U.S. Reacts to London Bombs

June 29, 2007 — -- New York City appeared to lead the national response to the London bombs, increasing security measures soon after the news broke Friday morning about the thwarted plot.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly were quick to speak publicly on the city's reaction.

"We'll take a little extra precautions, although we have a lot of police officers on the road anyway," Bloomberg said. "So we're going to ramp up a little bit, nothing dramatic."

In the aftermath of the discovery of the undetonated London bomb, the New York Police Department set up random vehicle checkpoints and increased patrols inside subways and tourist attractions such as Times Square and the theater district.

Kelly was careful to say that these activities were just a precaution.

"I want to stress the fact that there is no specific threat against New York City," he said. "We're going to continue to monitor over the weekend, we will have additional resources in place until we have a better understanding of what is transpiring."

The heightened security was visible to New York City residents.

"I love it, because it's security for me," said Austin Shaw, a truck driver who was pulled over by the NYPD Motor Carrier Safety Unit. "I don't want to drive behind a guy that has a truck full of something that could kill me also."

Outside of New York, other U.S. cities remained vigilant, but did not report a change to security measures. Citing what Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said was a lack of a credible domestic threat, police departments from Miami to Portland said they would not take specific actions at this time.

"I remain in communication with federal authorities regarding national security measures which impact our city," said Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier, "and my department continues to conduct daily inspections of locations throughout the district to guard against terrorist attacks."

By not changing their approaches in light of the London plot, police departments around the country may have revealed that their heightened sensitivity to threats has become part of their everyday operations since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Even the timing of the attempted attack just before next week's Fourth of July holiday was not cause for change in U.S. cities.

"At this point, unless there's any more information we get regarding any sort of specific threat involving Seattle, I think we have July 4 staffed at the levels that we have been staffing for years, since 9/11," said Officer Deborah Brown of the Seattle Police Department.

Officials across the country in Florida echoed those sentiments.

"Although we're not such a large city, we always have very big events that are a profile event, and we're always very prepared for it," said Officer Martha Carbana of the Miami Police Department. "On the heels of 9/11, I think everybody has been on their toes when it comes to events."

Representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department said they will maintain current levels of personnel and monitor the situation as new information is released.

In Los Angeles, where the only press conference today was about fireworks safety, residents also said they've become conditioned to expect events like those that took place overseas Friday.

"It is a constant threat that is out there, and you can't live in fear like they had us do in 2003 and 2004 when all the alerts [occurred] and stuff," said Danilo DeJulio. "It is unsettling that that happened over there, but you can't predict what a terrorist is going to do unless you think like a terrorist -- which most people aren't capable of."

The location of the plot figured prominently in how some Americans reacted to the news.

"It doesn't change my opinion of the world, of people, of events, level of threat," said Los Angeles resident Bob Ross. "The geographics of it makes a big difference. It's an ocean and continent away. If it was here in Los Angeles, I'd feel a lot more apprehensive."

For Rob McGillivray, the London terror plot conjured bad memories.

"I lived in London when the original attacks happened a couple years ago, so that brings it to the forefront of your mind," he told ABC News while shopping downtown in Los Angeles.

Although he's now an Angeleno, his firsthand experience with terrorism wouldn't let the distance cause him to forget.

"I probably have more of an attachment because I was living in such close proximity when the London attacks happened," he said. "But I think anybody, whether British or American, would feel some sort of worry about it. But it is how you deal with it, whether it is something you let affect you or if you keep on without trying to be too affected."