NYC Doormen Receive Anti-Terror Training
Submitted by Templar Titan on Mon, 05/31/2004 - 22:25.
NEW YORK - Authorities in this city of apartment buildings have turned to a
new ally in the war on the terror: doormen.
Anti-terrorism training began this week for 28,000 doormen, superintendents
and porters in 3,500 apartment buildings around the city.
Under a program developed by the Service Employees union, landlord groups,
the Police Department and other emergency agencies, the workers will receive
four hours of classroom training on how to spot and respond to potential
terrorism threats. The course is taught by off-duty police academy
instructors.
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The workers are warned to be on the lookout for cars or trucks that are
parked near buildings for a long time, or that have no license plates; for
anyone who takes pictures of the building or lingers too long outside; and
for new tenants who move in with little or no furniture.
The doormen are also taught to view as suspicious any packages with no
return address or too much postage.
"The police and the building service workers are natural allies," said
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "Both work around the clock, both are in
the business of protecting people. This program give us a powerful network
of eyes and ears on the street."
The doormen will also be taught how to respond to bomb threats and how to
identify and contain biological and chemical agents. In addition, there are
lessons on how to recognize fraudulent IDs and documents.
"We have so many people and deliveries coming in and out of here - in
today's world, that's risky," said John Orozco, a superintendent in a
17-floor building on the Upper West Side where Babe Ruth once lived.
"We have to know what to look for," Orozco said Friday.
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