By JOSEPH KELLARD
Joined last Thursday by representatives of government emergency agencies and elected officials throughout the county, Suozzi announced that Nassau County was "well prepared" to prevent attacks or respond to them if they occur. Prevention, communication, preparedness and coordination are fundamental to the county's anti-terrorism efforts, he said.
As part of its prevention, the county's police department and aviation and marine bureaus are working on extra patrols for possible terrorist attacks at the 120 sites, which Suozzi identified as high-traffic areas including utility plants, water departments, train stations and places of worship. He indicated that there are an additional half-dozen higher-profile sites, such as Roosevelt Field Mall, which was the only specific location Suozzi named.
"We are going to have our tactical vigilance team respond to those locations," Police Commissioner James Lawrence said. "[They] will be in heavy-duty gear and also have heavy weapons with them."
Throughout the press conference, Suozzi reiterated that there are currently no specific threats to Nassau County, and in concluding his report, Lawrence added, "This shouldn't cause alarm, as the county executive said. It's just a sign of the steps and the measures that we're taking for the people who live in our county."
Suozzi emphasized that since Sept. 11, 2001 the county has been working to ensure that its preparedness plans are in place if a terrorist attack occurs. Richard Rotanz, director of emergency management, discussed preparations for terrorist attacks of any kind, saying that if the county had to go to a red alert, his department would utilize all of its assets and coordinate a proportionate response.
"We are constantly doing a situation report throughout our emergency operations agencies," Rotanz said. "We get a daily update as to what they are doing presently and around the clock."
David Ackman, commissioner of the county Health Department, reported a three-part plan for a biological attack: investigation, mitigation and communication. Ackman said that since the terrorism alert level was upped to orange, his department has made daily calls to all local emergency centers to learn of any outbreak of unusual illness.
"In addition, we've asked the board districts to be on heightened alert, and we'll ask them to increase the frequency of testing that we do for biological and chemical agents," Ackman said. "Finally, we have internally assessed our ability to respond and have our own staff on alert and on standby in case we need to go out into the field to investigate an unusual case of illness. I think we are much more able to respond than we were a year ago."
Suozzi reported that coordination and communication was excellent between the various emergency agencies, such as police and fire commissioners, and the different levels of government throughout the county to ensure they respond effectively to terrorism.
"Every day, the emergency management office contacts our representatives in Washington, who are specifically assigned to look at the 25 largest counties in the United States, [and] Nassau County is one of them," he said. "Every day, our emergency management office speaks with the state emergency management office, and every day it speaks with local officials throughout the county."
Among elected officials in attendance were Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Rockville Center Mayor Eugene Murray, Lynbrook Mayor Gene Scarpato, Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell, Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, and North Hempstead Town Councilman Tony Dorso, to either show or voice their support for the county's anti-terrorism efforts.
"We all have to work cooperatively," Kate Murray said. "We have bay constables and marine access at the Town of Hempstead, which we have already put at the disposal of the U.S. Coast Guard and any other agency that might have use for them. So the bottom line is, we have to cooperate governmentally."
In his closing comments, Suozzi said, "We are well prepared, we are alert, and we ask for the cooperation of the public as well as from everyone involved in any sort of first respondent capacity or emergency capacity."
Residents are advised to call 911 in the event of an emergency. For any other information or to report suspicious persons or activity, residents should call the Nassau County Police Department's Information Hotline at 1-800-244-TIPS.
