By Ed Somers
June 27, 2005

"As a nation, we have made important progress on the issue of homeland security... but there is much work left to be done on both terrorism prevention and crime reduction." This was the overview of a plenary discussion led by Conference President Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic during the Annual Conference.

The mayor said that, "Many cities still face challenges in getting access to federal homeland security funding sent through the states, and making sure the funding is flexible ... and more needs to be done to secure our nation's ports and rail systems, especially as it relates to the transportation of hazardous materials."

And on crime reduction; "Murder and other violent crimes continue to plague too many cities ... and violent gangs are spreading across the country, threatening cities and suburban communities alike," Plusquellic added.

Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), discussed issues related to both officer use of force and the dual use of homeland security funding and intelligence operations.

Wexler identified a number of specific actions that can be taken to reduce the use of force. For example, he said that getting a supervisor to the scene in the first 15 minutes can reduce the chance of an officer-related shooting by 80 percent. He also spoke about the importance of recognizing that many incidents deal with the mentally ill who need special attention.

Wexler then discussed specific issues related to Taser, or stun-gun, use by police departments. "Less lethal does not mean non-lethal," Wexler said. But he added that officer and suspect injury rates, as well as officer-related shootings, have been shown to dramatically drop in cities that have deployed Tasers, especially when there is clear policy and guidance on use.

Moving into the area of homeland security, Wexler said, "The buzz word for the future is duel use." He urged a better integration of intelligence efforts and said to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), "We want to be your force multiplier."

Andrew Velasquez, Executive Director of the relatively new Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, highlighted how technology can be deployed to increase homeland security, fight crime, and improve the delivery of city services.

Police, fire and emergency management services have all been combined into one facility in Chicago. It has the responsibility for 9-1-1 operations, the management of homeland security grants and emergency response, and the management of traffic through technology.

Chicago has deployed a unified surveillance network tying together thousands of cameras, as well as other biological sensors, traffic sensors, and private'sector cameras.

To truly appreciate the advances being undertaken in Chicago, visit the website usmayors.org and view the webcast of Velasquez during the Monday plenary.

The final speaker in this session was Josh Filler, Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination for Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Filler spoke on behalf of Secretary Chertoff, who had been called into a meeting with President Bush.

While Filler touched on a number of issues related to the Administration's "second stage review," which may result in structural or operational changes at DHS, his primary focus was on intelligence issues.

Filler said that information gathering and sharing are key to ensuring homeland security, and that DHS is working to make sure there is a process to share data. Cities, counties, states and federal government are now plugged into a network and able to communicate through DHS's Homeland Security Information Network according to Filler, which has been deployed in the 50 states and major urban areas. Filler then urged mayors to work on developing information fusion centers.

Filler also re'stated the Administration's strong support for reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act in its entirety, which he said is critical for the gathering and sharing intelligence.

On the issue of grant funding, Filler said that DHS and state and local governments are in the "risk management business" and that "threat, consequence and vulnerability" must drive future funding decisions.