By Seth Fiur, USCM Intern
November 4, 2002

A new report by former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman, and the Council on Foreign Relations, entitled "America Still Unprepared—America Still in Danger" finds that the nation remains unprepared for terrorist attacks and cities need financial assistance to ensure security. The task force which drafted the report was made up of almost a dozen national security experts, including two former secretaries of state, a former director of the CIA and FBI, and two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The report highlighted a wide range of measures the federal government should implement to increase homeland security, including tighter port security and better training for the National Guard. The report advocates increased local involvement and assistance for homeland security, a key Conference priority. Referring to conversations that mayors have had with the federal government regarding financial assistance for homeland security, Conference President and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino appeared on ABC's "World News Tonight" saying, "we continually have the conversation. We continually have promises, but nothing is coming to the cities, cities of America, and all mayors of America are frustrated right now on this issue."

According to the report, there are many problems facing local law enforcement as they try to protect their cities in the event of a terrorist attack. The biggest problems stem from two areas—lack of funding and lack of information. The report quoted Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley's statement made to Congress while testifying on behalf of the Conference, "For the first time in nearly 200 years, the front is right here at home. And to date it's where we-ve seen the greatest loss of life. Yet we have insufficient equipment, too little training, and a lack of intelligence sharing with federal authorities."

Many cities simply do not have the funding to properly protect their citizens. According to a recent Conference report, cities are expected to spend more than $2.6 billion in previously unanticipated security costs by the end of this year. And a Conference study also highlighted by the report, found that 79% of mayors report a funding shortfall for necessary threat detection equipment; 77% for emergency response equipment, and 69% for personal protective apparel. The Conference has strongly supported Senator Hillary Clinton's proposal that would create a block grant to provide needed funds directly to cities and their first responders.

The report also highlights the lack of information available to local officials. The report states, "If a catastrophic terrorist attack occurred today, emergency first responders—police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel in most of the nation's cities are no better prepared to react now than they were prior to September 11." The report recommended several remedies to the problems:

• Establishment of a 24 hour operations center for links between federal and local law enforcement; Increased efforts to identify and stop counterfeiting of driver's licenses and passports;
• Funding for a multitude of uses, from hiring temporary extra workers to equipping law enforcement officers with better communication and protection technology; and
• Promote programs run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give local law enforcement increased training in simulations for terrorist attacks.