This book proves that police work, good police work, is not like televison.

In the TV series "Kojack," our bald headed hero would have captured every terrorist in New York in the alloted one hour time limit. So would Jack Lord on Hawaii Five-O. You remember, "Book'um Dano..."

But not so in real life. Good, effective police work, such as New York City has, is deadly, detailed and often dangerous. This book is about those details. And, frankly, the details sometime get in the way of the story seeking to be told.

Lots of good information, here, but it's not effectively told. One chapter is exceptional, however...the last chapter on the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Who among us hasn't wondered how that comes off, so far at least, without trouble every year. It's in this book and makes for interesting reading.

One thing is for sure. The City of New York and, by extension, the United States of America, are fortunate to have good men and women of all races and national origins, working on this complex and vexing problem. Here's to the NYPD. It deserved a better telling.

Author Christopher Dickey examines the unique role that local law enforcement plays in securing the homeland from terrorism threats. Looking at the issues from the perspective of the New York Police Department, there are tools and authorities at the local law enforcement level that the feds don't have.

Clearly, local law enforcement knows its communities and has relationships with its residents that the feds don't have. Beyond this advantage, local police can question or arrest for local and state statues that federal agents typically do not enforce. On more than one occasion, Dickey cites the example of arresting someone for sitting on two seats in the subway. Once under arrest, the person can be questioned on a variety of topics. Federal officers don't have the same access to question suspects for such "minor" offenses.

NYPD officials quoted in the book acknowledge that federal agencies with access to classified information can perform analysis and direct operations in ways that local law enforcement can't. In terms of sheer numbers and access to the community, it's the local police who really are the front line in the domestic war on terrorism.

This book is useful for local or federal law enforcement (officers and analysts). It is great for readers interested in true crime or terrorism.

Aside from the blatant Anti-Bush-bias held by the author, I expected more substance on the NYPD CTD. Instead it was more of a rehash of some other books I've read on the War on Terror and Islamic Terror. I understand the need for OPSEC, but if you don't have enough substance to get into details of the actual TITLE of the book, don't write it or rename it.

This is a wonderful read... a fascinating analysis of the NYPD's astounding effort to apply real intelligence to the threat of terrorism. It features terrific interviews and insights into New York's most daring and impressive effort to redefine how threats are assessed, managed, and countered in a time where national leadership has failed to protect us. Chris Dickey is an amazing investigative journalist and "Securing the City" is mandatory reading if you want to understand how counter-terrorism can be handled effectively.

You'll gain a whole new perspective on the job they do. The book reveals how defeating terrorism has little to do with the so-called "Global War on Terror" and almost everything to do with good local policing. We need people who understand cultures, speak different languages embedded in local areas, eyes and ears on the ground, instead of secret wiretaps and secret renditions by disjointed, Orwellian federal bureaucracies. This reveals how most terrorism can be stopped in ways using basic crime prevention; the stuff the NYPD has been doing so well for years.

I enjoyed reading this book and I have to commend Christopher Dickey for writing a well-rounded and thorough examination of what it is like to have to secure the biggest terror target in the world. Where Dickey is at his strongest is when he examines the tough questions regarding individual liberties and securing the greater population. He does a very good job of showing what happens when the police make mistakes and cross the line into violating civil rights. Dickey does a fine job of showing off the technical expertise and pragmatic approach of the NYPD and how they approach their new found responsibilities with a combination of technology, luck and good old fashioned police work.

I also respect Dickey for giving other parties who may not agree with the way the NYPD is handling this new challenge a chance to express their views without making them seem like whiners, nihilists or kooks. As I said above, he also is willing to show the negative impacts bad policing can have and uses the 2004 GOP convention as a case in point.

My only criticism is that we really don't have a context to see how strong a program this is since there is no real apples to apples comparison with say the Feds or other agencies. He does mention Scotland Yard briefly but without enough information to compare them to New York except to cast them in a negative possible light. Other than that this is a book well worth your time!