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Report: Terror Alerts Need Work NewsMax WiresWASHINGTON -- The government is failing to adequately notify local authorities to changes in the nation's terror alert level, according to a preliminary congressional report obtained by The Associated Press. Lawmakers asked for the report from the General Accounting Office because they are concerned that the color-coded terror alert system is not effective. "The general alert system only numbs the American people to the threats we face," said Moira Whelan, a spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Turner of Texas, the top Democrat on the Select Committee for Homeland Security. The five color-coded warning system was introduced in March 2002. It has been raised five times to the second-highest level - orange, or high - from yellow, or elevated. The report said eight federal, state and local government agencies, from among the two dozen surveyed by congressional investigators, learned about threat level changes through the media. "This raises questions about whether the Department of Homeland Security is always conveying information regarding threat level changes to government entities expeditiously," the report said. It recommended that the department define clear channels of communication to make sure other agencies understand its priorities and operations. The methods now used include conference calls between Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and state officials; telephone calls or e-mails to federal, state or local agencies; and electronic systems used by the department and the FBI. Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the department does have set ways of alerting local authorities "in a very timely fashion." The report also said the department lacks written standards for assessing intelligence and determining whether to change the warning level. Homeland Security officials said they analyze intelligence and make the decision depending on the circumstances. They told investigators that the process includes "a certain amount of subjectivity." Roehrkasse said it is difficult to develop standards when intelligence often is not specific about terrorists' plans. He said the department is getting better at making the decision to change the threat level and cited greater cooperation with state and local governments as well as the private sector. But federal, state and local agencies told the GAO that the information they get from the government is too general. One state official said if there were specific information that terrorists were targeting bridges and dams, for example, the state could concentrate on those instead of taking a blanket approach with increased general security. GOP Rep. Christopher Cox of California, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said the report reinforces the need for the committee's focus on refining the color-coded system.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: |
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