The Transportation Security Administration will deploy special teams to help enhance transit system security in eight cities over the July Fourth holiday, officials said Tuesday. The teams -- consisting of K-9 explosive detection units, air marshals, transportation inspectors and behavior detection officers -- will be deployed in New York; Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and San Francisco, California.Called Visual Intermodal Protection and Response teams, they will focus on ground transportation systems as well as airports in some of those cities.
TSA spokeswoman Lara Uselding in Chicago said the VIPR team there will work in mass-transit areas but not in the airport.
An official with the New York Police Department said there is no general or specific threat to that city, and the VIPR team's deployment is a precautionary move. "[We're] not aware of a potential threat," the official said.
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