Ashcroft to check out task force

Jace Radke

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

The communication and synergy that have developed between Metro Police and the FBI since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are on display today for Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Ashcroft, who is visiting the George Federal Building today, is scheduled to meet with the members of Southern Nevada's Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force, which was formed in the wake of last year's attacks as a means of safeguarding against terrorism.

The task force is an example of how the two agencies are working together to prevent terrorism, said Terry Hulse, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office of the FBI.

"The relationship between Metro and the FBI before Sept. 11 was like two agencies sleeping in the same room in twin beds," Hulse said. "Now we're sleeping in the same room in the same twin bed.

"Since Sept. 12 we have moved into a prevent mode, working to make sure that the next plane or bomb doesn't happen here."

The task force does that by gathering information and investigating all leads, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

"We've had 3,000 local tips since Sept. 11, and we've fully investigated all but 40," Hulse said at a Tuesday meeting at the Palms designed to inform Las Vegas business leaders about combating terrorism. "We've had everything you can imagine including a report that Osama bin Laden was getting on bus No. 6. We've had to sort through them, but we'll eventually check bus 6."

Along with Metro and the FBI the task force includes representatives from U.S. Customs, the Secret Service and the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations.

The task force is soon scheduled to move out of the FBI's main office on Charleston Boulevard near Las Vegas Boulevard and into a satellite office. The task force will then expand to include the State Department, CIA and Immigration and Naturalization. The number of Metro officers on the task force is scheduled to increase from two to five, Hulse said.

Last year there were only a handful of Metro officers who had the security clearances necessary to be informed by the FBI about certain secret information. Now there are 40 officers with high level security clearances, Hulse said.

The task force was scheduled to meet with Ashcroft today. Hulse said he didn't know what the nature of the conversation would be.