NYPD protects New York City Marathon despite no credible threats
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NYPD said it was "more than prepared" for the TCS NYC Marathon despite the absence of credible threats.
Police Commissioner James O'Neill said that thousands of officers were on duty Sunday to protect the more than 50,000 runners and 1 million spectators along a route that courses through all five boroughs.
There were helicopters and drones in the air, blocker cars at every intersection and police boats in the water. Heavy weapons teams were out in full force and highly trained canine teams worked through crowds and at checkpoints.
"While there are no specific, credible threats to the marathon or to New York City, I want everyone to remember public safety is a shared responsibly," O'Neill said.
The security blanket included 500 blocker cars, 100 sand trucks and 500 cameras, along with radiological detection boats, heavy weapons teams and school safety agents to screen every runner at the start of the race in Staten Island, Chief of Counterterrorism Jim Waters said.
A marathon is especially hard to secure, with 26.2 miles of streets, along with intersections, barricades and potential vulnerabilities.
"The marathon, what makes it so cool is we're running through neighborhoods," said NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Ben Tucker. "It's a signature event in New York City, like the ball drop in Times Square. And so this year we don't expect any credible threats, anything we should be concerned about."
Authorities gave a stern warning to not fly personal drones over the route.
"If you own a personal drone, leave it at home on Sunday, we will be utilizing anti-drone technology," NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said.
"They will give them that sense of security they will need," Waters said.
The marathon was run a week after the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In the days since, the NYPD has tracked 40 propaganda pieces that feature the New York City skyline, according to Deputy Commissioner John Miller.
"The developments regarding Baghdadi affect ISIS but won't affect us because we were already at our highest levels," Miller said.
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