By Elena Temple
October 31, 2005

Elizabeth, (N.J.) Mayor Chris Bollwage on October 19 spoke at a seminar on Homeland Security at the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. Affiliated with the School of Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park, The Knight Center for Specialized Journalism is a premier national program with a 17-year track record of offering free top-quality seminars for print and broadcast and online reporters, editors and editorial writers.

Bollwage was joined by Hartford (CT) Police Chief Joseph Estey (also the immediate past president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police) for a presentation specifically focused on the Needs and Challenges of First Responders.

As Chair of the Conference’s Criminal and Social Justice Committee, Bollwage offered particular insights on the issue of Homeland Security and how it has impacted mayors on both a national and local stage. Before a group of 30 print and radio reporters from around the country, he gave a historical overview of the Conference’s involvement with the fight for direct homeland security funding to cities, and explained the particular challenges faced by the city of Elizabeth.

Bollwage also fielded questions on interoperability communications, transportation and port security, the federal government’s response to Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita, the COPS program, the transport of hazardous materials, and the role of the military in natural disasters. “It is important that people know and understand that more needs to be done about the security of our homeland,” stated Bollwage. “This conference gave us a great opportunity to reach out to reporters from across the nation. It allowed us to inform them that local municipalities need more federal funding, and the process for distributing those funds needs to be revamped to ensure proper security of our most vulnerable sites. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has been advocating the issue for some time and we will continue to demand changes that will ultimately save lives.”