(NECN: Alysha Palumbo, Cambridge, Mass.) - "There are not enough police officers in the United States to secure every event that occurs," said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.
In a rare moment of reflection in the midst of an international terrorism investigation, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and others involved in the marathon bombing manhunt sat down for a JFK Forum at Harvard University.
Commissioner Davis admitted this type of terrorism with both foreign and domestic ties, but no indication of organized backing is very complex and hard to predict.
"Our fear of a lone wolf who was getting instruction from Inspire Magazine and going out and doing things that they advocate is very difficult to intercept," said Commissioner Davis.
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Kurt Schwartz confirmed a bombing at the marathon was something they trained for and even expected could be attempted, but he says the realization that it was terrorism was difficult to handle.
"This is a game changer, but I don’t yet know how it changes the game," he said.
Both Schwartz and Davis defended the decision to essentially lockdown the city of Boston, Watertown and surrounding communities.
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"We weren’t dealing with a threat, we were dealing with terrorists in our midst that had killed in horrendous ways, so I’m not – I stand here today saying we made the right decision," Schwartz said.
"When little white snowflakes begin to fall on our head, we shut the city down, this was at least as serious as that if not more," Davis said.
But when runner Jamie Bergstein of Somerville, Mass. got up to speak, her voice cracked as she said, "I just wanted to thank you…" to Commissioner Davis.
She was unable to complete that thought as she was overcome with emotion and tears. But in perhaps the best gesture to tell the story of how much the community appreciated the work of the police, and the police appreciated the community’s support, Commissioner Davis walked into the audience and gave Bergstein an emotional hug.
