Random Subway Searches Begin

New York City Police have begun random searches of large bags and packages on the subway in response to the apparent (botched?) followup attacks in London. The response has been mixed:

City straphangers became the first transit riders in the nation yesterday to be subjected to random police searches, after a new round of explosions rattled London.

The searches, which began at a few stations yesterday but are expected to spread throughout the region today, quickly drew the ire of civil libertarians, while riders and security experts seemed split on whether the move would ward off would-be terrorists.

“If it keeps us safe, that’s fine by me,” said Heather Falco, 23, waiting for a No. 5 train home to the Bronx. “You don’t want the same thing happening here that happened in London.”

. . .

“Between the terrorists and the police, I am being doubly attacked,” said Luis Arias, 34, a Bronx carpenter of Peruvian descent who got searched yesterday. “It’s discriminatory.”

The Daily News adds more rider response, including this:

“Not everyone wants to blow up the station,” said Michelle Johnson, 37, of Freeport, L.I. “Don’t judge everyone.”

Meanwhile, the Times notes the murky legal issues the city will be taking on.

And, just so you know, if the cops search your bags and find anything illegal that isn’t related to terrorism, you’re still busted.