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Fortifying The Nation's Cities
by Chloe Albanesius
Since the terrorist attacks two years ago Thursday, cities throughout the nation have been preparing for action in the event of another disaster. The National League of Cities (NLC) on Wednesday held a press briefing at the National Press Club to detail that progress.
The best memorial to the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, is to illustrate the homeland security steps taken since then, said NLC President John DeStefano, also the mayor of New Haven, Conn.
The "silver lining" of the attacks is that they have prompted cities to assess their emergency preparedness, added Mayor Ed Garza of San Antonio, Texas. Garza said the three lessons his city has learned involve the need for "regionalism, collaboration and partnerships."
The most pressing issues for Laurel, Md., have been better communication and the creation of a central command post, Mayor Craig Moe said. With the help of the federal government, Laurel received 15 personal computers and training from the Homeland Security Department in order to turn vacant space in city hall into a "low-cost command center," he said.
Officials in the Silicon Valley city of Campbell, Calif., wanted to make sure their team could respond to manmade and natural disasters. "The hallmark [of response] is still local control," Mayor Dan Furtado said, but local "first responders" to emergencies know how to delegate authority should a larger disaster call for reinforcements from surrounding cities. "First-responder training and planning is essential," he said, as is the ability for officials to communicate across jurisdictions.
To that end, Campbell is working on a plan for equipment that enables such communication. Furtado said the city is seeking state aid.
Arlington, Mass., Selectman Charlie Lyons said the handling of the recent power blackouts in some parts of the eastern United States is a testament to improvements made in homeland security. He stressed, however, that local officials "need the federal government to provide planning resources."
DeStafano agreed that the government should play a role. "Anything that's hard requires many hands," he said. "We look to Congress to work with local officials" on homeland security.
In other news, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced on Friday that six Virginia fire departments have received $670,000 in Homeland Security Department grants.
Texas Creates Cyber-Crime Unit
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday announced the creation of the new cyber-crimes unit within the criminal justice division of the governor's office. The focus of the unit will be apprehending suspected child predators who find their victims on the Internet.
Abbott also announced four grand-jury indictments last week for alleged child predators arrested by cyber investigators posing as young children online. The suspects arranged meetings with the "girls," allegedly for sex, but were met by investigators instead and arrested.
In Florida, meanwhile, Attorney General Charlie Crist on Friday issued tips on preventing identity theft after the FTC issued a new warning on the prevalence of the crime. He urged state residents to be wary of revealing personal information and to use all available legal tools if they are victimized.
Kansas Seeks Money For Tech Updates
Kansas officials will focus on technological updates should the state secure the $1.8 million in federal funding requested by Sen. Sam Brownback as part of the bill that would fund the Commerce, Justice and State departments in fiscal 2004.
Attorney General Phil Kline said that some $170,000 of those funds would be used to purchase and develop a centralized server in order to merge data from the attorney general's office with that of state court and law enforcement systems. Kline also would use $56,000 to acquire an additional computer server and firewall for the state's telephone-toll analysis so that law enforcement could track calls by suspects over extended periods of time.
In addition, $126,000 has been requested to purchase global positioning systems, digital cameras, PowerPoint projectors and a digital plotter printer. And $50,000 would be used to train the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's computer-crime section or to purchase more computer equipment.
Elsewhere, Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski announced last week that the state would consolidate the management of its human resources and personnel functions. The main goals of the project include the implementation of technology frameworks.
Michigan Tries To Woo Japanese Manufacturers
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday urged continued Japanese investment in her state's manufacturing industry.
Granholm was a speaker at the Midwest US-Japan Association conference in Chicago, where she also pushed Michigan as a leader in high-tech industries. "As we continue to build up our high-tech industries and rescue our manufacturing sector," she said, "I look forward to working with our partners in Japan to ensure success on both sides of the Pacific."
In other news, the California Public Utilities Commission fined Cingular Wireless $12.1 million for violating telecommunications laws. The commission found that for two years, Cingular did not offer new customers a trial period to its wireless service and charged those people requesting early termination a $150 cancellation fee. It was fined $10,000 per day, resulting in the total price tag.
Pre-Recorded Calls Prompt N.D. Probe
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem on Thursday announced that his office is investigating out-of-state telemarketers suspected of using pre-recorded telephone messages in violation of the state's "do not call" law.
Stenehjem vowed to "pursue investigations and initiate legal action, if necessary." He said that a majority of the calls have been from Florida-based credit-counseling agencies, which brings up the issue of deceptive practices. "In addition to violating the do-not-call laws, I have serious concerns about misleading representations [by the companies] to North Dakota consumers," he said.
He also cited several Florida travel companies that have been accused of the same crime.
Meanwhile, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper last week announced that his state's do-not-call registry has topped 1.5 million registrants.
Virginia Education Statistics To Go Online
Virginia residents next year will have online access to the performance ratings of area schools, Gov. Mark Warner announced on Wednesday. The Washington Post reports that the site will include information such as dropout rates and per-pupil spending.
The project, estimated to cost between $1 million and $2 million, will be available on the Web and in libraries in the spring. It is the first of its kind for the state, Warner said.
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