Ray Kelly: NYPD has ‘means to take down a plane’

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In an interview that aired Sunday, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly shocked CBS’ Scott Pelley by telling him that the NYPD has the capability to shoot down a plane if needed.

“Are you satisfied that you’ve dealt with threats from aircraft, even light planes, model planes, that kind of thing?” Pelley asked.

“Well, it’s something that’s on our radar screen, Kelly replied. “I mean in an extreme situation, you would have some means to take down a plane.”

“Do you mean to say that the NYPD has the means to take down an aircraft?” a stunned Pelley wondered.

“Yes, I prefer not to get into the details but obviously this would be in a very extreme situation,” Kelly explained.

While some may find the NYPD’s firepower comforting, others may question whether a department accused of wrongly pepper-spraying protesters can be trusted not to overreact.

Watch this video from CBS’ 60 Minutes, broadcast Sept. 25, 2011.

Watch this video on iPhone/iPad