Thursday's incidents in London increased fears in the United States about mass transit safety. MSNBC's Alison Stewart talked with Frank O'Hare, a mass-transit security expert, about how America's mass transit systems are currently protected and what could be done to improve security.
To read an excerpt of their conversation, continue to the text below. To watch the video, click on the "Launch" button to the right.
Alison Stewart: There has been quite a bit of discussion this week about the amount of money (The Department of) Homeland Security is appropriating to mass transit security systems in this country. Is better funding the answer to making mass transit safer? Can you put money on this problem?
Frank O'Hare: Yes, money can go on the problem but what we really have to look at is how the money is being used. A lot of times money is not being used for training and the first defense against terrorism is training.
Stewart: The largest trade union in New York wants to offer mass transit more training options to its people. What kind of training are we talking about?
O'Hare: Well, classroom training is one way and actually going out and bring them around their own system, showing them what to look for. The U.S. Department of Transportation in conjunction with the National Transit Institute produced a video that should be shown. It's approximately 15 minutes that alerts both rain and bus operators and mechanics to what they should look for and also the employees on the station and the station managers of what to do. They also gave them out a pamphlet that outlines what they should look for. The pamphlet is a very sturdy one. It's produced by NTI out of Rutgers University and it would help them out.
Stewart: So the information's out there, we just need to get it to the officials. Let me get your opinions on some of the actions occurring. Washington, D.C. is considering random searches before people get on the Metro there. They're starting to do that today in New York as well. Do you think this is a good idea?
O'Hare: This is good. What we can do is post signs in airports whereas if you use the transit facilities you are subject to strip search. What you really have to look at is what we consider profiling. We look at where a person is, what time of day and what he's doing in order to judge his actions and if they raise a little suspicion and that officers sees what he's carrying, how he's acting with that package.
If we look at what happened with London with what we saw, with the explosion, they saw a man going back and forth to his backpack quite a few times. And I don't know if people weren't alerted to that because they didn't alert any police of the operator of the vehicle and that raises the level of suspicion.
Stewart: From the Chicago Transit Authority earlier today, a spokesperson said that a lack of the security (they) have going on is unseen. ... In New York City there are police officers on every subway after the 7/7 bombings. What do you make of it? Is the obvious police presence really effective and is there a lot going on that we don't see?
O'Hare: Well, there is a lot going on that you don't see and there are officers in plain clothes and out on patrol but most of the force has been put in uniform and that's to act as a deterrent to let the terrorists know.
But what we have to do to the terrorist is we have to take away his opportunity. The way we take away his opportunity is by showing him police presence. By showing him that we're out there inspecting, by putting up signs announcing. The (New York Metropolitan Transit Agency) MTA should be announcing, 'if you ride our system, you're subject to search.' I know right now the NYPD is looking at the legal aspects of that to get the proper wording of it so we don't violate any one's rights.
