Guinn calls for vigilance in face of latest threat

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 | 9:43 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn today urged all Nevadans to remain vigilant in the wake of the latest FBI terrorist warning.

"We need the eyes and ears of everybody," the governor told the Sun this morning. "We need to be ever-vigilant just like we have been. If you see something suspicious, don't hesitate to call law enforcement."

Guinn said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge gave him and other governors a "somber" briefing Tuesday on the newest threat, the second issued by the FBI this month.

"You could tell he was very concerned," Guinn said.

The threat was first disclosed publicly Monday by Attorney General John Ashcroft, who told reporters credible intelligence information was received that indicated a terrorist attack could come this week. The information, Ashcroft said, was not specific about the intended target.

Guinn said he planned to discuss the threat today with key elected and law enforcement leaders in the state.

"I'm just going to make sure they have the latest information," he said. "I want them to know that should anything be identified in a specific state, we have a commitment from Tom Ridge that we will be notified immediately."

Las Vegas FBI spokesman Daron Borst said the bureau warned Metro Police and other law enforcement agencies in the state on Monday.

"We've passed on everything we've had, which at this point is nothing specific," Borst said.

Deputy Chief Bill Young, who runs Metro's Special Operations Division, said police have received no intelligence that suggests Las Vegas could be attacked.

"To my knowledge, there's no inside information that indicates Las Vegas is a target," he said.

Young added that police will continue to remain on a high state of alert.

"We're going to maintain our vigilance as we were asked to do," he said. "We've got ourselves as prepared as can be so if something does occur, we'll be as ready."

Young and the rest of Metro's command staff met late Monday to talk about the the latest threat and planned to discuss it again this morning.

Metro has an emergency mobilization plan that allows it to put the maximum number of officers on the streets in the event of a major incident, Young said.

Under the plan, he said, the department would eliminate an eight-hour shift and require all of its 2,000 officers to work 12 hours a day.

Bob Andrews, Clark County Emergency Management Office director, said public safety teams -- including firefighters and health care providers -- are ready to respond in the event of an incident.

"We've never left the high state of alert we've been on," Andrews said. "All of our contingency plans are in place."

Andrews said the county's Emergency Operations Center "is ready to go" if called into action. The center provides a quick way for public safety agencies to respond to any problem.

Security at Hoover Dam, the main water supply for the Las Vegas valley, remains on high alert with the new FBI warning.

"We haven't changed anything at all," Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Bob Walsh said. "We're where we've been for the last month."

Walsh said trucks, buses and large recreation vehicles still are prohibited from crossing the damn into Arizona and all tours have been suspended. The visitor's center, however, remains open.

A spokesman at Nellis Air Force Base said the base remains on Forced Protection Condition Charlie, the second highest level of alert.

Sun reporters Ed Koch and Launce Rake contributed to this story.