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U.S. Response II: Police Say Local Response to Terror Alerts Is Muted Stretched thin by false alarms and tight budgets, some U.S. police chiefs are increasingly disregarding federal terror alerts, USA Today reported today (see GSN, June 3). “There is a broad consensus that the (federal alert) system just isn’t effective,” said Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said. “It isn’t working,” he added. Law enforcement officials have complained that the Homeland Security Department raises terror alerts but do not give detailed guidance to local authorities. “They are frustrated with the lack of specificity in the threat information being passed on, and how they should respond,” said Miami Police Chief John Timoney. “Personally, I think the alerts serve as a good reminder that the enemy is still out there. But some (chiefs) are saying they are not going to do anything differently anymore when a new threat alert goes out,” he added. In Oregon, Portland police went to the second highest alert status — orange — during protests over the planned U.S. invasion of Iraq. The heightened alert cost the city $1.2 million in overtime costs, USA Today reported. In May, during another orange alert, the city limited its response and incurred only $6,000 in overtime costs. In the end, financial considerations and tight budgets could dictate security efforts. “You take the orange (alert) with a grain of salt,” said Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker. “It’s a pragmatic approach mixed with the current fiscal crisis,” he added. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said local law enforcement divisions should pay close attention to alerts issued from Washington. “God forbid something happens in a major city and you didn’t go up” to a higher alert level, Ridge said last month. “We can’t mandate it, but at least I am hopeful that under these circumstances that (state) homeland security advisers will think twice about not doing something,” he added (Kevin Johnson, USA Today, July 2).
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