Snow covers the 2 and 3 line subway tracks at the 72nd Street station – New York, NY – Dec 27, 2010 – Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Reporting Paul Murnane
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - Interference and underground reception issues are among the things preventing many of the radios used by street cops from working in the subways.
WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane talks to a former MTA security official
A company working on the project tells AM New York that they’re still waiting for the go-ahead for the upgrades that are needed to make this $144-million system work.
“If a terrorist attack should go off, the ability of the police to be able to communicate both between the transit bureau, the patrol bureau, and headquarters is absolutely essential,” says former MTA security official Nick Casale.
He suggests turning to the military at this point.
“We have to see the security procedures in place immediately. Otherwise, it’s a just a waste of funding,” says Casale.
The MTA says the NYPD is still evaluating proposed solutions.
Meanwhile, transit bureau cops and the FDNY are using the new system that allows them to communicate with each other underground.
