush hour, with officers lining up on platforms on both sides of the tracks and boarding arriving trains to look for suspicious behavior and packages. ...focused on the potential for timed bombs to be set in motion in an outlying station ... Sgt. Sean Flinn, a leader of the anti-terrorism unit, said the teams look for people who seem nervous or are wearing clothing that is not appropriate for the weather ... "A lot of deterrence would require a lot of people and would also slow down the system," said Jackson, the Rand terrorism analyst. He said that although the dispersed, random Metro inspections could discourage a lone terrorist cell ... Tuesday's operation is a prelude to a series of much larger emergency exercises -- the biggest ever in the Metro system -- that will involve hundreds of officers from across the region responding to simulated explosions and gunmen in scenarios mirroring mass-casualty terrorist attacks... More than 80 percent of such attacks involve firearms and explosives, as will the mock strikes on Metro. ...police officers and other emergency responders from across the region and the FBI will take part in tactical exercises Feb. 12, 13 and 24 that will include simulations of the bombing of a Metrobus, an explosion in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail stations, and shooters at the Friendship Heights Station. ... Metro and area emergency responders need to be prepared to respond to any form of terrorist attack or other crisis I'm less critical of an exercise to train police and first responders in dealing with an emergency (terrorist or otherwise). Sure, it can easily turn into security theater by exaggerating the risk of such an event and overstating the need for police presence on the Metro. But I'm less opposed to having the police figure out how they'd get people out of a station, offer first aid and defuse the panic if there were a fire or other emergency on the Metro than I am to them strutting around pretending they're scaring off the bad guys. :rolleyes: The WaPo article isn't clear and seems to want it both ways. Or maybe TPTB intend it as training but the rank-and-file believe it's about prevention. Can anyone explain the highlighted part of this paragraph? "Attackers do know that train systems are good targets for killing and injuring a lot of people," said Brian Jackson, a terrorism analyst at the nonprofit Rand Corp. "Anyone who rides Metro at rush hour knows they put a lot of people in a small area. It's not just that the people are there, but the transit systems have to be open for them to play the roles we want them to play, so they are attractive." |
Originally Posted by RadioGirl
(Post 13313268)
Can anyone explain the highlighted part of this paragraph?
:confused::confused: I read that to mean: "In order for the actors in this kabuki theater, the transit systems have to be open and operating so that our actors can work in and around the passengers" Left unspoken is that part of the "role" that the actors play is to make people "feel" safe. I note that some of the other exercises will be done when the system is closed. I have no issue with training that's not intended to be "for show". |
Originally Posted by Global_Hi_Flyer
(Post 13313461)
Well, no one will ever accuse the Post of writing the King's English... ;)
I read that to mean: "In order for the actors in this kabuki theater, the transit systems have to be open and operating so that our actors can work in and around the passengers" Left unspoken is that part of the "role" that the actors play is to make people "feel" safe. I note that some of the other exercises will be done when the system is closed. I have no issue with training that's not intended to be "for show". |
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