My wife and I were having dinner in the 5th Arrondisment when we heard about the shooting on the Champs. We started getting texts from our family asking if we were OK. That's funny because they never ask us how we are when there is a shooting in New Orleans, which is a daily occurrence. Here are some observations.
The police here patrol in groups of three. They always used to do that but now they all wear vests and one of them carries an assault rifle. Trying to take them on in a gun fight would be suicidal. The gunman would have caused more terror had he just started shooting randomly at the cars on the Champs.
Key sites such as transportation hubs and tourist areas are patrolled by the army. They are usually in a single fire team of 4 guys, all with assault rifles.
We were in Paris shortly after the mass shooting at Bataclan. The security then was high but we have noticed some changes as a result of this shooting. The police being up-armed is one. (I suspect that they had to make an emergency purchase of all those assault rifles) Another is that there were checks at several pedestrian choke points today. We were stopped at the exit of the Metro in what looked like a routine ticket check. My wife noticed a couple of policemen off to the side who were obviously looking for somebody. (This was at Cite which exits out at the Palace of Justice and the police headquarters) Also, when we walked through the doors into the large underground forum at Les Halles, there were security guys checking backpacks and wanding people down.
The base of the Eiffel Tower is now fenced off. If you want to enter the area under the tower you have to go through security. It is really an ugly scar that takes the fun out of a visit there.
The French presidential election on Sunday should be interesting.
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Friday, April 21, 2017
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Tossed, but not Sunk
Translation: Tossed, but not sunk. It is the motto of Paris. You can see it on the City's coat of arms. This graffiti is courtesy of a group of street artists called "Grim Team". Their Facebook page is here.
The Latin motto refers to the Isle de la Cite where Paris, then called Lutetia by the Romans, was first founded. It was an unsinkable ship.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Patrol in the Train Station
Today the patrol I saw in Paris' busiest train station were paratroopers wearing the distinctive red beret. If I remember their shoulder patches, they were from the 17th Regiment of the 11th Paratrooper Brigade. All three carrying their FAMAS assault rifles at low port arms. Each of them can send thirty 5.56 mm rounds downrange in a matter of seconds. They patrolled in a triangular formation with good separation and clearly were not a group to be messed with. They were not there to answer stupid tourist questions or to engage in idle chit chat. But if someone starts yelling "Allah Akbar" I imagine they would respond most effectively.
It's sorta like having your neighborhood patrolled by the 101st. There must be some sort of alert that nobody has told the public about.
It's sorta like having your neighborhood patrolled by the 101st. There must be some sort of alert that nobody has told the public about.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Security in the Train Stations
I have notice that in the last week or so that security in the RER stations has been stepped up. I commute through the largest station in Paris (Les Halles, which also includes an underground shopping mall) and I have been seeing fire teams of 3 soldiers armed with FAMAS assault rifles casually patrolling in both common areas and track side. These guys are lean and fit. They walk with their rifles slung diagonally across their chest with the barrel pointed down, their right hand is on the grip with trigger finger ready for action. Sometimes I see them deployed in a triangle formation to cover more area but still support each other. When they stop someone for questioning, usually two of them will question the person of interest while the third stands back and provides over watch. They seem to be mostly in transportation zones as I don't see them in the tourist areas, including the Metro stations.
Strangely, I do not feel threatened by this show of professionalism and firepower.
Strangely, I do not feel threatened by this show of professionalism and firepower.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Boston Bomber Shootout
Information is finally starting to come out about the night the Boston Police Department had the shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers. If you followed some bloggers that witnessed the incident, you know that several rounds entered houses and could have injured civilians. NBC has a story about the shootout and it is worth reading.
Boston Police Rule 303A gives the actions to be followed after the use of lethal force. Section 11 covers the requirements for a Firearm Discharge Investigation Team. As far as I can tell, if a report was made, no information about it has been made public.
If you google the streets where the shootout happened, you can see that the brothers route of escape was limited and it should have been a simple matter to contain them. Instead, there was a mad minute with hundreds of rounds being fired. Most of the injuries to police were from friendly fire. I think the lesson here is that if you should find yourself in the vicinity of similar action, get cover and stay down and when you do break cover, do it carefully.
As a final comment, as someone who went to college in Boston during the Vietnam Era and saw several student riots, I can tell you that you did not mess with the Boston Tactical Police Force.
Boston Police Rule 303A gives the actions to be followed after the use of lethal force. Section 11 covers the requirements for a Firearm Discharge Investigation Team. As far as I can tell, if a report was made, no information about it has been made public.
If you google the streets where the shootout happened, you can see that the brothers route of escape was limited and it should have been a simple matter to contain them. Instead, there was a mad minute with hundreds of rounds being fired. Most of the injuries to police were from friendly fire. I think the lesson here is that if you should find yourself in the vicinity of similar action, get cover and stay down and when you do break cover, do it carefully.
