Homeland Security in Illinois: An Agenda

By Richard L. Jaehne

Never in the past century have local decisions had greater importance and relevance than they do post-11 September 2001. Over the past 60 years America has repeatedly taken actions at the local community level to affect national security. Prior to 11 September 2001, we have called these actions "civil defense," and "domestic preparedness." In the aftermath of terrorist attacks and threats, both the lexicon and actions taken by state and local governments must be expanded. We must establish a new security paradigm called "homeland security" that provides active prevention and preemption plans and protocols designed to stop terrorist attacks, lessen their effect, and prepare authorities to respond to them. National security will depend upon actions taken by local elected officials, public safety organizations, in schools, businesses and by citizens. They will have a pivotal role in identifying potential threats and providing first response to contain and mitigate their potential effects.
For the past several years, the U.S. has been pursuing a two-pronged strategy for dealing with the threat of terrorism. The first, crisis management, was a law enforcement-focused strategy sponsored through the US Department of Justice that sought to focus law enforcement and intelligence agencies on preventing a terrorist event. The second, consequence management, was a public safety-focused strategy sponsored in part through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which placed enormous reliance in state and local emergency management, fire service and public health organizations. These strategies viewed terrorism as a national catastrophic event much the same a nuclear attack was viewed in the 1960's and the resulting strategies placed no significant reliance on local authorities to prevent or preempt attacks. They were even called "weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events."
One of the clear lessons of 11 September is that actions taken locally are critical to protect Americans against terrorism. Terrorism cannot be viewed solely as a strategic national event nor as a problem outside US borders to be combated by national and international defense, diplomatic and intelligence activities. Terrorist events and threats in the U.S. will be local. Local response and recovery plans must be prepared and exercised before a terrorist event and these plans should envision actions that can be taken to prevent or even preempt a terrorist attack.
We need to create a "bridge" of active defense measures between these two concepts that creates open communication and allows for coordinated action. This is the new model for "Homeland Security." The challenge is to create a cohesive homeland security policy from the interagency stewpot of domestic law enforcement, public safety, and elected officials, in a unified way at the local, regional, state, and national level.

Work already underway

On May 16, 2000, Governor George Ryan signed Executive Order Number 10, creating the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF). Under the leadership of the Deputy Governor for Public Safety and Illinois State Director for Homeland Security Matt Bettenhausen and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Director Michael Chamness, the Task Force has provided an on-going interagency forum to develop Homeland Security policies and to direct state efforts toward planning, preparation and response to terrorism in Illinois.
We have coined a term for the elements that we must have to respond to a terrorist incident as B-NICE (Biological, nuclear, incendiary, chemical and explosive).
Illinois has built and is continuing to augment its special team capability to deal with these events. Today, through the interagency cooperation of the task force members, Illinois has 3 fully operational State Interagency Response Teams (SIRT) that can respond to a homeland security incident anywhere in Illinois within 60-90 minutes of activation and provide "all avenues of support" to the local incident commander and the appropriate agencies. Illinois has a terrorism training strategy with seven clear objectives, curriculum and instructors in place to reach every first responder statewide.
Illinois has identified 32 hazardous material (HAZMAT) level A and B technical teams that can respond anywhere in the state and work together to mitigate nuclear, biological, or chemical contamination and assist with explosive and incendiary devices at a terrorist incident. In addition, special rescue teams, bomb squads, dog teams and other specialized teams that have been organized, trained and equipped at the local, regional and state level have been identified for deployment statewide in case of an emergency. Many of these teams have attended national training. In addition, a county-by-county series of risk assessments were completed in November 01 to establish a federal baseline for Illinois.
Equally important, IEMA has implemented a state inter-agency command and control system to plan and direct support for counter–terrorist response. This system was activated within minutes of the attacks on the World Trade Center and remains active to plan and direct homeland security activities. It is also important that in 2001, for the first time in Illinois history, there is a system for statewide fire service mutual aid. This means that one phone call can coordinate assistance from every fire department to support those departments dealing with an incident. In addition, Governor Ryan requested and in December 2001, the State Legislature approved $17 million in supplemental homeland security fiscal year 2002 funding to augment these activities.
Pro-active leadership is a critical component at every level. To more effectively protect Illinois, each local jurisdiction and public safety entity must be part of the planning, preparation and preemption efforts. Our goal should be to establish a pro-active, integrated, layered, active defense shield against terrorist attack on critical Illinois infrastructure.
The experience garnered by the U.S. and Illinois when dealing with the call for active civil defense in World War II and during the nuclear crisis of 1961-62 indicates that there are three critical components of an effective response. Implementation of Homeland Security post-September 11, 2001 therefore should build on these three components:
1. Creation of a universally understood, integrated, yet flexible early warning system from national through state to local level.
2. Implementation of a broad-based public information campaign to inform each citizen (to include school children) about the terrorist threat and what each can do to help protect against the threat.
3. Creation of a series of small interagency teams that develop and implement specific programs to counter the threat and respond to catastrophic events.
We will consider each of these components in turn.

