New Yorkers and Washingtonians enjoy poking fun at each other, but when it comes to protecting people against terrorism, the District isn't in the same league with New York, and that's nothing to laugh about.

The Big Apple has launched "Operation Atlas," a $5 million-a-week emergency security plan. It includes expanded police patrols on city streets with a focus on government buildings, tourist attractions, financial institutions, hotels and houses of worship. Police equipped with pager-size radiation detectors are conducting grid checks for radiological material.

More bomb-sniffing dogs are patrolling the subways, and an additional 250 National Guard troops are being called up to assist transit police. Police also are examining trucks at checkpoints throughout Manhattan. The city's health department is collecting data on thousands of emergency room visits, looking for unusual patterns of symptoms. As many as 4,000 school safety officers will be available in emergencies to help with evacuations and shelters.

What is the District doing? In a March 18 news conference, Mayor Anthony A. Williams revealed that the District is "monitoring the situation closely."

It is "testing communications systems" and conducting "100 percent ID checks" at all city buildings. Working with the FBI, city police are activating 14 surveillance cameras -- about one for every five square miles -- to focus on key facilities and "infrastructure assets." Federal law enforcement agencies also have stepped up security at key federal sites such as the White House.

The District is receiving additional information from federal antiterrorism authorities. The D.C. Department of Health just inoculated its first 30 health workers against smallpox and plans more inoculations in April. Basically, that's it.

"If there is any information to indicate that the District government should take additional precautionary measures, we are prepared to do that," the mayor said. "But at this point, we believe this is sufficient." Since then, Metro remains almost police-free, and the number of police officers visible in downtown areas is minimal. If New York's security plan is "Operation Atlas," then the District's should be dubbed "Operation Atlas Shrugged."

New York's security measures create traffic jams, and they are expensive. But New York officials know that during this emergency a robust police presence can deter attacks and reassure the public. The nation is at war, and we are at our highest stage of alert barring imminent attack, so it is difficult to understand the District's lethargic, almost lackadaisical response. The mayor did suggest one explanation at the news conference: He is concerned that heightened security may discourage visitors who want to see the cherry blossoms.

If anything, visible security might encourage tourism. People know that Washington is a prime al Qaeda target. What they don't know is whether the District is handling the problem adequately. Even if tourism and security measures are incompatible, though, we have to be willing to sacrifice cherry blossoms when lives are at stake. Requiring "100 percent ID checks" in municipal buildings won't get the job done. We need to do what New York is doing, albeit on a smaller scale.

The CIA says subways are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack. So why don't we see police and canine patrols in the Metro system? While security cameras are useful, they are no substitute for the experienced eyes of a police officer or the trained nose of a weapons-sniffing dog. Metro began experimenting with biochemical air sensors last fall, but it isn't clear how effective they are or how many (if any) were installed. And why don't the D.C. police have the radiation detectors that New York police carry?

Implementing such security is expensive, but costs pale in comparison with the potential loss of lives and property. New York is incurring these heavy costs even though it is struggling to close a budget shortfall of more than $3 billion. Can the District do any less for its residents, who are equally at risk? Moreover, the federal government says it will appropriate additional money to help the states and the District defray counterterrorism costs.

"When New Yorkers see the precautions we have put into place," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said recently, "they should feel assured that the city is doing everything in its power to protect them."

I want to feel that way about the District. I hope it borrows liberally from New York's playbook -- and quickly.