NEW YORK -- In a less-traveled part of the 46-acre Billie Jean
King National Tennis Center, an imposing black metal fence offers a
reminder of the multiple security worries that come with hosting the U.
[b]Avalanche Jerseys 2021[/b]
.S. Open.New York Police Department counterterrorism officials insisted
that the fence, near a new 8,000-seat grandstand stadium, be reinforced
earlier this year with thick strands of cable capable of withstanding a
crash from a truck loaded with explosives.A lot of this stuff is off
the radar, but it goes back to whats happening in the world, the events
security director, Michael Rodriguez, said during a flurry of
last-minute preparations for Mondays opening matches.Attacks in Europe
and mass shootings in the U.S. have created a climate thats added to
vigilance over this years U.S. Open, which already posed daunting
security challenges because of its sheer size: 700,000 spectators over
two weeks packed into two stadiums, two grandstands and other seating at
more than a dozen other tennis courts, all connected by sprawling
pedestrian walkways.Officials say they know of no credible threats
against a Grand Slam event that happens to end with the mens final on
the 15th anniversary of 9/11. But the NYPD, which ordinarily has
hundreds of officers in and around the tennis center, plans to increase
its presence this year. Thats on top of the tournaments roughly 300
private security guards.Layers of protection include installation of
temporary closed-circuit surveillance cameras, including some perched
atop the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, along with devices to detect
chemical, biological or radiation risks.Ive already warned people theyre
going to see it, Rodriguez said of the extra security. And they should
feel good about seeing it.Rodriguez, a former NYPD detective sergeant
and supervisor for the Joint Terrorism Task Force, said he meets twice a
day with representatives from the various local and federal law
enforcement agencies monitoring the U.S. Open. Sample topic: the
difficulties of drone mitigation.Such widening risks were underscored
last year when a small drone crashed into the stands during a match --
it turned out a science teacher lost control of it while flying it in a
nearby park -- and in 2014, when an NYPD intelligence analyst told a
gathering of private security directors that an al-Qaida online
publication encouraged a car-bomb attack on the tournament.Just outside
the gates of the tennis center, the NYPD will keep heavily armed
officers trained to respond to terror attacks at the ready. As with
other with other events like New Years Eve in Times Square, plainclothes
officers will mix with the crowds.Other defenses include strict
screening checkpoints for the throng of spectators. In the past decade,
the U.S. Open became among the first sporting events to prohibit
backpacks and use airport-style, walk-through metal detectors instead of
less-reliable wands to check people for weapons.The event also has a
rigorous inspection system for the more than 1,600 trucks that make
deliveries during the event. Drivers are vetted, given a bar code and
directed to an inspection point deliberately located a quarter-mile from
the tennis center before they can enter the grounds.Last week, United
States Tennis Association officials held a meeting at the tennis center
with their counterparts from the French Open and other major tournaments
to discuss ways to keep spectators safe.Anything can happen, Rodriguez
said. The question is, `What are we doing to minimize the risks?With
success at hardening the entrances at big tournaments, security
directors have turned their attention to deterring threats to the
potential target created by fans congregating in the longer lines to get
in, said Richard Bower, owner of Bower Events, Inc., a private security
firm that consults on the BNP Paribus Open in Indian Wells,
California.That event now deploys SWAT and plainclothes officers, along
with police dogs, where the lines form.Part of it is about making people
approaching the event feel safe, Bower said.Sally Kane, 71, of New
Rochelle, one of the many fans to turn out last week for free admission
qualifying matches, scoffed at the potential risks.Terrorists dont want
to come here, she said. What really bothered her was having to pay to
store her metal water bottle -- on a list of banned items -- outside the
center.Im very annoyed, Kane said. I would have felt just as safe with
my water bottle.
[b]Colorado Avalanche Pro Shop[/b]
. -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host
Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League action.
[b]Fake Avalanche Jerseys[/b] .
Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday.
[b]https://www.cheapavalanche.com/[/b]
. -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good.
DALLAS -- Johnny Manziel has a dismissal agreement with
prosecutors that will require the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to
meet conditions for a year before being cleared of a domestic violence
charge against him.Dallas County District Attorneys Office spokeswoman
Brittany Dunn said Manziel wasnt present Friday when the agreement was
filed.The former Cleveland player will be required to complete an anger
management class, attend a domestic violence impact panel and
participate in the NFLs substance-abuse program or something
similar.Manziel, who turns 24 Tuesday, faced a misdemeanor charge that
carried a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine after the
former Cleveland player was accused of hitting and threatening former
girlfriend Colleen Crowley during a night out in January.As with
previous court orders, the former Texas A&M star will not be allowed
to have contact with Crowley under the agreement.If the undersigned
defendant fails to meet one of the requirements of this agreement or is
charged with a new offense, the defendant will be prosecuted for this
offense, the agreement states.Prosecutors said the agreement with
Manziel was far from the end of its process.A conditional dismissal is
only the beginning of the process of educating an individual on how to
make better choices when facing conflict, prosecutors said. It is an
important first step for a defendant. Success or failure will depend
upon ones commitment to the treatment programs included.Judge Roberto
Canas said at a hearing last month that the sides had reached a
tentative deal. Canas had required Manziel to attend a hearing to
finalize the agreement, but it was postponed Thursday so court personnel
could attend the funeral of a bailiff.Im thankful to both the court and
prosecutor for their hard work and diligence in trying to come to a
fair and just resolution for all parties involved, MManziel attorney Jim
Darnell said.
[b]Colorado Avalanche Shirts[/b].
My client is pleased to be able to put this part of the situation
behind him and is eager to satisfy the terms of the agreement.Manziel, a
free agent who hasnt signed with a team since the Browns released him
in March, served a four-game suspension this season for violating the
NFLs substance-abuse policy. He remains under review of the leagues
domestic policy, which could include a six-game suspension under
guidelines that were toughened after the NFL was criticized for its
handling of Ray Rices domestic case.Manziels agreement is similar to one
that star Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant successfully completed
following a domestic incident involving his mother in 2012.Cleveland
took the dazzling dual-threat quarterback 22nd overall in the 2014
draft, and the Browns cut him after two tumultuous seasons marked by
inconsistent play and off-the-field headlines about his partying and
drinking, including one stint in rehab. Since the 2015 season ended,
Manziel has been dumped by two agents after both demanded a second trip
to rehab.The allegations stem from a night out on Jan. 30. Crowley said
Manziel accosted her at a Dallas hotel, a confrontation that continued
downstairs to the valet station. She said he forced her into a car and a
valet disregarded her pleas for help.The two eventually drove to where
her car was parked in front of a Dallas bar, she said in an affidavit.
She said Manziel got into the drivers seat and began to drive. Crowley
said Manziel stopped when she tried to jump out of the car, but then he
dragged her back inside and hit her.---For more NFL coverage:
http://www.pro32.ap.org and
http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow
Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/apschuyler
'
'
'
