Wait, The New York Police Department Has A Spy Plane For Hunting Dirty Bombs?

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated Aug 3, 2018 2:20 PM EDT

More than a year ago, five members of the New York Police Department’s Aviation Unit were so mad at their supervisor they decided to take a specialized surveillance plane worth $4 million on a joy ride, flying a route in the shape of a large penis. The incident is the latest in a series of controversial incidents involving the aircraft, but also highlights another important detail, that New York’s Finest have a federally-funded aerial platform specifically set up to hunt for radiological weapons, or “dirty bombs,” at all.

The New York Post was first to report the Aviation Unit’s creative, but unauthorized use of the plane earlier in July 2018. The New York Police Department had obtained the modified Cessna C208B Grand Caravan, which carries the civil registration number N23FH, though a Preparedness Grant, also known as a “Non-Disaster” grant, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2017. Fox Hotel Holdings of Ronkonkoma, New York, on Long Island, is the actual owner of the plane, according to Federal Aviation Administration’s records.

“As some applications may include details regarding public safety (e.g. law enforcement) they are not made publicly available,” FEMA told The War Zone in an Email. “This fixed-wing aircraft is deployed to conduct aerial surveillance and conduct first-response activities for critical infrastructure and key resources.”

Flying from MacArthur Airport on Long Island, the plane’s primary mission is searching for radiological hazards. FEMA explained that the Cessna has an unspecified “mobile airborne radiological detection system” that can collect data on baseline radiation readings around the city and spot potential unusual surges in radioactivity.

These spikes “may be indicators of manufacturing or transporting radiological weapons,” FEMA noted. One of these weapons, or dirty bombs , would use an explosive charge to spread some type of radioactive material. Though this wouldn’t create a nuclear explosion, it could give anyone unlucky enough to find themselves in the blast area radiation poisoning or otherwise contaminate a large area, at least in theory.

To find potentially threatening sources of radiation, the Cessna’s sensors system likely includes some sort of directional radiation sensor to zero in on potential areas of interest, as well as other equipment to take more general reading so help develop baseline radiation “maps” of New York City and surrounding areas. The New York Police Department could then use this information keep an eye out for any significant changes in ambient radiation levels.

The Cessna may also carry an air sampling system for further analysis of “hot spots” by personnel after the aircraft lands. The aircraft’s mission systems are also apparently capable of displaying this information in a visual format and the aircraft has a data link that allows the operators to share the information with personnel on the ground.

The configuration sounds very similar to the one another C208B, known as Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, or ASPECT , which the Environmental Protection Agency operates with contractor support. This plane, which you can read about in more detail here , also carries a wide-angle mapping camera and an infrared line scanner. If N23FH has a similar set of sensors, it could explain why officials say the aircraft is capable of conducting a variety of secondary surveillance missions.

The EPA’s contractor-operated C208B ASPECT aircraft., Airborne Aspect

The Department of Energy also operates a Beechcraft King Air aircraft and Bell 412 helicopters similarly outfitted with sensors to take gather baseline radiation data after a nuclear incident to help map the possible spread of radioactivity as part of what it calls the Aerial Measuring System . These fixed and rotary wing aircraft can both transmit that information to a ground station in real time.

Typically, the King Air will make an initial survey of an impacted area, according to the Department of Energy’s website . The helicopters would then follow to take more detailed readings, flying as low as 150 feet off the ground.

A map of Washington, DC that the Department of Energy created using data from the Aerial Measuring System during a test in 2013., DOE

The New York Police Department has declined requests from other outlets for more information about the plane’s activities and the New York Post blurred out the N-number in its latest story sometime after publishing it. It’s also worth noting that the city’s police force had previously operated an unmarked Bell 412EP helicopter with the civil registration N23FH, which also carried specialized surveillance equipment. It’s unclear if they still have that helicopter or not, but, at least in that instance, the “23” in the registration was a reference to the 23 police officers who died on 9/11.

Since those infamous terrorist attacks, New York City has, not necessarily surprisingly, been on something of a state of perpetually heightened alert. The New York State National Guard even continues to operate a standing task force, called Joint Task Force-Empire Shield , to provide various on-calls support in the event of any terrorist attack or other major crisis in and around the city.

It’s still interesting that the New York Police Department decided to acquire an aircraft focused primarily on monitoring for “dirty bombs.” Experts continue to debate how realistic a threat these types of weapons actually pose and how easy it might be to craft one that would be capable of producing any sort of widespread danger .

For the city, this apparently remains enough of a potential threat that, in 2017, officials began an initiative to help medical facilities replace devices with radioactive components in order to prevent the possible theft of hazardous material for an improvised weapon. Individual police officers reportedly carry, or have carried, radiation dosimeters so they can also act as sort of mobile monitors.

New York Police Department officers stand guard during a special event., Niall Carson/PA Wire via AP

Still, how effective the C208 aircraft is at spotting possible dirty bombs isn’t clear. The officers who flew the plane in the phallus-shaped route – an apparently not unheard of way law enforcement and military aviators express displeasure with their superiors – around the city were specifically upset with how low they had to get to have a chance of collecting useful samples.

