D.C., New York to Help Boost Amtrak Security

East Coast Agencies Seek to Protect High-Traffic Corridor

NEW YORK -- In the latest in a series of security measures taken since the London bombing cases, the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department has teamed with other East Coast forces to beef up protection of Amtrak trains traveling between New York and Washington.

The increased security, which began Monday, also involves police officers from New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Maryland and other jurisdictions.

The state and local officers will help Amtrak's own police force patrol train platforms and watch for suspicious activity and packages on trains and tracks along the entire route throughout the week, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said Monday.

Police have no information about a specific threat against the most heavily traveled route in the Amtrak system. However, in assessing security risks after mass transit was targeted in London, police officials were concerned that a route involving "two high profile cities" might be a target, and that the Amtrak police did not have the manpower to properly protect it, Browne said.

The police officials from the various departments and agencies gathered at NYPD headquarters last week to coordinate the effort, which will include use of bomb-sniffing dogs and police helicopters.

"It seemed to be a precaution that needed to be taken," Browne said, adding that the departments hope to cover the cost with federal funding.

Browne said police agreed their combined effort needed "to appear to be random and unpredictable in order to defeat the kind of reconnaissance that al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations are known to conduct."

Amtrak police, with about 350 officers nationwide, has welcomed the assistance.

"It's really important that we have it," said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black.

The NYPD first began doing sweeps of Amtrak trains leaving Penn Station bound for Washington on July 14 after suicide bombers struck in London. At times, officers have boarded trains to ask riders to be vigilant about reporting any signs of trouble.

In Washington, the Metro Transit Police Department has instructed employees to be vigilant along the rail corridors shared with Amtrak as well as Metro's own tunnels, Officer Linda Foxwell said.

"We don't have jurisdiction in the Amtrak stations," Foxwell said. "But we certainly have done a lot to educate our riders about what they should look for, what they should report. This is certainly information that they can carry over to their commuter rail" as well as Amtrak.

Metro police officials are still considering a draft plan that could lead to random bag searches like New York, Foxwell said.

Other agencies assisting Amtrak include the Baltimore Police Department; Delaware State Police; Delaware Office of Homeland Security; Maryland State Police; Philadelphia Police Department; New Jersey Office of Counterterrorism; New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Transit Police.