Speaking at the Jewish Community Relations Council’s annual meeting last evening, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly assured the audience that the Police Department is committed to protecting New Yorkers from the threat of Islamic terrorism.

Mr. Kelly laid out a wide array of tools he says the NYPD has made use of in order to stay abreast of potential threats, including radiation detectors to block nuclear materials from entering the city, full-time counterterrorism experts who plan long-term defense strategies, and cameras that can read license plates of vehicles entering Manhattan.
Mr. Kelly singled out Israel as a country that New York has looked to for help in bolstering its counterterrorism strategy.

“For obvious reasons we have a lot to learn from the Israelis’ experience with terrorism,” Mr. Kelly said.

The JCRC meeting is considered a traditional stopping point for political hopefuls. Council Member Eric Gioia, a likely candidate for public advocate in 2009, and Council Member John Liu, considered a possible candidate for public advocate or for comptroller, were in attendance. Mr. Kelly is considered a potential candidate for mayor in 2009.

(Source: NY Sun)