WASHINGTON – Under pressure from New York pols and law enforcement, the feds reversed course and announced today that they’ll do security screening for the Statue of Liberty in Battery Park.
The change, revealed to lawmakers by federal Interior Department secretary Sally Jewel, is meant to provide added security to Lady Liberty away from Liberty Island, hopefully cutting off any would-be attackers before they reach the landmark.
“It’s the right decision, and an example of government agencies working together to achieve practical solutions,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
“We will do everything we can to assist in getting the screening procedures in place in time for the July 4th holiday and we look forward to continuing our work with the National Park Service to protect Lady Liberty and the millions of Americans who will visit her in the years to come,” he said in a statement.
The feds had been planning to conduct screening at Liberty and Ellis Island, in a move meant to simplify the process.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed change in a recent press conference where he was accompanied by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
“This solution wisely avoids any trade-off between speed-of-opening and optimum security procedures,” Schumer said in a statement. “The Statue of Liberty is vital to maintaining our pre-eminence as the tourist capital of America, and with these procedures in place, it can continue to safely draw people from around the world.”
Schumer went out of his way to thank the recently confirmed Jewel, the former R.E.I. exec, for her “consideration and quick work.”
Ripping the new security plan last week, Schumer said: “Imagine if airline passengers were not screened before they boarded a plane, but instead were screened after they landed,” Schumer said. “It makes no sense.”
Kelly had personally lobbied the agency to try to get the National Park Service to make a change.
“Al Qaeda and those who share its violent jihadist ideology repeatedly call for attacks on America, and they have long shown an interest in targets that represent our country,” Kelly wrote Jewell last month.