Grenade Causes Scare On NY Ferry
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Inevitably someone will call the response to this incident an over reaction, but consider that there was a potential live fragmentation grenade, probably a MK2 hand grenade with a blast radius of thirty feet or more, endangering dozens of passengers on a floating piece of vulnerable metal. I doubt most grenades travel alone, so there was also likely a suspicion by responders that there were more where this came from. The article reads like all the logical precautions were taken; detaining and questioning the suspect, establishing a standoff distance for civilians and responders, and getting someone with EOD experience on scene. Glad to hear it was resolved safely.
The VIPR teams, in this case responsible for locating and identifying the device, are a great resource for mass transit operations and make major contributions to security by getting the right people with the right skills together where the most damage can be caused. The program was expanded beyond air and rail transportation in 2007 and continues to produce results. If any officers have an opportunity to volunteer for one of these teams, do it. |
A man headed to New Haven, Conn. was stopped by authorities Tuesday morning as he was trying to board the Port Jefferson Ferry with an inactive grenade inside his car. The man, whose name has not been released, was stopped at about 11:15 a.m. while U.S. Coast Guard officers and members of local law enforcement were conducting a periodic check. Called VIPR, or Visual Intermodal Prevention Response, the check is a joint operation between the Coast Guard and local law enforcement and it involves looking for suspicious packages that might present a threat to public safety. Authorities later determined the suspected device was a demilitarized, non-operational grenade that was turned into a paper weight.
“It was like a paper weight that you could buy in an Army-Navy surplus store,” said Petty Officer Thomas McKenzie, a spokesman for the Coast Guard. “There are collectors and military buffs that purchase these things and that’s what this was.”
The investigation has since been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. Authorities would not say whether an arrest has been made. The area was locked down for about an hour while members of Suffolk County’s Bomb Squad Unit made sure the suspect device was safe. The traffic jam even required the assistance of Brookhaven Town’s Public Safety officers. “From what I understand they moved the vehicle from the scene while they were checking it out and everything is moving once again in the harbor,” said Town spokesman Jack Krieger. “It held up some boat traffic at the time.”
