Police Commissioner Says He Could 'Take Down A Plane'

Anyone who's traveled on the airlines since 9/11 has seen evidence of the federal response to the terrorist attacks. But few may know the extent of the response by New York City itself, on a local level, to prepare for future attacks. In Sunday night's episode of the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly (pictured during broadcast) said the city's own counter-terrorism force even has the ability to take down a plane, if necessary.

Talking with CBS Correspondent Scott Pelley, Kelly added, "obviously this would be in a very extreme situation."

Kelly is a former Marine who says he was asked to come out of retirement following the 9/11 attacks, and decided the city couldn't rely on the federal government alone. Now, ten years and billions of dollars later, he tells CBS the city has created "the most powerful and technologically advanced counter-terrorism bureau that anyone has ever seen."

Kelly explained the risks. "We're the number one target in this country. That's the consensus of the intelligence community. We're the communications capital. We're the financial capital. We're a city that's been attacked twice successfully. We've had 13 terrorist plots against the city since September 11. No other city has had that."

Kelly revealed that his department is equipped with radiation detectors deployed in a boat, land vehicles, and even on the gun belts of individual officers, to be used as a tool in detecting a so-called "dirty bomb." He notes the devices are so sensitive they can be set off by passersby who've had certain medical procedures.

FMI