As a final comment, as someone who went to college in Boston during the Vietnam Era and saw several student riots, I can tell you that you did not mess with the Boston Tactical Police Force.
Friday, June 7, 2013
PSA
Ramadan will start on July 8 this year. This date, along with 9/11, should trigger an automatic increase in the level of security alert for all westerners. Be alert......the world needs more Lerts!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Thursday, May 5, 2011
USMA Hears the News
A friend of mine's son is in his second year at West Point. He sent his dad an email describing what happened when the cadet corps heard the news about bin Laden.
I can barely articulate how crazy last night was. Emails were sent out at about 10:30 at night telling us to check out CNN. The second the anchor said that Osama had been killed, I swear the entire corps ran out into central area. There were at least fifty glow sticks being thrown around; two or three smoke grenades; and 2000+ bodies climbing on statues, each other, and MP cars. The entire mob ran to the superintendent’s house, but he had run to the cadet area to meet us. So we ran back to the area. Then we mobbed back to his house just in time to listen to his impromptu speech. Officers living two miles away were woken up by us celebrating. People were sporadically crying and singing the national anthem.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Eid and 9/11
In an ironic planetary confluence between the Islamic and Gregorian Calendars, the feast celebrating the end of Ramadan, Eid al Fitr, occurs on September 10.
Eid Mubarak y'all, but boisterous celebrations will be seen as desecrating the memory of those lost on 9/11/01.
I suggest everyone go read Col. Jeff Cooper's guide to self defense and plan to be at Yellow alert status, and ready to go to Orange, through the weekend. You also might want to avoid flying, being in tall buildings, visiting national monuments and riding subway trains this weekend. And oh yeah - carry 'em if you got 'em.
Eid Mubarak y'all, but boisterous celebrations will be seen as desecrating the memory of those lost on 9/11/01.
I suggest everyone go read Col. Jeff Cooper's guide to self defense and plan to be at Yellow alert status, and ready to go to Orange, through the weekend. You also might want to avoid flying, being in tall buildings, visiting national monuments and riding subway trains this weekend. And oh yeah - carry 'em if you got 'em.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Korea Bound - Again
I will soon be on my way back to the Land of the Morning Calm again. Hmmmm, lets see, 56 hours of travel (round trip) for less than 16 hours of face to face time. Yep, makes sense to me. And I will remind them when they complain about the charges that "You called us, we didn't call you!"
And as one who will be getting on an airplane soon, let me say that I would prefer that the BVD Bomber spend a little time riding the Water Board and maybe give up some of his friends rather than sitting in country club jail with his ACLU lawyers protecting the rights that he didn't earn and isn't entitled to.
It's no longer a hypothetical question. He has stated that there are hundreds of terrorists training to do what he did and officials from Yemen agree. So it isn't hypothetical anymore. There are people who want to kill you and he knows who some of them are and where they train. I'm on the side that says enhanced interrogation is called for in order to save American lives (maybe mine!)
And as one who will be getting on an airplane soon, let me say that I would prefer that the BVD Bomber spend a little time riding the Water Board and maybe give up some of his friends rather than sitting in country club jail with his ACLU lawyers protecting the rights that he didn't earn and isn't entitled to.
It's no longer a hypothetical question. He has stated that there are hundreds of terrorists training to do what he did and officials from Yemen agree. So it isn't hypothetical anymore. There are people who want to kill you and he knows who some of them are and where they train. I'm on the side that says enhanced interrogation is called for in order to save American lives (maybe mine!)
How about you?
Monday, December 28, 2009
Airline Security - My Take
I do a fair amount of travelling as part of my job. I've been in and out of foreign airports (including Lagos) and my name (not ME) was once on the no fly list. (It was fun to watch the expressions of the gate agent when checking me in. Some would go white in the face until they verified that I wasn't the guy on the list) I think I can speak with some experience about the recent airline security issue.
Think back to 9/11. The hijackers gained access to a major airport by first passing through security at a small regional airport. When they got to Boston, they were considered to be secure and no further screenings were done.
This guy passed through security in Lagos - an airport whose security is notoriously poor (there used to be warnings about security there at all of the other airports in the world). Once he got to Amsterdam, he was passed on through to his connecting flight.
Do you see the similarities here? The problem exists when passengers transiting between flights in a secure area of the airport ARE ASSUMED TO HAVE BEEN PROPERLY SCREENED!
I have made connections all over the world, and while there is usually a x-ray machine, the screening is not nearly as thorough as the initial screening I received at my departure point. Therefore, if the screening at the departure point is poorly done, the chances are good that someone could pass any further screening.
