Politics & Government

Top Cop, Turner Team Up on Subway Safety

New bill would streamline funding for NYPD's subway patrol teams.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly are teaming up to push for a federal bill that would cut attempt to cut down some of the red tape separating the police and the MTA.

The bill, which Turner plans to introduce this week, is called the Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act, and it would eliminate a process that Kelly has said hamstrings his department when trying to protect the city’s mass transit system.

Currently, the NYPD teams that operate in city subways have to request a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for funding. The bill would streamline the system, eliminating the waiver process entirely.

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“Commissioner Kelly and I agree wholeheartedly that we must find ways to sustain specialized patrol teams through a streamlined process that will provide greater consistency to our local security funding,” Turner said.

Kelly agreed.

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“The measure will provide much-needed continuity for the federal funding of crucial anti-terror measures, and, in the process, help keep New York City’s transit system secure in the face of terrorist plots, several of which have surfaced since 9/11.”

Turner was also quick to point out that the bill does not have any built-in practical cost — it simply cuts down on bureaucracy,

“The Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act will keep the teams on the street that keep our transit systems safe with no additional cost the government. It makes sense to find ways to streamline processes in order to save money.”


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