Statue of Liberty security screening to be moved

NEW YORK (AP) — Security screening for visitors to the Statue of Liberty will be held on Ellis Island when the site reopens this summer after cleanup from Superstorm Sandy.

The National Park Service said Friday that beginning July 4, visitors will board cruise ships from either Battery Park in lower Manhattan or Liberty State Park, N.J., and stop at Ellis Island for security.

National Park officials said visitors will then continue to Liberty Island, where they'll go through a secondary screening.

The New York Police Department criticized the plan, saying the decision to move screening out of lower Manhattan was done against its recommendation.

On Tuesday, officials announced the Statue of Liberty would reopen to the public in time for Independence Day. Its surrounding island was badly damaged during the late October storm.