NYPD Response to the Oklahoma City Bombing

Phil Pulaski

Phil Pulaski has 36 years of law enforcement experience, and was Chief of Detectives of the NYPD for more than 5 years where he was responsible for 3,600 personnel. During his more than 33 year career with the NYPD, Phil Pulaski managed patrol, investigative, counterterrorism, community affairs, quality of life, traffic and other public safety operations. Phil Pulaski is currently serving as a sworn member of the command staff of the Miami Beach PD, and is managing the Criminal Investigations Section. In addition to conducting major crime investigations, his team is developing national standards for the use of RAPID DNA technology by crime scene technicians to expeditiously produce investigative leads.

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Phil Pulaski managed the NYPD’s counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction operations. He also supervised, together with his FBI counterpart, numerous terrorism related investigations including the 9-11 World Trade Center attack and October 2001 anthrax attacks. Phil Pulaski possess 20 years of bomb operations experience; and, managed numerous post and pre blast operations including the Times Square attempted terrorist bombing on May 1, 2010 and NYC subway terrorist planned bombing on July 31, 1997. Additionally, he was trained by the FBI to manage incidents involving nuclear improvised explosive devices and has noteworthy experience regarding NIED operations.

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bomb attack that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at 9:02 AM on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or damaged 570 other buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed 86 cars, and caused an estimated $652 million worth of damage. Until the international terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Oklahoma City bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil, and remains the deadliest incident of domestic terrorism in United States history.

Immediately after the Oklahoma City bombing occurred, Phil Pulaski led a team of NYPD investigators who responded to Oklahoma City at the request of the FBI. The investigative team arrived shortly before 12 AM on April 20, 1995, and during the next 2 weeks worked closely with the FBI, BATF, Oklahoma City PD, and law enforcement personnel from around the country. Phil Pulaski’s initial NYPD team was composed of Bomb Squad technicians and Crime Scene investigators. Subsequently, NYPD Emergency Service officers joined the team. Additionally, his team coordinated with members of the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force and several additional NYPD investigators who responded as members of other federal/NYPD Task Forces. Phil Pulaski worked with the FBI On-Scene Commander’s leadership team that managed this complex investigation to ensure leads were thoroughly investigated and evidence was properly processed.

All responding law enforcement officers, firefighters and other operational and support personnel worked seamlessly to ensure a thorough investigation of the bombing and successful prosecution of the perpetrators.

Terrorism Thwarted in Times Square in 2010

 

Phil Pulaski

Phil Pulaski has 36 years of law enforcement experience, and was Chief of Detectives of the NYPD for more than 5 years where he was responsible for 3,600 personnel. During his 33 year career with the NYPD, Phil Pulaski managed patrol, investigative, counterterrorism, community affairs, quality of life, traffic and other public safety operations.

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Phil Pulaski managed the NYPD’s counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction operations. He also supervised, together with his FBI counterpart, numerous terrorism related investigations including the 9-11 World Trade Center attack and October 2001 anthrax attacks. Phil Pulaski also was responsible for the NYPD programs involving (i) human and electronic intelligence collection operations; (ii) intelligence processing, analysis, and dissemination; (iii) counterterrorism technology evaluation; (iv) critical infrastructure risk assessment and protection; and (v) counterterrorism training.

Phil Pulaski possess 20 years of bomb operations experience; and, managed numerous post and pre blast operations including the Times Square attempted terrorist bombing on May 1, 2010 and NYC subway terrorist planned bombing on July 31, 1997. Additionally, Phil Pulaski was trained by the FBI to manage incidents involving nuclear improvised explosive devices (NIEDs) and has noteworthy experience regarding NIED operations.

On May 1, 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old Pakistani-American parked a Nissan Pathfinder in the center of Times Square and attempted to detonate a homemade bomb made of propane, gasoline, and fireworks. The bomb failed to detonate, but the area was evacuated to ensure the safety of thousands of people in the area.

Faisal Shahzad was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport as he was attempting to leave the country, bound for Dubai. Shahzad was indicted on ten counts including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and during his trial he waived his right to an attorney. At his sentencing he went into several anti-American tirades, which were silenced by Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum.

Though Shahzad was a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Connecticut, he received explosives training in Waziristan, a conflict zone in Pakistan. He was linked to the Pakistani Taliban and maintained contact with the terrorist group leading up to the incident in Times Square.