New York City police department could shoot down plane, chief says (VIDEO)

New York City police could take down a plane if it posed a threat, the city's top cop told the CBS "60 Minutes" program aired Sunday, two weeks after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

New York City police department commissioner Ray Kelly created a NYPD counterterrorism unit after 9/11, deciding that the city couldn’t rely on the federal government alone, the AP reports.

The unit is one of the most sophisticated in the world, with sea, land and air capabilities. Kelly says the department is prepared for multiple scenarios and could even take down a plane — although, he said, "obviously this would be in a very extreme situation.”

Other measures include sending NYPD officers abroad, using radiation detectors and creating a network of surveillance cameras in Manhattan.

"60 Minutes" reports that Kelly — who fought with the Marines in Vietnam, joined the NYPD as a cadet, and has since earned a law degree and a master's degree from Harvard — has spent 10 years and $3 billion setting up what he believes is the world's "most powerful and technologically advanced counterterrorism bureau."

In the "60 Minutes" interview Kelly did not elaborate on what methods the NYPD's would use to take down a plane deemed a threat, saying simply that:

"NYPD Aviation has weapons that could be deployed with that capability."

Kelly did discuss the precautions made before the General Assembly meeting at the United Nations during the week, attended  by President Obama, in light of threats made to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary. They included snipers on rooftops, divers in the East River and helicopters equipped with radiation detection equipment.