The new head of the Secret Service’s New York office hails from Clifton , Virginia, a small town with fewer people — 243 — than are typically found on a Manhattan street during rush hour.

But Special Agent in Charge Matt McCoo l says his prior assignments here — first as a young agent who responded to the Twin Towers attack on Sept. 11, then later as the office’s second in command — have prepared him for law enforcement’s biggest annual challenge, protecting the president and 150 heads of state gathering next week for the United Nations General Assembly.

“I think my previous experience really helps me,” said McCool, who has been in his new assignment since Sept. 1. “I hit the ground running. I love the action. I like being in the action.”

McCool learned from his father — basketball

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