CityAndStateNY.com
September 6, 2021
Twenty years after 9/11: Better protected, but at what cost? The NYPD’s counterterrorism operation has undergone a massive transformation since 2001.
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WO DECADES HAVE passed since New York City was ground zero in the deadliest terrorist plot in American history. In response to the attack, the United States launched a military invasion of Afghanistan, an ill-fated mission that came to a stunning close when the Taliban retook control of the country last month. The ability of New York to
protect itself, however, has advanced well beyond where it was in 2001, even as the city’s scaled-up counterterrorism capabilities have received pushback. The catastrophe of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks set in motion a major restructuring of the national security apparatus, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, the consolidation of the Immigration and Natu-
DROP OF LIGHT/SHUTTERSTOCK; TSA; ALEXI ROSENFELD, DAVIDEPJ, LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK
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New Yorkers experience reminders of 9/11 daily with increased security measures.
