New York mayor's security big on details

BY ROCCO PARASCANDOLA | rocco.parascandola@newsday.com

November 30, 2007

They wear dark suits, walk around with earpieces and seldom smile.

But for those police officers assigned to the mayor's security detail, there are few better assignments. They travel in rarefied circles and work a schedule - two 16-hour days followed by four days off - that can accommodate child-care and family obligations.

NUMBER OF OFFICERS There are more than 15 officers of various ranks assigned to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's detail, according to police sources. The New York Police Department, as a matter of policy, does not specify a number.

COST The total cost, with overtime, sources said, is probably more than $1 million a year, though Bloomberg personally reimburses the city for the cost of travel and incidentals for the detail when they go with him to Bermuda or any other of his vacation homes. Members of the detail are assigned to the NYPD's Intelligence Division, and their salaries, including overtime, are part of the NYPD budget.

POSTS The detail includes fixed posts at Gracie Mansion and at City Hall, plus officers who go wherever the mayor goes, sources say. At a minimum, three members of the detail travel with Bloomberg at all times, two who are by his side, plus an advance officer who arrives at a site beforehand to iron out logistical issues and check for security concerns. Bloomberg frequently takes the subway, but when he is driven, he is part of a two-car caravan, sources say.

UNIQUE SITUATIONS Members of his detail have spoken fondly of Bloomberg, describing him as cordial and an easy boss to work for, though he has been known to occasionally bristle at their advice. In 2004, for instance, after authorities revealed the existence of an al-Qaida plot to blow up the Citicorp building, Bloomberg held a news conference at that very building, against his security detail's advice. From time to time, sources said, concerns for the mayor's safety prompt an assessment from the NYPD's Threat Assessment Unit, which sometimes recommends increased security at a mayoral appearance. Some situations, however, arise impromptu, such as the case last month in which an emotionally disturbed man attacked a transit officer guarding Bloomberg as he waited for a train at the Fulton Street station. Two members of the detail subdued the man.