FWIW, my recommendations are that all passengers transiting from airports with known poor security should receive extra screening before boarding their connecting flight. Airlines should allow more time for connecting flights to allow for the extra time in security screening.
That makes more sense than restricting my access to urinary facilities prior to landing.
Think back to 9/11. The hijackers gained access to a major airport by first passing through security at a small regional airport. When they got to Boston, they were considered to be secure and no further screenings were done.
This guy passed through security in Lagos - an airport whose security is notoriously poor (there used to be warnings about security there at all of the other airports in the world). Once he got to Amsterdam, he was passed on through to his connecting flight.
Do you see the similarities here? The problem exists when passengers transiting between flights in a secure area of the airport ARE ASSUMED TO HAVE BEEN PROPERLY SCREENED!
I have made connections all over the world, and while there is usually a x-ray machine, the screening is not nearly as thorough as the initial screening I received at my departure point. Therefore, if the screening at the departure point is poorly done, the chances are good that someone could pass any further screening.
FWIW, my recommendations are that all passengers transiting from airports with known poor security should receive extra screening before boarding their connecting flight. Airlines should allow more time for connecting flights to allow for the extra time in security screening.
That makes more sense than restricting my access to urinary facilities prior to landing.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Saudi Spin
Sometimes the news takes on a different spin when reported by other countries. For example, the Saudi press put a special spin on the meeting between Big "O" and King Abdullah. In their reporting, the King issued an "ultimatum" to Obama concerning the Palestinians. He said that that issue was also the "magic key" to all other problems in the region. The Saudi press reported that "King Abdullah told President Obama that the United States was not taking part seriously enough in solutions proposed to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict"
That's a little different from what the MSM reported back to the USA. Of course, they were under a few restrictions on their reporting that Obama and Hillary agreed to ahead of time.
To read the story, go here.
That's a little different from what the MSM reported back to the USA. Of course, they were under a few restrictions on their reporting that Obama and Hillary agreed to ahead of time.
To read the story, go here.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Bayou Militia
Remember the idiot who stole a Cessna and flew south with the intent on committing "suicide by sidewinder"? Remember the F-15s who shadowed him? Well, they came from Belle Chasse NAS. They were part of the Louisiana Air National Guard.
A few of you may remember that after 9-11, we kept fighter jets on strip alert all over the US. I attended a briefing for oil field folks back then given by a whole bunch of alphabet soup government agencies. One thing we learned was that air support was only a phone call away. (Call the Coast Guard oil spill response center if you need the fast movers) Occasionally I would hear a flight of two taking off on full afterburner in the middle of the night and knew that something was going on. (night flights were restricted because of noise) Fortunately, the ANG is still protecting us.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Euphoria Overseas
The evening news recently had a short piece about Americans living and traveling overseas. It seems that since the election, they are no longer ashamed to be seen as Americans and are once again proudly claiming their nationality. They have taken to wearing clothes with American symbols and are hanging out at American establishments.
As someone who has traveled to areas of the globe that are less than friendly to Americans, PE urges expats to exercise caution.
The people who would do harm to Americans have not changed their attitudes because of the results of the recent election. They still hold tightly to their anti-American agenda and nothing short of death will cause them to change their minds. It is not the shop owner who complains to you about America’s foreign policy that you have to worry about, but the radical militant that you never see coming. To think otherwise is naive. And it would be no surprise to me if some radicals decided to test the Obama presidency by pulling off an attack on Americans overseas.
If you tire of complaints from foreigners about America, I suggest you visit Normandy, France or Seoul, South Korea. There you will find many people who will openly thank you for the assistance America gave to them.
As someone who has traveled to areas of the globe that are less than friendly to Americans, PE urges expats to exercise caution.
The people who would do harm to Americans have not changed their attitudes because of the results of the recent election. They still hold tightly to their anti-American agenda and nothing short of death will cause them to change their minds. It is not the shop owner who complains to you about America’s foreign policy that you have to worry about, but the radical militant that you never see coming. To think otherwise is naive. And it would be no surprise to me if some radicals decided to test the Obama presidency by pulling off an attack on Americans overseas.
If you tire of complaints from foreigners about America, I suggest you visit Normandy, France or Seoul, South Korea. There you will find many people who will openly thank you for the assistance America gave to them.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Your Friends, the TSA
I just got back from two weeks in NH and Boston with my wife and oldest grandson, J. More on that great vacation in later posts but I wanted to relate our experience with the TSA on the return trip.
