Unity of Command

With an American flag draped from the cosmos-painted ceiling behind him, and former New Jersey Governor and Chairman of the 9/11 commission Thomas Kean seated in front of him, Mayor Bloomberg this afternoon presented his vision for public safety in New York City. Overlooking the terminal from the perch of Metrazur, a restaurant the billionaire Mayor partly rented out for the event, the Mayor outlined a plan to bring the MTA and the Port Authority under a single command, run by the NYPD, in the case of a disaster striking critical transportation infrastructure, like, oh, say, Grand Central Station. The Mayor said that because of its "size and sophistication" the NYPD was the obvious choice to lead any streamlined response. As for the Office of Emergency Management, (remember them?) they'll be responsible for sending advisory text messages in case of emergencies. For the NYPD to take control of interstate agencies, Governor Pataki and his counterpart, Richard Codey of New Jersey, would have to sign off. "We have briefed them," said the Mayor. "Nobody suggests that there aren't problems in doing so....they certainly haven't signed off yet." Mr. Kean said later that "somebody has got to be in charge. It makes sense to that it ought to be the Mayor." Just don't tell that to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.