| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| October 30, 2001 | Sandra Whalen (651-296-5529) |
NOTE TO EDITOR: This article is the second in an occasional series on the effect of terrorism on Minnesota. Previous articles in the series can be found on Stanek's website at: www.house.leg.state.mn.us/ GOP/goppress/Stanek. In October, a joint hearing of the Crime Prevention and Judiciary Finance committees gave a public forum to federal, state and local law enforcement, public safety professionals and the Minnesota National Guard to talk about Minnesota's new needs in this changing world. Without exception, each official expressed confidence that Minnesota is reasonably well prepared to deal with the threats of terrorism and that current levels of cooperation between federal, local and state officials is unprecedented.
Minnesota already has anti-terrorism task forces, extensive planning and training programs, and deployment of resources throughout the state. But more must be done to keep up with sophisticated criminals and deal with new threats to our homeland security. In upcoming columns I'll look to future terrorism prevention in Minnesota. However, I first wanted to review the work currently being done by Minnesota agencies and talk about how they rose to meet the challenges of the past few weeks.
Within two hours of the September 11th attack, an emergency response operations center in the Hennepin County Sheriff's office was ready and included the FBI, the Secret Service, Department of Public Safety, and local law enforcement. A task force of federal, state, and local public safety officials is meeting weekly to coordinate anti-terrorism activities. Similarly, the Emergency Operations Center of the Department of Public Safety was up and running by 9:30 a.m. By 11:30 every state agency was represented, as well as Federal and Local agencies.
Public Safety also used the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) recently to send a message to all law enforcement agencies about procedures for opening mail and information from the State Epidemiologist for dealing with the threat of anthrax.
State and local governments have also participated in a variety of preparedness exercises that put Minnesota ahead of other states in dealing with terrorist threats. Interestingly, Minnesota agencies' preparation for Y2K and millennium events helped develop the cooperation between agencies that is proving to be effective now. Also, 1999 Governor's Executive Order assigns responsibilities to all state agencies for responding to emergencies. Here are several examples of that preparedness:
There have been 121 training exercises funded through the Department of Public Safety, as well as hundreds more with separate funding. Within DPS, the Division of Emergency Management has two staff positions dedicated to anti-terrorism activities, and controls first responder Chemical Assessment teams which are placed strategically throughout the state. In October, Public Safety had distributed $2 million in federal money for anti-terrorism equipment for every county. By December, they hope to distribute an additional $2.6 million.
The Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with the Department of Health, has established a statewide Domestic Terrorism Consequence Management Advisory Committee. Their focus is protecting water, food, fuel, and phone resources. They have already met with key utilities throughout the state, and is overseen the Departments of Health and Public Safety. Minnesota's Domestic Preparedness Program organizes overall state strategy to respond and recover from a terrorism incident through the coordinated planning efforts of the state and local jurisdictions, training and exercise development, and administration of the Department of Justice State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program.
For more than two years, the Division of Emergency Management has been the location of the State Duty Officer program, a 24-hour point of contact for local emergency management personnel needing state-level assistance or when a state-level notification is required. The scope of the Minnesota Duty Officer Program includes hazardous materials incidents, waste water bypasses, requests for National Guard/Civil Air Patrol, aircraft accidents/incidents, search and rescue assistance, bomb squad and natural disasters. The office is able to handle hundreds of calls per hour as happened Sept. 11th and 12th, and again during the beginnings of the anthrax incidents.
Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provides investigative support to law enforcement and criminal justice agencies throughout Minnesota, include police training and development, forensic laboratory analysis, criminal history information and investigations. The agency forwards all information relating to potential terrorism to the FBI and lends employees to assist the FBI locally. The BCA also provides real time access to critical information to all local law enforcement through its Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) network. Minnesota's 9-1-1 emergency communications officers are the essential link between law enforcement personnel and Minnesota citizens. A sizeable upswing in the number of 911 calls from mobile phones are creating a host of problems for the emergency systems. Minnesota is a leader in 911 emergency services, and is among a small group of states which have implemented 911 services statewide. All Minnesotans have access to 911, and cellular calls are routed to the closest State Patrol dispatch point. Enhanced 911 has been installed in larger counties.
The State Patrol is coordinating with all of the anti-terrorism efforts, and provides for the safe and efficient movement of traffic on Minnesota's roads and highways. They protect and serve Minnesotans through law enforcement, traveler assistance and education programs. More than 500 troopers serve the state through one commercial vehicle and eleven patrol districts.
The State Fire Marshal assists local authorities in the investigation of fires, conducts fire/life safety inspections of certain buildings, coordinates hazardous materials response teams, collects and analyzes fire incident data from throughout the state, and defines issues for fire prevention and education efforts.
The Minnesota Emergency Response Commission is responsible for coordinating information about hazardous chemicals at facilities around the state so that local emergency officials can prepare for emergencies.
Similarly, a good state-federal relationship also provides protection for Minnesotans:
On September 27th, the Minnesota National Guard began providing an armed presence at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and larger regional airports. Working under FAA guidelines, there are 130 soldiers on duty - 107 at the Twin Cities airport, 17 in Duluth, and 7 in Rochester. In addition, the Guard is ready to provide security at infrastructure facilities if needed.
In May 1998, a presidential order created 10 Civil Support Teams to deal with chemical and biological attacks, and 17 additional teams were created later. The 55th Civil Support team is located in Minnesota, and has 22 full-time soldiers who have received extensive training. The team provides assistance to the local public safety commander at a particular incident. They have a Mobile Analytical Laboratory which can analysis thousands of substances on the spot within minutes, and a Unified Command Vehicle which can send classified information to the White House. This team was deployed on five separate occasions in the past weeks to support local officials.
Fortunately, this planning has made Minnesota a safer place for our families as we confront this unpredictable enemy. Unfortunately, this protection has a price tag especially in the areas of equipment, training for officers and the costs of having law enforcement officers on constant duty.
State Representative Rich Stanek is the chairman of the House Judiciary Finance Committee and a Minneapolis Police Inspector. He is currently in his fourth term representing Maple Grove and Osseo, Minnesota.