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Study finds Room for Improvement in NYPD, FDNY

Aired August 19, 2002 - 13:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In New York City, city officials say there are lessons to be learned from the police and fire response in the September 11 attacks. An independent analysis found flaws in communication and deployment at the World Trade Center that morning.
CNN's Hillary Lane has more for us from New York.

Hi -- Hillary.

HILLARY LANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

This was a look inside, as you said, at both the New York City Police Department and the fire department, at how they deployed personnel and how they deployed supplies, what they did right, and also what went wrong on September 11. This is not an exercise in Monday-morning quarterbacking or in finger-pointing, but really an exercise in preparedness, what each agency can do better and how the two, most importantly, can better work together.

Some of the findings might sound a bit surprising, too many personnel, for example, showing up at the scene, confusion about where they should go, and too many leaders from both departments at the scene rather than at headquarters, where they might have been able to deploy personnel and supplies more effectively.

Here is how police Commissioner Ray Kelly described what needs improvement at his department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Too many police personnel, especially among the executive corps, responded to scene. There was a lack of clarity about command structure and roles. And while the police radio system worked well, a lack of discipline in radio protocol caused some problems.

There was inadequate personnel -- personal protection equipment for many police officers, and there was insufficient counterterrorism training. And there was a need for comprehensive and realistic terrorism response plans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LANE: In terms of coordination, fire department personnel will soon be riding in police choppers. They'll be sending live video feeds back to fire department headquarters. The fire department will also accelerate the testing and use of technology used by the police department, radios for example.

There are still areas that need to be worked on, communications really, really the big area in both departments, especially, though, at the fire department, communication in the subways, communication in the tunnels. Some technology the police department already has working for it that fire department does not, that technology will be shared as soon as possible.

There was a lot of reassessing of what happened that morning, but Mayor Bloomberg also took note to praise the response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: The most successful urban emergency evacuation in modern history. The men and women of the FDNY and the NYPD should be proud of that. As mayor of New York, and as someone who knows people who were rescued from the World Trade Center site that day, I want them know that all New Yorkers feel more respect and admiration for all of the members of our uniformed services than we can ever say.

Three hundred and forty-three members of the fire department, 23 members of the New York City Police Department, and 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department gave their lives that day so that others could live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LANE: So much work still to come. Some of it is already going under way, some of these changes have been implemented or are being implemented right now. There is a one-year horizon for others. And in terms of the communications, it looks like there is a five-year plan in place.

So changes under way, changes that will be happening gradually, but absolutely a lot of motion, both before this report and certainly to come from it -- Carol.

LIN: Lessons learned almost one year later. Thank you very much, Hillary Lane, in New York.

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