Ridge gives $37 million to Nevada

Jace Radke

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 | 11:45 a.m.

Calling Las Vegas a strategically important and symbolic city, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Monday announced the expansion of an Internet-based communication system that will link local governments and agencies to federal information.

The Homeland Security Information Network is designed to quickly share information to improve the flow of data between federal and local government officials and law enforcement, and better safeguard major cities such as Las Vegas, Ridge said during a press conference at the Clark County Government Center.

"This (Las Vegas) is a city not only known around the country, but around the world," Ridge said. "It is the largest convention city in the country, and it has the population density that makes for a really attractive target, just as all urban areas are."

Along with announcing the network, Ridge also officially awarded Nevada's 2004 allocation of homeland security funds of about $37 million.

The new network will allow real-time communication and status reports to flow between local and federal law enforcement and emergency officials, becoming another tool that can be used to gather information and prevent terrorist attacks, Sheriff Bill Young said.

"This is putting us on the right track," Young said. "What has been confusing for local law enforcement is that we hear things from the FBI and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and they don't always match up.

"Anything we can do to collate and bring that information together is going to help us."

Young and Nevada Homeland Security Advisor Jerry Bussell said that the network would not replace the phone calls, e-mails or other communications that they have with Washington, D.C., and the FBI, but would help to provide a greater situational awareness.

By the end of the year the system is scheduled to be in all 50 states, and in 50 of the country's major urban areas including Las Vegas, Ridge said. Those who will be able to access the system include state and local homeland security personnel, National Guard commanders and emergency operations centers.

Ridge estimated that by the fall as many as 5,000 public entities will have use of the network, and said that the information coming from local authorities to federal officials will be just as important as the information that the Department of Homeland Security is sharing with local officials like Young.

"The information will feed into our 24-hour command center, and it will allow us to spot any trends that local law enforcement is finding," Ridge said. "This represents a key part of our national security, and a new philosophy that we all must share the responsibility.

"The threat of terrorism is shared by all of us."

The network was effectively used to share information between officials in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York during New Year's.

There are already links to the network in place in Nevada including Gov. Guinn's office, Bussell's office, the Department of Public Safety, the State Division of Emergency Management and Metro Police.

Clark County and the city of Las Vegas will each receive 15 licenses apiece to be distributed to police and fire departments, emergency managers and other emergency responders, Clark County Emergency Manager Jim O'Brien said.

Once the licensee has the proper software installed and is trained by homeland security officials they will have access to the encrypted website that includes sensitive but unclassified material, O'Brien said.

Young said that there would be a handful of officers with Metro that would have access and monitor the information, and that the system could save the department time when trying to determine the seriousness of a piece of information.

Ridge said that while in the past there was a culture of keeping sensitive information secret within government agencies, that mindset has changed a great deal.

Guinn said that the system does not mean that he and other state officials will stop having personal access to Ridge and his staff.

"I got a Christmas Eve call from Secretary Ridge just to make sure that Las Vegas was OK with the chatter that had been out there over the holidays," Guinn said. "The best line of defense relies on communication, and we're growing this system and making sure we keep our promises to protect our people."

Of the $37 million grant Ridge announced, the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the Nevada Homeland Security Commission will divide up $26.5 million of the funds allocated to the state in May. Clark County was awarded about $10.5 million in a separate grant as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative.