Local agencies on the alert as national events warrant
Secretary Tom Ridge, director of the Department of Homeland Security for President Bush, in a conference call with state-level Homeland Security advisors February 7, raised the National Threat Advisory System from yellow (elevated) to orange (high). This was prompted due to the amount of information being received regarding the increased threat of terrorist attacks.
The Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department and the Michigan State Police have no information that would indicate there are any specific threats to the county or Michigan, or to suggest that Michigan is any more at risk than any other state, but all necessary precautions are being taken to ensure a quick and effective response to any threat to Michigan citizens.
?THERE HAVE been no specific threats to our territory,? said undersheriff Bob Paschke Monday. He is the county?s emergency services coordinator. Even though the winter weather and deer crossing the road seem to be more of a danger in Presque Isle County than Al Qaeda terrorists, Paschke said his department, like many agencies in the state, is on an ?increased level of awareness.? It?s a level that the United States Coast Guard in the Great Lakes region has been at since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. ?It?s become the new normalcy, which is a pretty high security posture,? said Ens. Ron Cooper from the USCG in Sault Ste. Marie. The threat of terrorism ?definitely ensures that we?re more vigilant on the water. That goes for our auxiliary, trying to interact with civilian boaters, and having them keep a sharp eye out as well,? Cooper said.
THE MICHIGAN Department of State Police, at the direction of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, will coordinate state response actions in the event of any emergency in accordance with previously established emergency plans. In response to last week?s change in the National Threat Advisory System, the Michigan Department of State Police has directed all MSP post locations statewide to heighten security at critical infrastructure as part of their normal patrol duties.
All local law enforcement agencies were encouraged to take the same actions for critical infrastructure in their respective jurisdictions and reinstate any previous security procedures that may have been discontinued since the last alert as well as security staffing and to maintain an increased level of alert.
?We?re already being vigilant on the water, and we?re already doing everything to make sure our maritime security is in place, and b
GOV. GRANHOLM reminded parents who are concerned about the safety of their families that the best way to protect them is to develop an emergency plan, assemble a preparedness kit and share some basic information on what to do before, during and after any emergency. A Family Preparedness Guide is available from the Michigan State Police at www.mspemd.org. To assist in the effort to keep the country safe, law enforcement officials are asking that the public report any suspicious activity.
The MSP will continue to maintain open lines of communication with the FBI and other federal, county and local agencies concerning any further information regarding possible threats. Additional information regarding Michigan?s homeland security efforts can be found on the MSP department website located at www.michigan.gov/msp. The Homeland Security Advisory System is a means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to federal, state, and local authorities and to the American people.
