New York: Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder overseen security measures for some of the most high-profile events in the region, including when former American president Barack Obama visited the county.
Ryder, however, maintains that the security in place for the upcoming T20 World Cup fixture between India and Pakistan will trump even the security measures reserved for the country's presidents.
“The security, as far as this game is concerned, is possibly more than the one we offer the president,” Ryder told DH on Thursday. “The difference is that for the president, it’s one person and we have forty people around him, but there will be 30,000 people and 300 people around them. That’s quite the test, but we’re prepared.
“This is among the most secure games that we will have on our turf, and this is a large-scale collaborative effort from our end, it is a multi-agency effort for sure. We have interacted with agencies who have handled this event or something to this effect in the past, and we have gotten our inputs to ensure that we have all the right pieces in place.”
Ryder remarked that besides his division in Nassau, the New York Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several other agencies will be involved in combing the area for all security threats before, during and after the June 9 fixture.,
“We have people patrolling houses of worship, small business areas, downtown business areas, malls and stations. We’re not leaving any stone unturned. We also have cameras which cover every inch of the venue, even the practice facility in Cantiague Park is packed with cameras and everyone is being observed at all times,” he revealed.
Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive who called for this interaction in the middle of what’s going to turn into a World Cup fan park at Cedar Creek Park, jumped at the chance to talk up the security situation.
When asked about the reported terror threat, however, he was a bit edgy before putting out a diplomatic response. Little over a week ago, a pro-ISIS group released a photo on social media which had the picture of a hooded man carrying a gun with the date of June 9, captioned: "You wait for the matches ... and we wait for you.”
Blake’s response, although not directly, confirmed that threats had come their way, but they were prepared to extinguish furore should there be any.
“None of this is unanticipated. Anytime you have an international event of this magnitude, it’s going to attract threats. It’s not something we didn’t anticipate. It’s something the police commissioner has been preparing for over six months. We’ve had meetings with many agencies, we do the planning, we do all kinds of tabletop exercises, drilling too to ensure we can keep everyone safe. We’re very confident. Our law enforcement partners are confident.
“I am planning on attending with my family, and I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t feel safe about the security at the venue,” he added.
Snipers, several helicopters, close to a thousand armed policemen, a large cavalry, cops on cycles, and more guns. This is America, but this time, it makes sense.