They felt that this put them at unnecessary risk when trying to scan ships sailing in the waterways around New York City. Their fear was that they would have little chance of gliding or otherwise making it to safety if the Cessna’s single engine gave out at these low altitudes, according to the Post .

Based on what we know from the Department of Energy’s Aerial Measuring System, N23H could have to fly very low to be able to gather detailed information that might actually point to the presence of a dirty bomb. This would seem to be a mission better suited to a helicopter-mounted sensor package.

Beyond its radiation sniffing mission, the plane has already become some of a lightning rod for other controversies. On July 5, 2018, the New York Post

reported that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had used the plane to fly from Canada, where he was on vacation with his family, back to the city for a memorial honoring a member of the force who had died in the line of duty.

Then, on July 16, 2018, the Post

uncovered that members of the New York Police Department had, in 2017, used the Cessna to travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania for a wake for the mother of then-Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. City officials have dismissed allegations that they are misusing the plane.

“As far as using the plane, we did not see any obstacles. I don’t think there’s going to be pushback from Washington,” New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said of de Blasio’s flight specifically on July 10, 2018 . “We didn’t ask for clearance, and I haven’t heard from them.”

New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via AP

O’Neill thought wrong and FEMA told the Post that it is now looking into whether or not the New York Police Department has violated the terms of the grant. If nothing else, it’s hard to imagine that the joy ride was approved in the agreement.

In its Email to The War Zone, FEMA said that it could impose various penalties on the department if they found it had been wasting government money. These punishments could include withholding cash payments until the situation is sorted out, forcing New York City to pay FEMA back what it wasted on the various flights, suspending or terminating the deal entirely, and even blocking the city from getting any new grants in the future.

The city already disciplined the individuals involved in the incident with the penis-shaped flight path, so that might be enough for FEMA in that particular case. It remains to be seen how the agency will view the trips that Boyce or de Blasio took in the Cessna.

We’ll definitely be keeping our eye out for any another unusual activity from N23FH.

Contact the author: jtrevithickpr@gmail.com

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作者：约瑟夫·特雷维西克

更新于美国东部时间2018年8月3日下午2:20

一年多前，纽约警察局航空队的五名成员因不满他们的上司，决定驾驶一架价值400万美元的专用侦察机进行一次“兜风”，飞行路线画出了一个巨大的男性生殖器形状。这起事件是该飞机引发的一系列争议事件中的最新一起，但也凸显了另一个重要细节：纽约警方竟然拥有一架联邦政府资助的空中平台，专门用于搜寻放射性武器，也就是所谓的“脏弹”。

《纽约邮报》早在2018年7月初就率先报道了纽约警察局航空部门未经授权擅自使用这架飞机的行为。纽约警察局于2017年通过联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）的“备灾补助金”（也称“非灾害补助金”）获得了这架改装过的塞斯纳C208B Grand Caravan飞机，其民用注册号为N23FH。根据联邦航空管理局的记录，这架飞机的实际所有者是位于纽约长岛罗康科马的福克斯酒店控股公司。

“由于某些申请可能涉及公共安全（例如执法）方面的详细信息，因此不会公开，”联邦紧急事务管理署（FEMA）在给《战区》的一封电子邮件中表示。“这架固定翼飞机部署用于执行空中监视任务，并对关键基础设施和重要资源开展应急响应活动。”

这架飞机从长岛的麦克阿瑟机场起飞，其主要任务是搜寻放射性危害。联邦紧急事务管理署（FEMA）解释说，这架塞斯纳飞机配备了一套未公开的“移动式机载放射性探测系统”，可以收集城市周边地区的基线辐射读数数据，并发现潜在的异常放射性激增。

美国联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）指出，这些辐射峰值“可能表明正在制造或运输放射性武器”。其中一种武器，即脏弹，会利用爆炸物散布某种放射性物质。虽然这不会引发核爆炸，但理论上讲，任何不幸身处爆炸区域的人都可能遭受辐射中毒，或者造成大片区域的放射性污染。

为了寻找潜在的辐射威胁源，塞斯纳飞机的传感器系统可能包含某种定向辐射传感器，用于锁定潜在的关注区域，以及其他用于进行更广泛读数的设备，以帮助绘制纽约市及其周边地区的基线辐射“地图”。纽约警察局随后可以利用这些信息，密切关注环境辐射水平的任何显著变化。

这架塞斯纳飞机可能还配备空气采样系统，以便飞机着陆后人员对“热点”区域进行进一步分析。飞机的任务系统显然也能以可视化的方式显示这些信息，并且飞机还配备数据链，允许操作人员与地面人员共享这些信息。

这种配置听起来与另一架C208B非常相似，后者被称为机载光谱光度环境采集技术（ASPECT），由美国环境保护署（EPA）在承包商的支持下运营。这架飞机（您可以在这里阅读更多详细信息）也配备了广角测绘相机和红外线扫描仪。如果N23FH也配备了类似的传感器，这或许可以解释为什么官员们说这架飞机能够执行各种辅助监视任务。

