Officials Release Final Set of WTC Transcripts

WINS NEWS ^ | 12/29/03

[areafiftyone]

Minutes after hijackers slammed into the World Trade Center, police contacted airport control towers to say it was considered "a criminal act," according to newly released Port Authority transcripts.

The agency on Monday released the final set of transcripts from emergency communications during the Sept. 11 terror attack. The disclosure comes four months after the Port Authority released 2,000 pages of documents detailing what was said in thousands of other emergency calls that day.

In the newly disclosed transcripts, a caller from the Port Authority police desk tells Chris McCary, a La Guardia Airport control tower employee, that "they are considering it a criminal act."

"We believe that, and we are holding all aircraft on the ground," McCary answers. The exchange, reported at 9:10 a.m., came seven minutes after the second plane struck the twin towers.

The first set of transcripts, released Aug. 28, included conversations between the police dispatch desk and workers in the towers, some of whom perished.

The Port Authority, which owns the trade center and operates its own police force, had initially sought to withhold the transcripts, fearing it could traumatize families of those who died.

The transcripts include communications between Port Authority police officers and department employees, along with calls between command centers at the trade center, the airports and several sites in New Jersey.

The Port Authority said the transcripts released Monday were delayed because the tapes were discovered later. They cover calls with employees at La Guardia Airport.

[steve50]

The Port Authority, which owns the trade center and operates its own police force, had initially sought to withhold the transcripts, fearing it could traumatize families of those who died.

IIRC, they won the battle to have them redacted.

[princess leah]

A caller from the Port Authority Police was calling it "a criminal act" OK - who wants to bet this guy is a democrat! Guys outside on the street who were firemen were calling it a "terrorist act"....

[ken5050]

FYI...there's a front page article in today's NY Times about this...some interestig factoids about how the LAG tower was still launching planes an hour after the first tower was hit....seems they knew nothing...confusion was rampant..

[clamboat]

A caller from the Port Authority Police was calling it "a criminal act" OK - who wants to bet this guy is a democrat! Guys outside on the street who were firemen were calling it a "terrorist act"....

Ooookay, sure, that's a worthy distiction. Someone who calls it a "criminal act" must be a Demoncrat, because a <unkown party affiliation, but presumably non-Democrat> would call it a "terrorist act". Hey, thanks for enlightening us all with your little insight, princess.

please, can we institute an age- or maturity- test on freerepublic so we don't get as many teens posting inane nonsense?

[blau993]

I wouldn't judge the guy too harshly on the basis of that one comment. He is a local law enforcement officer trained to think of things as either criminal or non-criminal. Our collective perspective on criminal acts has broadened considerably since 9/11/01.

[bandleader]

Unfortunately for us(and Sundry Victims),The BeelzeBubba Administration viewed TERRORIST ACTS as CRIMINAl ACTS to be addressed by Janet El Renio and her laughable excuse for a Dept. of Justice!!Now here's the GOOD part,the present administration views TERRORIST ACTS not as CRIMINAL,but as ACTS of WAR!!!!!!!!

[diamondjoe]

I would imagine that "criminal act" is a technical term that must be invoked for certain other things to be enacted, i.e., for certain measures to be taken the authorities must be reasonably certain they are dealing with a criminal (i.e., non-accidental) act. I mean, if the building collapsed due to natural causes, there is no need to ground traffic at LAG, so they would need to be explicit about the criminality being the cause.

I think the criminal/terrorist distinction is semantics at this point--don't forget they were operating under insane circumstances, and didn't have the time to sit back and consider the rhetorical difference betwen a "criminal act" and an "act of terror." If you are a cop at a time like that, the most important thing is saving people--let people figure out the precise terminology later.

[princess leah]

Thanks Tony and yes, I do happen to be a 1977 HS grad from So. Calif...But in writing that, I remembered seeing the 9/11 special those 2 brothers did and one of them after seeing the plane his response was immediately - it's a terrorist act. Plus, Clinton always regarded the acts during his tenure as "criminal acts"...