Boston Strong: 120th Marathon Three Years After Terrorist Bombings
Runners embarked on Monday for the 120th Boston Marathon three years after two terrorist bombs rocked the finish line claiming the lives of three individuals and maiming hundreds of other runners and spectators. In the hours that followed, the terrorists killed an MIT police officer and another MBTA police officer was injured while in pursuit of the suspects.
Reflecting on security then and now former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis tells the FOX Business Network, “the city is certainly ready today.” Davis discussed the balance of making large scale events such as the marathon as secure as possible.
“There is a significant increase in spending on security here, the costs have quadrupled over what it was in 2013,” he said.
Since the Boston Bombings there have been a rash of terrorist attacks around the globe including; San Bernardino, California, Paris and most recently Belgium. Davis noted that law enforcement is changing their tactics to address the increase in large scale attacks with technology. Davis supports the use of cameras, including those made by GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO), in the fight against terrorism. “When you look at how helpful cameras were in our pursuing these suspects three-years ago, all officers should have them,” he said. The two terrorists were caught on film by a street storefront security camera dropping the backpacks filled with explosives near the finish line. The footage was circulated to the public and ultimately helped lead to their identification and capture.
'Boston Strong' became the catchphrase used to describe the resilience of the city during and after the attacks. Davis specifically recognized the resilience of those injured in the attacks including Jeff Bauman who is attending the race today. Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the bombings, assisted law enforcement in identifying the terrorists just hours after the explosions from his hospital bed.
Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) and CBS Films (NYSE:CBS) are producing the upcoming film “Patriots Day” which chronicles that fateful day. The film’s roster of Hollywood heavy weights includes; Mark Wahlberg, a Boston native, staring as the lead police officer in the investigation, Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff Bauman, John Goodman as Commissioner Ed Davis and Kevin Bacon will play FBI Special Agent in charge Richard DesLauriers.