美国环保署承包商运营的C208B ASPECT飞机，空中视角

美国能源部还运营着一架比奇空中国王飞机和一架贝尔412直升机，同样配备了传感器，用于在核事故发生后收集基线辐射数据，以帮助绘制放射性物质可能扩散的地图，这是其所谓的“空中测量系统”的一部分。这些固定翼和旋翼飞机都可以将这些信息实时传输到地面站。

根据美国能源部网站的信息，通常情况下，一架King Air飞机将对受影响区域进行初步勘测。随后，直升机将跟进进行更详细的测量，飞行高度低至离地150英尺。

这是美国能源部利用2013年测试期间空中测量系统的数据绘制的华盛顿特区地图。

纽约警察局拒绝了其他媒体要求提供更多关于这架飞机活动信息的请求，《纽约邮报》在发表最新报道后不久便模糊处理了飞机的注册号。值得注意的是，纽约市警察局此前曾使用过一架注册号为N23FH的无标识贝尔412EP直升机，该直升机也搭载了专用监控设备。目前尚不清楚他们是否仍然拥有这架直升机，但至少在当时，注册号中的“23”指的是在9·11事件中殉职的23名警察。

自那场臭名昭著的恐怖袭击以来，纽约市一直处于高度戒备状态，这并不令人意外。纽约州国民警卫队甚至持续运作着一支名为“帝国之盾联合特遣部队”的常备特遣队，以便在纽约市及其周边地区发生任何恐怖袭击或其他重大危机时提供各种紧急支援。

纽约警察局决定购置一架主要用于监测“脏弹”的飞机，这仍然令人感到好奇。专家们仍在争论这类武器究竟会构成多大的威胁，以及制造出能够造成大范围危险的脏弹究竟有多容易。

对这座城市而言，这显然仍然是一个不容忽视的潜在威胁。2017年，市政府启动了一项计划，帮助医疗机构更换含有放射性部件的设备，以防止危险材料被盗用于制造简易武器。据报道，部分警员携带或曾经携带辐射剂量计，以便他们也能起到移动监测员的作用。

纽约警察局警员在一次特别活动中站岗放哨。（图片来源：Niall Carson/PA Wire via AP）

然而，C208飞机在探测疑似脏弹方面的有效性尚不明确。驾驶飞机以阳具形状航线盘旋在城市上空的警员们——这种航线似乎是执法人员和军方飞行员表达对上级不满的一种常见方式——尤其不满的是，为了采集到有用的样本，他们不得不飞得非常低。

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，他们认为，在试图扫描纽约市周边水道中航行的船只时，这样做会让他们面临不必要的风险。他们担心，如果塞斯纳飞机的单引擎在如此低的高度发生故障，他们几乎没有机会滑翔或以其他方式安全脱险。

根据我们从美国能源部空中测量系统获得的信息，N23H可能需要超低空飞行才能收集到可能指向脏弹存在的详细信息。这项任务似乎更适合由直升机搭载的传感器组件来完成。

除了辐射探测任务之外，这架飞机也已经成为其他争议的焦点。2018年7月5日，《纽约邮报》报道了此事。

报道称，纽约市市长比尔·德布拉西奥乘坐这架飞机从加拿大（他当时正与家人在那里度假）飞回纽约市，参加一场纪念在执行公务中殉职的警员的追悼会。

然后，在2018年7月16日，《华盛顿邮报》

调查发现，2017年，纽约警察局的警员曾使用一架塞斯纳飞机前往宾夕法尼亚州阿伦敦，参加时任侦探长罗伯特·博伊斯母亲的守灵仪式。市政府官员否认了他们滥用飞机的指控。

纽约市警察局长詹姆斯·奥尼尔在谈到德布拉西奥2018年7月10日的飞行时表示：“就使用飞机而言，我们没有遇到任何障碍。我认为华盛顿方面不会有任何阻挠。我们没有申请许可，也没有收到他们的任何消息。”

纽约市警察局长詹姆斯·奥尼尔 (James O'Neill) 和迈克尔·布罗克斯坦 (Michael Brochstein)/Sipa USA 来自美联社

奥尼尔的想法错了，联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）告诉《纽约邮报》，他们正在调查纽约警察局是否违反了拨款条款。无论如何，很难想象这次兜风活动会在协议中获得批准。

联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）在发给“战区”（The War Zone）的邮件中表示，如果发现纽约市政府部门浪费政府资金，可能会对其施加各种处罚。这些处罚可能包括：在情况明朗之前扣留现金付款；责令纽约市政府向FEMA偿还其在各种航班上浪费的费用；暂停或终止整个协议；甚至禁止纽约市政府未来获得任何新的拨款。

市政府已经对参与“阴茎形状飞行路线”事件的人员进行了处分，因此对于联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）来说，这或许就足以处理该事件了。至于博伊斯或德布拉西奥乘坐塞斯纳飞机的行程，FEMA将如何看待，还有待观察。

我们一定会密切关注 N23FH 是否有任何其他异常活动。

联系作者：jtrevithickpr@gmail.com

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