Security Heightened As World Leaders Meet in New York
"It is equivalent to the Super Bowl of security."
New York police, federal agencies and a slew of other security forces are poised and ready for anything as President Donald Trump and other top leaders from around the work meet in New York for the United National General Assembly.
The event, which features speeches and meetings with the world's most important leaders, started on Tuesday and is expected to run through the entirety of the week bringing with it street closures, thousands of police officers and hundreds of protesters to midtown Manhattan.
"It's the equivalent to the Super Bowl of security," New York City Police Department spokesman, J. Peter Donald said.
The NYPD's elite counterterrorism unit, along with detectives from the intelligence bureau and officers from the aviation, harbor, highway and traffic units will be on hand throughout the week. Donald said the department has plenty of "muscle memory" from previous events.
Vast swaths of the area near the United National, on the far east side of midtown Manhattan, will be closed to traffic, and the Coast Guard will heavily restrict boat traffic on the East River.