Yesterday the New York City Police Department demonstrated “sally ports,” a system of metal barriers, designed to defend the Republican National Convention against hostile vehicular attacks.
The New York Times reports eight sally ports will surround Madison Square Garden. Sally ports are mobile anti-terrorist vehicle crash barriers that can be deployed in as little as 15 minutes. Each is capable of stopping and disabling a 15,000 lb. GVW vehicle moving 30 mph, according to its developer, Delta Scientific Corp.
One metal barrier would lower to allow a truck inside a walled-off section blocked off by a second metal barrier. As a truck is contained between the two walls, officers will use high-definition cameras to check the truck’s undercarriage, along with mirrors and bomb-sniffing dogs while another officer checks the identification of the driver, The New York Times reported.
“When you see barriers and related measures being deployed, this is just one component of the security plan— you are seeing something that is visible but there are other measures that are not visible to protect high-profile events,” Don L. Rondeau, Highway Watch ISAC director told Fleet Owner. “It’s part of a multi-faceted plan to protect any major event, and definitely a key component.”
“For someone looking to penetrate the higher-profile barrier, they would have to run a gauntlet of measures— from engineered solutions in traffic control, to measures that would prevent them from gaining the speed to ram through security, to making sure that the vehicle is seen long before it approaches a critical area, to armed guards and sharpshooters,” Rondeau said. “And of course, inspection processes are co-mingled in this.”
There will be commercial vehicle traffic expected through the sally ports, although it will be restricted to carriers that provide advanced notice. “On certain dates, only critical prearranged deliveries will be allowed,” Rondeau said.
Rondeau advises commercial vehicle drivers to inquire about security measures before making a delivery in New York City during the GOP Convention. “Call your client, call your end user to ensure that you have an understanding of the protective measures for that day for that delivery,” he said.
Highway Watch ISAC is an organization operated by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) that works with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other federal law enforcement agencies to protect the national infrastructure while facilitating the flow of commerce.
