City would gain by federal agency
Deepa Bharath
The budding Homeland Security Department, a massive central agency
to counter terrorism, would likely keep local public safety agencies
better informed than ever, local officials said Wednesday.
Newport-Mesa officials are not yet sure how the new agency will
affect their respective departments, but said they’re sure it’ll help
keep them up to speed on the latest news from around the world, as
well as trouble brewing in local communities.
Costa Mesa Police Chief Dave Snowden said the information from
such an agency is more likely to be firsthand and accurate.
“It’ll be a closer source, more informative,” he said. “And it
will help us train our officers on such issues.”
Snowden said the agency itself is not likely to have an effect on
his department, but added that it could become a future source of
funds for training officers.
The new department, still in its fetal stage, is expected to
overcome government intelligence failures. Federal officials say the
agency’s analysis unit will process intelligence information from the
FBI, CIA and other security agencies, assessing terrorist threats and
how to take action on them.
Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have assigned one officer each to the
Orange County antiterrorism task force.
“When local investigations surface, we have a detective who will
participate in it on an as-needed basis,” Newport Beach Police Lt.
John Klein said. “We constantly address general concerns, for
example, threats relating to apartment buildings or water treatment
plants. We get warnings and other information out to our patrol
officers.”
The U.S. Coast Guard would come directly under the Homeland
Security Department. Coast Guard officials in Los Angeles declined to
comment about their involvement with the proposed agency, stating
that it is too premature for them to speak on the subject.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol stationed in Newport
Beach has remained on a heightened state of alert since the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, Sgt. Jim Thomas said.
“We’ve tried to be vigilant,” he said. “The new department has not
been fully developed. It’s not clear how it’s going to affect us
ultimately.”
* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be
reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.
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