New York

New York Enhanced Security Guard Training Program Instruction Plan

Eighty-five percent of the critical infrastructure in the United States belongs to private enterprise and corporations. Thus, security guards are literally one of the nation’s first groups of defenders and play an integral role in prevention and deterrence efforts. Success in prevention and deterrence of both general crime, and terrorist acts as well, begins with the establishment of a baseline and maintenance of a robust all-hazards and all-crimes management infrastructure. The professional security guard industry in New York State with an excess of 140,000 certified security guards inhabit that baseline. This program will provide security guards with the basic awareness of terrorism issues that can potentially affect responsibilities within the purview of their employment. It will improve observation, detection and reporting capabilities while enhancing coordination capability with other emergency response professionals. Additionally, this program will elaborate on previously provided instruction, thereby elevating participants’ familiarity with access control issues and security technology.

(U//LES) New York State Intelligence Center “Vigilance Project”: Domestic Terrorism Analysis

The Vigilance Project is a comprehensive, analytic report that examines major terrorism cases that have taken place against the Homeland since September 11, 2001. The report serves as a historical compilation of acts or attempted acts of terrorism against the United States, or its interests, and as a tool to identify trends and commonalities among the cases and the subjects involved. It is recognized that the threat environment is dynamic and potential threats are not limited to the findings contained in this report. As the title suggests, it is the duty of every citizen to remain vigilant in the face of terrorism. The findings of this report allow readers to gain an understanding of terrorism participants, their tactics and procedures, and become aware of similarities among the cases, in order to draw useful conclusions. The ultimate goal of the Vigilance Project is to provide useful information to law enforcement partners to support their role in preventing the next attack.

New York Office of Homeland Security Post 9-11 Terrorist Training Infrastructure Report

Until shortly after 9/11, when the U.S. military launched an invasion intended to destroy Al Qaeda’s infrastructure and sanctuary, the vast majority of the terror network’s training camps were located in Afghanistan. According to the 9/11 Commission, between 1996 and 2001, a total of 10,000 to 20,000 individuals trained for jihad at camps such as Al-Farooq, Khalden, and Derunta. Other sources, such as former Senator Bob Graham, cite an estimate from the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center that, in fact, between 70,000 and 120,000 passed through Al Qaeda’s Afghan camps. A significant number of those attendees were Western citizens. For example, open sources report that in January 2002, British military intelligence discovered the names of 1,200 British citizens who trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. U.S citizens, such as Jose Padilla, John Walker Lindh, and the Lackawanna Six, also traveled to Afghanistan for training.

NYPD Active Shooter Incidents Analysis for Risk Mitigation

Active shooter attacks are dynamic incidents that vary greatly from one attack to another. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.” In its definition, DHS notes that, “in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.” The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has limited this definition to include only those cases that spill beyond an intended victim to others.

(U//FOUO) New York CrossFIRE Radio Theft Report

Fire Departments in Warren and Washington County have recently reported thefts of communications equipment
• Thefts include portable and mobile radios, along with software capable of programming this equipment.
• Only newer model, VHF radios have been stolen. Low‐band and older model radios (which aren’t capable of narrowband) have been left untouched.
• Of particular concern: programming software has been stolen. This software could potentially be used to reprogram radios with frequencies of law enforcement agencies, Fire and EMS services, and other public and private sector organizations/businesses.

NYPD Hartford Distributors Active Shooter Open Source Assessment

Thornton was called in by his employer and shown video surveillance footage of him stealing beer from the facility. After calmly signing a letter of resignation, and not contesting the accusations against him, Thornton opened fire on coworkers at the facility for a period spanning only minutes. One witness suspected that Thornton was carrying a weapon in the lunch bag he brought to work.

(U//LES) Metropolitan Transportation Authority Suspicious Packages Warning

Special attention should continue to be directed for unattended packages, suspicious persons and vehicles. IEDs concealed as unattended baggage remains a staple tactic of terrorist adversaries targeting mass transit. Noteworthy examples are the attacks in Madrid, March 2004, and in London, July 2005. While some placed IEDs used in these and other attacks were hidden, others remained in plain sight as unattended baggage.

