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Blogger Says He Found Sensitive NYPD Terror Document In Trash Can

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The editor of a New York City blog says he found a sensitive NYPD document related to terrorism prevention sitting in a public garbage can fully intact.

Bucky Turco, the Editor-in-Chief of AnimalNewYork.com, told 1010 WINS Friday that he came upon the eight-page document titled "COBRA Task Force Deployments" Thursday evening when he was walking to the subway along 42nd Street.  COBRA stands for chemical ordnance, biological, radiological awareness.

"I found this document and I was just kind of like shocked," Turco said.

COBRA Document
(credit: animalnewyork.com)

Turco said the document was sitting in a green, mesh city garbage can outside the Manhattan South Task Force station. He said it "wasn't torn-up or blotted out."

"I saw it, grabbed it and walked away with it," he said.

The discarded papers included a list of checkpoints and where the COBRA Task Force was to be deployed on Wednesday. It also included maps of Times Square area sweeps in addition to a list of suspicious indicators for the inspection of vehicles.

Despite the document being marked "law enforcement sensitive" and its last page indicating "all copies must be destroyed upon completion," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne dismissed the idea that its availability posed any danger.

"The document involved the deployment of 20 highly visible uniformed officers whose assignments were obvious to anyone with eyes in their head," Browne said in a statement.

Browne admitted that the NYPD "would have preferred it was disposed of more discreetly." He went on to say, however, that "its discovery by a dumpster-diver posed no threat to the public or anyone else."

Turco said that he was "mindful" of the possibility the document carrying confidential information could have possibly been used to cause harm, but said he didn't believe it would "assist anyone plotting anything."

"I do think it's sensitive enough to potentially slap the NYPD on the wrist hard enough that they never make this mistake again," he said.

Surprised by this? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.


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