9/11 Trial Security In NYC Might Top $200 Million A Year

Only days ago, the NYPD and Commissioner Ray Kelly said that the costs for a 9/11 trial at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan would run $75 million. Today, the Daily News reports that the costs are nearly triple that estimate - $200 million.

The NYPD's newly revised projection is almost triple the estimate of $75 million in November, after Attorney General Eric Holder announced he would move the prisoners from Guantanamo to Manhattan for trial.

The legal process is expected to play out over more than a year.

At a news conference Monday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded the federal government pay every penny of the security costs.

"Some New Yorkers think the trials are a good idea. Some New Yorkers think the trials are a bad idea," Schumer said. "One idea all New Yorkers agree on is that New York taxpayers should not have to pay a dime for these trials."

Federal marshals will handle security at the courthouse. The NYPD and other law enforcement agencies will be assigned to protect the surrounding area.

Schumer warned the security cost of the trials would be in the "hundreds of millions," but he declined to give an exact figure.

Those are costs that the City is incapable of paying due to its fiscal situation, and Sen. Schumer has called on the federal government to reimburse the City for the additional security. That's the bare minimum, and it again raises questions over why this was necessary when the Obama Administration notes that they're more than willing to use tribunals for cases where the likelihood of conviction isn't assured given the evidence (the quantity and manner in which it was collected). The Administration has also hinted that should Khalid Sheikh Mohammad or his fellow terrorists be found not guilty, the Administration would still find a way to detain them indefinitely.