City Is Planning Expanded Security in Event of War

To protect New York City if and when an American-led attack on Iraq begins, police officials have prepared a sweeping security plan that calls for expanding the patrols on the streets and asking the Defense Department to fly combat aircraft overhead, a senior police official said yesterday. The patrols on the streets — at government buildings, hotels and houses of worship as well as at newly strengthened checkpoints at bridges and tunnels — would address a concern of police officials, that attackers acting alone present a greater risk than a larger, carefully orchestrated assault on the city. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly has briefed Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other top city officials on the plan, known as Operation Atlas, according to the police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Operation Atlas would cost more than $5 million a week, the official said, adding that top police officials have tried to persuade federal officials that New York — already facing a budget gap of between $3 billion and $4 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July — should be treated as a special case when it comes to federal aid for homeland security. Much of the $5-million-a-week price tag would be for overtime pay for officers who would be reassigned from their current duties. Full Story