Nuclear mattersDHS gives New York $18 million for radiation detection system

DHS handed New York $18.5 million on Wednesday to keep the city’s prototype dirty-bomb detection system running, the Daily News has learned.

New York lawmakers had to battle the Obama administration for the money, putting it in the federal budget last year after homeland security officials stripped it.

The money arrives with just over a week left in the fiscal year, and could not come too soon, said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York). “As we’ve repeatedly seen, New York City is the No. 1 target for terrorists around the world who want to harm Americans,” said Gillibrand, who also is trying to pass another $20 million for next year.

The Daily News reports that the operation is run out of an operations center in the city, featuring more than 4,500 pieces of radiation detection equipment, many equipped with GPS locators.

It is all aimed at sniffing out a nuke or dirty bomb before it can get across a bridge or tunnel and be detonated in the city.

Terrorism experts warn that the Holy Grail for violent extremists is getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction. Even a dirty bomb, which does little explosive damage, could be devastating to the city and economy if it contaminates vital areas with radiation.

“The threat of a dirty bomb is one of the most serious dangers that our law enforcement and security operations face, and this funding will provide critical resources we need to guard against the possibility of an attack,” Gillibrand said.

Some analysts have been dubious of the program, called Securing the Cities, because it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between something harmless giving off radiation - such as medical devices — and weapons.

City cops and nearby police departments think it is vital, and have mounted a major coordinated effort to make it work, spending more than $70 million on the effort.