NY Police: Rental Car Database Info Poses Risk to Undercover Officers

Enterprise and Hertz rental car agencies have added a feature to their websites that allows clients to retrieve up to six months of rental records by inserting their last name and driver’s license number into a search field. While intended for business travelers who need to print receipts for expense reports, it could be a useful investigative tool for those in possession of a suspect’s name and driver’s license number. However, officers should also be aware that it could pose a threat to undercover police operations.

(U//FOUO) Hydrogen Sulfide: A Potential First Responder Hazard

(U//FOUO) DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC) assess that an intentional release of hydrogen sulfide gas most likely would be by a person using it to commit suicide, thus not exposing large numbers of people. The gas is, however, highly toxic and easy to produce from commonly available materials—properties that could make it attractive for use in a terrorist attack. DHS/I&A and JRIC have no information that terrorists are planning an attack in the United States using hydrogen sulfide gas.

NYPD University of Alabama Amy Bishop Shooting Brief

Overview
•At approximately 4 pm, local time, a female shooter opened fire on the campus of University Alabama-Huntsville
-The shooter was a female member of the university faculty
-The attack occurred at a biology faculty meeting
•Reports indicate 3 people were killed and 3 wounded
-2 male victims are in critical condition
-1 female victim is in stable condition
•The female suspect was arrested and her husband is detained
•Shooting occurred in the Shelby Center, a 200,000-square-foot science facility on the university campus
•Motive: the female opened fire when she learned she would not get a tenure faculty position as a full-time biology professor

NYPD Brief: Attack on Police and ISI Offices in Lahore, Pakistan, May 27, 2009

Summary
•On 5/27/09 at least four gunmen opened fire and set off of a car bomb between police and intelligence buildings in Lahore, Pakistan.
•Latest reports indicate that at least 23 people are dead, and hundreds wounded.
•Two suspects were taken into custody, but were later released.
•There have been no claims of responsibility, but the attack is assessed to be a response to the Pakistani army’s offensive in the Swat Valley.

NYPD Street Gang Manual

This book is a compilation of various gang intelligence information from various sources including detective and police officer files, primarily confiscated from arrested and/or incarcerated individual gang notes and drawings. Additional material was obtained from other law enforcement agencies’ publications and presentations used for internal officer training, as well as from various other gang publications and internet sources. Six major New York City gangs are presented in this book: the Bloods, the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, the Netas, the Crips, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and the Mexican Gangs. Sections within this book include the origin and history of the gang, its structure, rules and regulations, oaths and pledges, symbols and emblems, coded language and hand signals, clothing, tattoos and graffiti. It is our hope that an officer’s knowledge of gang characteristics will assist in combating gang-motivated crimes and reduce the propensity for violence towards the law enforcement community and innocent citizens.

NYPD Law Enforcement Sensitive Mumbai Attack Analysis

On the evening of November 26, 2008, ten (10) terrorists executed multiple coordinated attacks using automatic weapons and hand grenades on various “soft targets”, such as hotels and restaurants, in Mumbai, India. The operational modus operandi of this terrorist attack constitutes a major shift in the traditional terrorist tactics of using suicide operatives and planted explosive devices, to the execution of a well planned “commando” type military assault using automatic weapons, hand grenades and urban combat tactics, intended to inflict the maximum number of casualties.

NYPD Threat Analysis September 17, 2008 U.S. Embassy Attack in Yemen

Summary
•The U.S. Embassy in Yemen was attacked on the morning of September 17th, 2008
•Six attackers in two vehicles, both of which were VBIEDs, attacked the front gate of the embassy
•The attack resulted in 16 deaths, a toll that includes all six attackers
•No Americans were killed, and there was no reported damage to the embassy buildings
•A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack
•This is the largest attack in Yemen in the last few years, as al-Qaeda is reportedly undergoing a resurgence in that country

NYPD Responding to Terrorist Attacks: Trends in European Response Scenarios

This paper analyzes three high-profile European case studies of post-9/11 terrorist attacks (Istanbul [2003], Madrid [2004], and London [2005]). It also examines targeting and tactical information gleaned from several failed/foiled plots in Europe. Although the general findings of this paper can be applied to any type of large scale terrorist attack, this study focuses on those attacks perpetrated by Muslim extremists since this subset currently constitutes the most prominent terrorist threat to the U.S.