Orchard Press Online Mystery Magazine
March 24, 2003
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CRIME BEAT
by Paul Davis |
Copyright © 2003 Paul Davis. All rights reserved.
Operation Liberty Shield
I recently attended a briefing given by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau.
The briefing was on the combined federal, state and local efforts to prevent possible terrorist attacks that might come in retaliation to our military action in Iraq. The speakers offered threat analysis, possible scenarios and some common sense safety measures the average citizen can adopt should an attack occur.
As I write this, our troops are in Iraq and aircraft and missiles are being launched from air bases and the five carrier battle groups as part of the "Shock & Awe" campaign. One of the battle groups is lead by my old ship, the aircraft carrier USS Kitty
Hawk. No retaliatory acts of terrorism have occurred thus far, perhaps because the U.S. law enforcement and intelligence community have thwarted the best laid plans of the terrorists. A veteran Philly cop told me that in all of his years in law enforcement, he has never seen such cooperation and the sharing of information. This same cop used to call the FBI "Famous But Incompetent.""Since 9/11, nearly all of the petty jealousies and turf battles have gone away and we are now working together to stop the bad guys," he said.
On March 18th President Bush issued his ultimatum to Saddam Hussein – get out of Iraq in 48 hours or face military conflict. On that day Tom Ridge, the Homeland Security Secretary, announced the start of Operation Liberty Shield. Liberty Shield, Ridge told reporters, would increase security and readiness in the United States.
According to DHS officials, Operation Liberty Shield is a comprehensive national plan to increase the protection of American’s citizens and infrastructure while maintaining the free flow of goods and people across our border with minimal disruption to our economy and life. Operation Liberty Shield is a multi-department and multi-agency effort.
Ridge said the U.S. government raised the nation’s terrorist threat to "orange," which means a high risk of attack. He added that the country rose to the higher level because of credible information from intelligence sources and the statements from Osama bin Laden.
"Bin Laden himself has said in recent weeks that military action in Iraq would be a rallying cry to attack American interests at home and abroad," Ridge said
"Operation Liberty Shield combines national protective measures with the involvement and support of federal, state, local and private responders and authorities from around the country," Ridge explained. "Heightened security measures will be broadly applied at the nation’s airports, seaports, other parts of the transportation system and infrastructure."
Ridge said they would continue measures to disrupt threats to the nation. Ridge went on to say that Homeland Security officials are closely watching the boarders, computer networks, and public utilities. DHS, he noted, is working closely with the Justice Department and the FBI to provide better security.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller announced on March 20th that the FBI has put in place extraordinary measures as part of Operation Liberty Shield to protect Americans from acts of terrorism during the war with Iraq.
"While our armed forces are leading the fight overseas, the FBI is ready to defend Americans from retaliatory attacks here at home," Mueller said. "We are bringing to bear the full weight of our resources, expertise and partnerships."
Mueller said the FBI is running down every lead, responding to every threat, coordinating with every partner and doing their utmost to keep the terrorists from striking back. For the past 18 months, the FBI has strengthened their ability to predict and prevent acts of terror. For the past year, the FBI has been developing specific strategies to protect Americans should we go to war with Iraq.
The FBI said that more than a thousand additional Special Agents have been permanently assigned to counterterrorism investigations. The FBI is coordinating more closely than ever with partners in the U.S. intelligence community and with state, local and international law enforcement. The FBI said the result of these measures has been numerous terrorism-related arrests and convictions.
Tom Ridge assured the American public that the nation’s terrorist response and recovery teams are mobilized, in position and ready. Ridge also said that the average citizen could help prevent terrorism by staying aware and abreast of the news.
If you encounter anyone or thing that appears suspicious, you should immediately contact the local police. I would think that readers of crime fiction, as serious students of crime, would be especially observant and useful.
Ridge also advised Americans to prepare for a possible attack by taking emergency precautions that can be found on the Homeland Security website:www.ready.gov.
Contact the Author - daviswrite@aol.com