Reid, Gibbons say nation is much safer than in 2001

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 | 9:35 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Two years after terrorist attacks changed the world and affected thousands of lives, a lingering question remains: is the country safer?

From federal lawmakers' perspective, the answer is yes for Southern Nevada based on several federal actions already completed and those still in the works.

"There's no question that we are safer that we were before," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid said the state and the federal government have spent a lot of money adding security and that he will continue to work for even more.

"I'm going to work to see what we can do to beef up security programs at the Nevada Test Site," said Reid, who pushed for a national counterterrorism training center at the Test Site.

Reid said the Test Site is the "best place in the country to do training," since trainees can stay there for more than one day at a time practicing chemical spills response and other accidents.

He is also working with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, the Test Site and the Homeland Security Department to create a security center at the school.

He also wants money to help the police department so it can communicate more effectively with others in nearby towns and other cities in the state.

As for bringing federal homeland security dollars to the state, Reid is working on changing the federal grant formula to include tourist populations. Reid said this is important since if a tourist would be hurt in Las Vegas "the first responders have to be just as concerned for that person as if they lived in Nevada all their lives."

Reid also wants to work on improving port security, which he said has a lot of focus now in other countries but need more here.

Meanwhile in the House, lawmakers there also agree the country and state is safer, but still room for more.

"We are absolutely safer today than we were before Sept. 11, 2001," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. "Are we perfect yet? Of course not, but we've come a long way."

Gibbons helped create the Homeland Security Department through legislation and noted that progress has been made in its eight months of operation and is still moving forward.

Tighter security at airports is one of the most visible changes.

"Traveling today on our nation's airlines is far safer today," he said. "It may be an inconvenience but safely knowing you can get to your destination is incredibly important."

He said beyond just the local security improvements, not only in Nevada but nationwide, the United States has captured more than 3,000 known terrorists around the globe and has their financial system under scrutiny.

"The country has carried the weight more than other country in the world," Gibbons said. "But this is a marathon, not a sprint."

He said more work is needed to enhance first responder training, protecting critical infrastructure and port security.

"The number one things is to keep these terrorists out of the country," he said.

Gibbons is chairman of the House Intelligence and Counterterrorism subcommittee and sits on the Armed Services and Select Intelligence committees.