The MTA is teaching transit workers to think like terrorists.
As part of a new $25 million emergency response training program that started yesterday, conductors, train operators and station agents learned how to improve their “if you see something, say something” skills.
The training will eventually be given to 28,000 employees over the next two years.
It takes a practiced eye to pick a terror suspect out of the millions who ride the subway each day, said John Turner, a retired NYPD detective who taught the class.
“You have to focus on the behavior, not the individuals,” he said.
The two-hour class, the first of its kind to be given to transit workers since 9/11, began with an understanding of the steps to executing a terrorist attack, from planning to bombing.
“We have a responsibility to train our men and women for potential emergencies, and I believe this new course will help protect our entire system,” MTA Executive Director Elliot Sander said. The class did not cover the protocols for communicating the suspicious activity once it is spotted, which is taught separately since the chain of command varies from department to department, officials said.