Shortly after news spread that gun-toting terrorists had launched a deadly siege on Mumbai, India, 75 NYPD Cruisers carrying 150 officers fanned out across Manhattan, lights flashing.
Their mission: To quickly shore up security with a show of force outside the Waldorf Astoria, New York Palace and other marquee hotels.
The response, though strictly precautionary, demonstrated that the deadly attack in India had far-reaching implications for police and private security officials in New York and other U.S. cities with downtowns dotted with potential hotel targets.
"I think that this could be a wake-up call," said Robert Grenier, a former CIA official with the Kroll Security Group told the Associated Press.
Grenier said that suspicions the Mumbai attackers may have had inside help points to the need for aggressive screening and monitoring of hotel workers. It's likely, he said, that the well-coordinated assault in India involved extensive reconnaissance - another lesson in the need for constant vigilance in spotting and confronting suspicious visitors.
Hotels and security experts also say that hotels face a delicate balancing act as they try to protect guests.
"We have some guests who pay an exorbitant amount to stay in our hotels, and security is a level of inconvenience," said Jimmy Chin, who heads security at the New York Palace and chairs the security committee for the Hotel Association of New York. At the same time, after Mumbai made headlines, "There's an expectation to see security," he added.
Police officials in New York and Los Angeles have programs to share intelligence and security tips with large businesses, including hotels, through Web sites, closed-door briefings and seminars. The NYPD also has maintained beefed up patrols outside major hotels since the attacks in India.
InterContinental Hotels Group, which operates the 770-room Crowne Plaza Hotel in Times Square, said it has "additional security measures in place at hotels in high-risk markets," but wouldn't elaborate.
(Source: Associated Press)
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