Early warning system

To create an early warning system, we need to re-tool and expand the existing early warning system to incorporate terrorist "Threatcon" (threat condition) measures based upon the military Threatcon system. This system should include discrete measures appropriate for local communities and critical Illinois infrastructure. Governor Ridge, the new National Homeland Security Coordinator has now called for such a system to be established nationwide, to replace the non-descript system of "heightened security alerts" published since 11 September.
A system similar to the existing US military system would define five Threatcon levels defined by the nature, severity, timing and proximity of the potential terrorist threat. The military Threatcon are:
 Threatcon normal – General threat of terrorist activity exists but warrants only a routine security posture.
 Threatcon Alpha – General threat of terrorist activity is possible and increased security posture is warranted.
 Threatcon Bravo - General threat of terrorist activity is increased and specific threats are predicted.
 Threatcon Charlie – A Terrorism incident has occurred or intelligence is received that an attack is imminent.
 Threatcon Delta – A terrorist attack has occurred or intelligence indicates that an attack against a specific location is expected – highest security level.
Each of these Threatcons has a series of discrete security measures that should be considered in the development of local protocols. Each jurisdiction would consider the set of recommended measures in the development of their local protocol of measures to implement at each threatcon level. For example, when Threatcon Alpha is acted, the following measures should be considered:
1. Commence periodic public announcements on security precautions.
2. Review all key staffing, emergency staffing and planning documents.
3. Secure buildings, rooms and storage areas.
4. Increase random security spot checks.
5. Limit access points for vehicles and personnel.
6. Consider implementation of selected Threatcon B security measures .
7. Review continuity of government plans and security measures for high risk personnel.
As Threatcon levels increase, the measures expand and focus planning, preparation and preemption activities on the critical issues. Threatcons should be the subject of a broad-based public information effort to engender effective public assistance and respnse and to reduce public fear and panic resulting from terrorist threats or events. The state should also create Terrorist Early Warning (TEW) Groups that, among other duties, would disseminate intelligence used for setting the Threatcon level. TEWs will be discussed in more detail later.

