New York City Police Commissioner Deploy Counter Terrorism Team; NYC A Terrorist Target?

New York City Police is showing its muscle by deploying a special counter -terrorism team of over 500 officers said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Monday, according to Bloomberg.

This action is in the wake of the deadly attacks on Paris, Friday night.

Out of 35,000 officers, 1,500 are assigned to fight terrorism and this new unit, not to mention heavily - armed, is intended to be a rapid-reaction force should a terrorist attack take place.

"The world is changing, even as we stand here," Bratton told members of the new detail Monday at a training facility on Randall's Island.

"The world changed dramatically over the weekend and the assignment for which you have volunteered, there is now no more essential assignment in the world of policing in the NYPD," Bill added.

Bill Bratton introduced 100 new members of the Police Department's Critical Response Command. These members received special training and when fully staffed, the department will have 500 officers, revealed AOL.

Bratton believes New York City is still the number one terrorist target in the world.

National Guard troops and heavily armed police have been posted at tunnel crossings, inside transit facilities and bridges.         

Mobile units patrol throughout New York City and others guard iconic attractions such as the religious institutions, Time Square and the French Consulate in Manhattan.

NYPD had counter-terrorism specialists assigned to other cities around the world and Paris for more than a decade now.

They have and continue to work with local law enforcement to learn all they can about the strategy, tactics and resources used in Friday's attack, said Bill.

Commissioner Bill Bratton said that terrorists now use encryption devices to plan their attacks secretly and the NYPD is studying how to crack these codes, cited New York Daily.

In 2008, in Mumbai, Pakistani jihadidsts killed 164 people in a shooting rampage that hit a Jewish community center, hotels, restaurants and a movie theater.

New York Police continue to worry about the vulnerability of the so-called "soft targets," similar to venues hit in Paris, Friday.