Our Continental flight out of Boston had mechanical problems (a bad generator control module which takes 5 minutes to replace - if you have a spare!) so after the usual messing around we were re booked on a USAir flight to NOLa. We had to change terminals and go through security again. When we got there we were singled out for the whole search enchilada. The contents of our bags was gone through - in detail. They used the bomb sniffer machine on everything (thank God I hadn't used any of the bags for carrying ammo to the range) and gave us all a pat down - including my 11 year old grandson. (It took all of my self control when they said they wanted to pat down an 11 year old boy.) The biggest item of concern they found was not the butane lighters or book of matches in my wife's purse, but the 3" long cast metal choo choo train pencil sharpener my grandson bought at the Cog Railway on Mt Washington. What was he going to do? Stick the pilot's finger in the thing and twist it?
I thought the whole thing was related to my misfortune of having the same name as someone on the no fly list but the TSA agent told my wife that anytime someones flight is cancelled, for any reason, they are put through the full search. So, sleep well tonight, the TSA is protecting the USA from travelling grandparents and 11 year old boys!
Our Continental flight out of Boston had mechanical problems (a bad generator control module which takes 5 minutes to replace - if you have a spare!) so after the usual messing around we were re booked on a USAir flight to NOLa. We had to change terminals and go through security again. When we got there we were singled out for the whole search enchilada. The contents of our bags was gone through - in detail. They used the bomb sniffer machine on everything (thank God I hadn't used any of the bags for carrying ammo to the range) and gave us all a pat down - including my 11 year old grandson. (It took all of my self control when they said they wanted to pat down an 11 year old boy.) The biggest item of concern they found was not the butane lighters or book of matches in my wife's purse, but the 3" long cast metal choo choo train pencil sharpener my grandson bought at the Cog Railway on Mt Washington. What was he going to do? Stick the pilot's finger in the thing and twist it?
I thought the whole thing was related to my misfortune of having the same name as someone on the no fly list but the TSA agent told my wife that anytime someones flight is cancelled, for any reason, they are put through the full search. So, sleep well tonight, the TSA is protecting the USA from travelling grandparents and 11 year old boys!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Drill, Drill, Drill....And Then Drill Some More
PE has learned that the recent terrorism alert in Dubai resulted from nothing more than a conversation between two drunk Arabs. It made for an exiting couple of days in the Sandbox but it may have caused a few people to be a little more prepared should the real thing happen. As one of the evacuees from Katina, I can attest that it is good to have a plan before the emergency instead of making it up as you go along. The hard corps guys will even tell you how to pack a BOB, or Bug Out Bag. (Its the bag you grab when it's time to get out of Dodge and there is no time to pack.)
PE has been in some parts of the world where the company has had to devise Bug Out plans for their employees. If you go to Korea, the US military has elaborate plans for the evacuation of dependents - and they drill it once a year. I found it while browsing the military web sites for Korea. Good stuff to know in a country that 's still at war with the NKs (and withing 30 miles of the border).
In Nigeria, the company had a plan which involved getting to a boat and then evacuating to the sea where (hopefully) you will be picked up. IMHO, anytime you are in a country where travel involves armed guards, its a good idea to have an escape plan.
Hell, we even start engineering meetings with a summary of the location of fire escapes and muster areas. With the start of hurricane season, the local news has been filled with recommendations to prepare a personal hurricane plan. Its just good sense to take a few minutes and really note the location of those exits the next time you are on an airplane. Look for the fire exits the next time you are at the game and tell the family where you'll meet up if you get separated.
One of the things we do as engineers is study failures. One thing we learn is that the really bad things are caused by a chain of failures - not just one thing. That chain is easily broken and disaster often can averted by the someone doing the smallest things. Hopefully, the recent alert in Dubai will make people more aware, at least for a few months, and maybe that awareness can help stop a more serious situation in the future.
PE has been in some parts of the world where the company has had to devise Bug Out plans for their employees. If you go to Korea, the US military has elaborate plans for the evacuation of dependents - and they drill it once a year. I found it while browsing the military web sites for Korea. Good stuff to know in a country that 's still at war with the NKs (and withing 30 miles of the border).
In Nigeria, the company had a plan which involved getting to a boat and then evacuating to the sea where (hopefully) you will be picked up. IMHO, anytime you are in a country where travel involves armed guards, its a good idea to have an escape plan.
Hell, we even start engineering meetings with a summary of the location of fire escapes and muster areas. With the start of hurricane season, the local news has been filled with recommendations to prepare a personal hurricane plan. Its just good sense to take a few minutes and really note the location of those exits the next time you are on an airplane. Look for the fire exits the next time you are at the game and tell the family where you'll meet up if you get separated.
One of the things we do as engineers is study failures. One thing we learn is that the really bad things are caused by a chain of failures - not just one thing. That chain is easily broken and disaster often can averted by the someone doing the smallest things. Hopefully, the recent alert in Dubai will make people more aware, at least for a few months, and maybe that awareness can help stop a more serious situation in the future.
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