By Scott Brinton
Information sharing, the two noted many times, is critical to apprehending terrorists before they strike. Ridge said no federal agency puts law-enforcement agents to work 24/7/365. "You want and need to integrate the local and state police" in anti-terrorism efforts, he said.
Pataki noted that the battle against terrorism on American soil must extend beyond police officials to average citizens who report suspicious acts. "Every American is a first responder, he said. The governor also said the federal government has stepped up the flow of intelligence information from the federal to state levels since Sept. 11.
An estimated 250 people, many of whom were South Shore residents, turned out for the televised meeting at Hofstra's Monroe Lecture Hall in Uniondale.
During the hour-long session, Pataki cited the fundraising work of students from Barnum Woods elementary and Woodland middle schools in East Meadow on behalf of World Trade Center victims. By selling soft drinks and T-shirts and then soliciting matching funds, the students
