President Obama got the grand tour of Police Headquarters yesterday, thanking city cops for helping to fight terrorism and meeting the heroes who helped catch the Times Square bomber.
“I just wanted to stop by and say thank you,” Obama began during a 10-minute visit to the NYPD’s Real Time Crime Center with Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “The country is proud of you . . . the president is proud of you.
“The work that the NYPD does in coordination with state, local, and federal officials when it comes to counterterrorism is a model for the country. It has been for some time.”
NYPD Inspector Kenneth Mekeel, standing in a room full of screens that provide images of the city and crime data, ran the president through the photos of evidence that led to the swift arrest of Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad.
Obama shook hands with every officer in the room before being presented with a personalized NYPD jacket bearing the tag POTUS, which stands for president of the United States.
He then praised the NYPD for helping track down Shahzad following his failed bid to detonate explosives in crowded Times Square.
Obama met privately with about two dozen of the first responding cops to the near-catastrophe, including mounted Officer Wayne Rattigan, several bomb-squad cops and officers who helped clear the streets.
“You have saved an awful lot of lives,” Obama told them.
He said city cops have set the standard for police work in the country.
“Number one, you guys do a great job coordinating with other law enforcement,” he said. “Number two, you are just professional and exhibit excellence at all times when carrying out your job. Number three, and what we saw in Times Square, is you know how to get the community involved, and raising community awareness is absolutely critical.”
Obama is the second president to visit One Police Plaza. In 2002, President George W. Bush similarly thanked the NYPD in the wake of the destruction of 9/11.