Public information campaign

A public information effort is underway. Governor Ryan began a series of workshops around the state on October 29, 2001 to kickoff this effort. In addition, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force has formed a sub-committee to address this as an on-going issue. This campaign must be broad enough in scope to reach all Illinois citizens and special groups, such as school children. A baseline public survey should be conducted to discover citizen perceptions of security, what actions citizens have taken or will take in case of terrorist attack, and what expectations for security they have. With this information in hand, a multi-media campaign that includes paid and public service announcements, as well as tailored products targeted to reach specific groups and to touch on specific themes, should be developed. Follow-up surveys should be done to judge the effectiveness of the campaign and to allow response to changes in citizen perceptions. Local jurisdictions must play an active role in this effort.
Beyond informing the public, Illinois needs to bring leaders at the local, regional and state level together to create a system of ongoing security measures and to define their role in those measures. Local leaders particularly need to support these efforts. To this end a series of Homeland Security Planning Workshops will be held beginning in February through May 2002 culminating in a Statewide Homeland Security Summit on 20-21 May 2002 at the University of Illinois Springfield. The goal of these workshops is to help local and regional officials plan and identify actions that can be taken at the local and regional levels to improve homeland security against terrorism in Illinois. The workshops will be a Terrorism Task Force cooperative effort sponsored under a Partnership Illinois grant from the University of Illinois. The workshops will seek to bring together leaders and key decision-makers:
 Elected Officials
 Fire Service
 Law Enforcement
 Emergency management
 Public Health
 Public Services
 Private Sector
 Educators
 Transport
 Federal & national representatives
 Non-government organizations
 State agency reps
For more information visit the Illinois Fire Service Institute website at:
http://www.FSI.uiuc.edu.

Interagency teams

Traditional civil defense and natural disaster response has four phases: awareness, alert, warning, and response. Homeland Security must add "preemption" between warning and response. To accomplish all 5 required phases, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force will expand the statewide program for equipping, training and supporting first responders. Beyond this it should strengthen the State's ability to create effective homeland security policy by serving as an inter-agency, public and private policy "think-tank" to assist in developing anti-terrorism policy and plans. Illinois must reinforce its ability to speak with one voice to the multiplicity of federal agencies that control federal homeland security resources and policy. This means modest but permanent staffing and funding for the State Homeland Security Coordinator and Terrorism Task Force.
In 1996, in response to a need for integrated terrorism response, Los Angeles County created a Terrorist Early Warning (TEW) Group to "monitor trends and potentialities that may result in terrorists threats in the County." The unique organization, capabilities and results of the Group were the subject of a special case study contained in the Second (national) Annual Report of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction. At least two Terrorist Early Warning Groups should be created in Illinois, one in Chicago for the Chicago metropolitan area and one in Springfield for national-state interface and for the remainder of the state. These groups must include representatives from relevant agencies, including federal, state and local officials, and should be led by law-enforcement officials. They will have three missions: to create an intelligence collection-assessment-production-and dissemination process, to conduct critical target-threat-capability net assessments, and to conduct joint operational planning and mission direction.
Members of these groups will need to build a critical infrastructure target list (commercial, financial, information and political, etc.) and conduct a threat analysis for each target and each potential type of terrorist attack (cyber + B-Nice, etc.). That analysis can then be used to build critical infrastructure target folders with defense, preemption and response plans and protocols that are available to those involved in preparing for potential attacks. Regardless of State and Federal action, there must be local planning. Many communities have formed Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC). These must be active, robust and fully integrated with interagency homeland defense planning and preparation efforts in local communities. Where no LEPC's exist, they should be created to coordinate regional and local emergency management plans and processes.
Preparation must also include training and practice. Interagency training exercises should be conducted at the local, regional and State level to enhance homeland security command and control, planning and response capabilities. These exercises should focus on unified command processes and training local first responders, as well as members of regional and state agencies, on homeland defense scenarios. Technical experts should be included to help improve these processes.
In developing Illinois' anti-terrorism policy, we must recognize that homeland security will require pro-active leadership at every level. Local, regional, State and Federal agencies and decision-makers must build an on-going dialogue, relevant response structures and integrated plans and protocols. We must develop an early warning system that is broadly used and understood. At each level, we must find ways to inform the public in general as well as special groups, such as school children. At each level, we must develop cooperation between agencies so as to ensure that we are prepared to both preempt and react to terrorist activity.
Events of 11 September 2001 have created a new paradigm for homeland security in Illinois that is critically dependent upon the planning, preparation and actions taken locally. This is a paradigm that is reminiscent of the struggle undertaken in America more than two centuries ago. Now, as then, the actions of each person and community are central to successful Homeland Security in the 21st Century.