NEWARK
— New Jersey law enforcement and
transit officials today outlined efforts
to ensure the security of the state
and to provide support to New York City
during the upcoming Republican National
Convention (RNC) that takes place Aug.
30 to Sept. 2 at New York’s Madison
Square Garden.
At a press conference at Newark Penn
Station, the officials also unveiled
an advertising campaign that uses radio,
billboards and transit advertising to
urge the public to report suspicious
behavior that may be related to potential
terrorist activity by calling the statewide
tip line (1-866-4-SAFE-NJ).
If the activity is related to bus or
train transportation, commuters and
travelers are urged to contact the toll-free
tip lines of New Jersey Transit (1-888-TIPS-NJT)
or the Port Authority Police (1-800-828-PAPD).
“With
planning beginning more than a year
ago, New Jersey has made a concerted
effort to ensure the safety of its citizens
during the RNC, and to make sure that
commuters and visitors traveling between
New Jersey and New York City during
the convention are not only protected,
but face the least amount of disruption
possible,” said Governor James
E. McGreevey.
“Our
message today is twofold,” said
Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, who
also chairs the New Jersey Domestic
Security Preparedness Task Force, the
state’s homeland security policy
and coordination council. “First,
law enforcement at the state, county,
local and national level, as well as
our colleagues in the military and health
sectors, has mounted a well-coordinated
effort to prepare for the convention.
We are prepared.
“Second,
we are reminding the public through
a new advertising campaign that —
regardless of our level of preparedness
— government and law enforcement
cannot do everything on their own. We
need the public’s help,”
Harvey said.
“We
are counting on people to step up and
do their parts to prevent terrorist
incidents — by reporting suspicious
activity anywhere in the state to our
Office of Counter-Terrorism. In addition,
if you see something suspicious while
on a bus or train, we ask that you report
it to the transit agency you are riding,”
he said.
“Law
enforcement agencies in the metropolitan
region are cooperating at unprecedented
levels,” said Sidney J. Caspersen,
Director of New Jersey’s Office
of Counter-Terrorism (OCT). “All
of our agencies will be represented
at the various command posts on both
sides of the Hudson to facilitate communications
and information sharing,” he said.
“We
are not only working on our own, but
working closely with our federal intelligence
partners and our partners at the New
York Police Department to provide law
enforcement in New Jersey with information
it can use to preempt potential disturbances
or terrorist incidents,” Caspersen
said. “Part of our message today
is that you too may be able to provide
important information to discourage
or disrupt a possible attack by using
our tip lines.”
“Throughout
the convention, as a preventive measure,
State Police’s Homeland Security
Branch will have a greater public presence,”
said Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hennon-Bell,
State Police Deputy Superintendent in
charge of the Homeland Security Branch.
“Our aviation unit helicopters
will be providing surveillance support
in the air, and our Marine Services
Bureau boats will make their presence
felt on our waterways.”
Troopers will be teaming with New Jersey
Transit police officers to provide protection
on New York-bound trains and added presence
on train platforms, Hennon-Bell also
noted. Security will be beefed up at
Hudson River tunnel and bridge crossings.
The State Police Bomb Squad will also
be coordinating its efforts with New
Jersey Transit Police and its bomb-detecting
canines, as well as coordinating the
efforts of the statewide Detect and
Render Safe Task Force. This Task Force,
created with the impetus of the Domestic
Security Preparedness Task Force and
funded through federal homeland security
grants, is made up of the state’s
10 bomb squads working closely with
newly purchased bomb-detecting dogs.
State Police truck inspection details
will continue to conduct aggressive
inspections in the metropolitan area.
Finally, Hennon-Bell indicated that
the Homeland Security Branch also includes
the State Office of Emergency Management,
which will be in standby mode, at the
ready to respond to incidents of any
kind that might occur.
George Warrington, New Jersey Transit’s
Executive Director noted that the transit
agency has already announced major changes
to its operations for the period of
the convention, such as rerouting all
Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken, barring
luggage and packages on passenger compartment
overhead racks, and limiting the number
of bathrooms.
"We
are committed to providing our customers
the safest trip possible. There is no
higher priority," Warrington said.
"Customers play a critical role
in this effort by serving as additional
sets of 'eyes and ears' on the system
and reporting suspicious behavior or
unattended packages."
Port
Authority Public Safety Director/Superintendent
of Police Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr. said,
“The partnership between federal,
state and local law enforcement agencies
is a strong and unified force which
seeks to provide a safe and secure region.
As we move forward, we must continue
our vigilance in ensuring the safety
of the public. The suspicious activity
tip lines assist law enforcement and
we encourage the public to partner with
us as we work to meet our objectives.”
Ad
Campaign Stresses Vigilance and Importance
of Reporting Suspicious Activity
“We
thought that, prior to the convention,
it was vital to stress the importance
of public vigilance and public participation
in our counter-terrorism efforts through
our ad campaign,” Harvey said.
“Realistically, this is the new
‘normality’ post 9/11. Our
ads are reminding you that we must now
always remain vigilant and that we share
a societal responsibility to report
suspicious activity to the proper authorities.”
The campaign’s ads began running
this week, and will run through mid-November,
he said. In addition to radio ads that
will be aired on New Jersey stations
and select outlets in Philadelphia and
New York, print advertising will appear
outdoors on billboards and on bus panels.
Statewide advertising features the Office
of Counter-Terrorism’s toll-free
tip line, 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ. Advertising
will also appear inside New Jersey Transit
buses and trains, as well as in PATH
trains. These onboard ads feature the
agencies’ respective tip line
numbers. Finally, an insert describing
types of suspicious behavior for which
to look out as well as steps families
can take to prepare for a terrorist
attack or other disaster will be distributed
statewide with Sunday newspapers on
Sept. 12.
In addition to the tip lines to report
suspicious activity, all ads refer the
public to the state’s counter-terrorism
and domestic preparedness Web site,
www.njhomelandsecurity.gov,
for additional information.
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Homeland
Security 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ Tip Line
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