Bellingham on homeland security
(cont'd) Washington state has requested more than $3 million from the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP), a Homeland Security grant, to support the center, according to the Emergency Management Division document.
Neil Clement, the Deputy Director of Whatcom County's Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management said the State is permitted to keep 20 percent of the LETPP grant, with local law enforcement receiving the remaining 80 percent. Since the state required extra funding to create the analytical center, however, local law enforcement consented to relinquishing a portion of its funding.
"We all thought it was a pretty good idea and that it fit certainly the intent of what this money would be used for," he said. "(But) they sent it to the Feds, and that created a furor."
This, Clement said, was because the center would require hiring new staff in full time positions but Homeland Security restricted use of the grant primarily to purchasing equipment.
"The Department of Homeland Security would not let us use federal funding for the analytical center because they were focused on the response," Carroll said.
Lieutenant Marc Lamoreaux of the Washington State Patrol's Investigative Assistance Division, however, said this process was normal for using grant money. The Washington State Patrol is one of the law enforcement agencies involved in the analytical center.
"There are the guidelines for the grant," he said. "And if that's not part of what the grant requirements are that's a normal process that entities go through."
Washington has a number of areas believed susceptible to terrorist attack. The Washington State Homeland Security Strategic Plan, for instance, lists a number of vulnerabilities, including agricultural infrastructure, various businesses, military installations, and energy resources such as the state's more than 1,000 dams. Although Carroll would not identify specific locations in Washington terrorists could target, he agreed the Canadian border to the north of Whatcom County increased the risk of a local attack and that the Seattle ports could be a target. —>
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