Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ray Kelly May Have Exaggerated NYPD's Anti-Aircraft Capabilities
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 27, 2011
Modified Sep 27, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 27, 2011
Modified Sep 27, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yes, the NYPD has the capability to bring down an aircraft...but apparently not quite the kind of aircraft we all immediately thought of. Though yesterday Mayor Bloomberg told reporters that the NYPD "has lots of capabilities you don't know about and you won't know about them," today the Daily News has it from a "key police source" that the most our police force could realistically take down is a large crop duster.
"What was envisioned was a small aircraft ... coming down the Hudson," the source told the tabloid. "Al Qaeda was talking about targeting the West using crop dusters. There was a specific concern about using this type of aerial spraying of anthrax and some other biological chemicals. That also led to plans to equip our aircraft." Further, another source grumbles to the Post, “The bosses on this job are afraid to give you a lunch hour. Do you think they are going to give you the OK to shoot down a plane over Manhattan?”
Still, the NYPD is being very tight-lipped (shocking!) about what exactly its capabilities are, though the paper's source did confirm that it still owns Agusta 119 helicopters armed with .50-caliber semiautomatic rifles.
Meanwhile, the military and the FAA continue to refrain from commenting on the legality of local law enforcement shooting down an airplane.
Tagged
anti-aircraft weapons
counter-terrorism
nypd
Ray Kelly
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .