States Respond to London Attacks

In response to the London bombings, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut agreed on Thursday to combine forces in patrolling shared mass transportation routes — the most definitive state-level reaction to the attacks.

The agreement gives state troopers in Connecticut the power to arrest terror suspects along New York routes, and vice versa. The agreement also creates a similar partnership for New Jersey and New York law enforcement officials, but not one between Connecticut and New Jersey, said a spokesman for Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell.

In other states, governors urged their citizens to remain calm, but vigilant, and to report any suspicious activity to authorities. The most common state-level response centered on echoing the Department of Homeland Security’s call for increased security on regional and inter-city passenger trains and buses.

In Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry raised the terror alert level “for specific sectors” in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, his office said. And in Maryland, off-duty transit security officials were called in for added protection as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. described the current mood as “war,”The Associated Press reported.