Each year, more than three million New Yorkers and visitors gather to ring in the holiday season at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction’s (CWMD) Office was there to protect them from the threat of terrorism.

CWMD’s Mobile Detection Deployment Program (MDDP) sent personnel and detection equipment to support a multi-agency counter-terrorism effort. At the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), MDDP joined the Joint Hazard Assessment Team (JHAT) that coordinated safety and security. MDDP personnel gave up their holiday to provide operational support with boots on the ground radiological, nuclear, and chemical detection operations and equipment. The MDDP team provided training on detection equipment to members of the JHAT, including the FBI, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department, and the Army National Guard Civil Support Team.