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NYPD Making It Harder For People To Climb City Bridges When Bored
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 29, 2014
Modified Aug 29, 2014
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 29, 2014
Modified Aug 29, 2014
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This summer, the poor NYPD has been forced to suffer through not just one, but TWO embarrassing security breaches at the Brooklyn Bridge. So now they're tightening security on the bridge, presumably making it more difficult for people to scale the cables in the name of "art" and "fun". After all, THIS TIME IT WAS A TOURIST, NEXT TIME IT COULD BE GODZILLA.
Last week, a 24-year-old Russian tourist was arrested after he climbed the bridge in broad daylight. Two German artists have claimed responsibility for swapping out American flags for white flags on July 22nd, a feat that left cops perplexed for weeks. Now, police are working with the Department of Transportation to install better barriers on the bridge to keep people from climbing up the cables; they've also posted more cops near where the cables are accessible. "Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll see those barriers become more difficult to compromise," NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller told reporters yesterday.
And to ensure no one relocates their art project to the Williamsburg Bridge, cops will be stepping up security efforts there and on the Manhattan Bridges, too. "We’re looking at those so that we don’t secure the Brooklyn Bridge and then push traffic to other bridges for the same kind of stunts," Miller said. (Last week protesters hung a massive Palestinian flag from the Manhattan bridge.)
Yaroslav Kolchin, the 24-year-old tourist responsible for the most recent breach, is due back in court today. Earlier this week, a prosecutor alleged Kolchin climbed the bridge because he was bored and "did it for fun," because there's absolutely nothing to do in New York in the summer.
Tagged
brooklyn bridge
manhattan bridge
nypd
williamsburg bridge
Rebecca Fishbein
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