Police security at the upcoming New York City Marathon on Sunday will be unprecedented following the terror truck attack in Tribeca, with the most sand trucks and blocker vehicles ever deployed and double the number of NYPD observation teams from past years, officials have announced.
NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez outlined the security measures at a news briefing Wednesday, just days before 51,000 runners and 2.5 million spectators were expected to come out for the event.
"We look forward to it being a very safe and enjoyable Sunday," said Gomez.
There will be countersniper teams from Emergency Services Unit throughout the boroughs, and more heavy weapons teams throughout the city, Gomez said. Officers will be stationed along the route, many of them in plainclothes and mixing in with the crowds.
Additionally, K-9 units will be moving along the route, and aviation patrols will be surveying rooftops from the air.
In the meantime, New Yorkers should already be seeing high security across the city.
"You'll see more officers on the trains, more officers on platforms," Gomez said. "You should expect more bag check at more stations, more explosive-detecting K9s in the subway system."
Heavy weapons teams are also fanning out across major transit hubs in New York City. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says police presence will be doubled at places of congregation, airports, tunnels and Penn Station, which has 600,000 people going through it each day, making it the most heavily traveled transportation hub in the hemisphere.
The West Side Highway was closed from 14th Street to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel into Wednesday as detectives collected evidence from the deadly truck rampage. All detours were lifted by the evening, and traffic is flowing again.
The famed Greenwich Halloween Parade became the first showcase for the NYPD's immediately boosted security in the hours following the truck rampage. As one million people descended on the neighborhood to participate in festivities, police quickly mobilized and deployed more resources.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo lauded New Yorkers for carrying on with the celebration. The Democrats, normally political rivals, marched together in a show of unity.
"We will not be cowed, we will not be thrown off," de Blasio said Wednesday. "This cowardly act targeting the most innocent people in the middle of the most innocent pursuits was meant to make people feel they could not go about their daily lives. What Gov. Cuomo and I saw, when we went to the Halloween parade, one million people showed up -- they were undeterred, they were very strong."
Cuomo said it was "really reassuring to see the resilience of New Yorkers."
NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill urged the public to remain vigilant and to contact police if they "see something out there that doesn't look right -- at least give us an opportunity to investigate that."
"True public safety is a shared responsibility," he said. "We need everyone's help."
New York Road Runners, the organizer of the New York City Marathon, has said in a statement that the safety and security of runners, staff, volunteers and spectators is their "top priority."
"Together with our agency partners, we have extensive safety and security measures in place, both visible and behind the scenes," the NYRR said. "We are constantly reviewing our plans with law enforcement and will consider any necessary modifications or enhancements."
