Columnist Jeff German: Not alone in wondering why Las Vegas was denied homeland security funds

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006 | 7:52 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

In the words of Sheriff Bill Young, who has the biggest responsibility for protecting Las Vegas from terrorists, cutting the city out of the latest round of federal homeland security funding "defies logic."

Young, a die-hard Republican, was so hot over the news Tuesday that he called for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"I've lost all confidence in him," he said. "I think he's a lost cause."

That prompted a timely comment from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, the Bush administration's chief nemesis on Capitol Hill, who told me he shared the sheriff's opinion.

"I think the guy's an incompetent," Reid said. "He should go back to being a judge like he was before."

Even mild-mannered Gov. Kenny Guinn, a loyal Bush Republican, said he was outraged.

"I'm really disgusted," Guinn said. "What do we have to do to get their attention?

"We know we have the potential for an act of terrorism. We're so well-known throughout the world."

Clearly, local and state officials are having trouble trusting the Homeland Security Department in the wake of this week's bizarre disclosure.

And why shouldn't they when cities such as Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and San Antonio all qualified for a share of the $765 million in funding over Las Vegas?

"This is very disappointing," said Dale Carrison, a Las Vegas trauma physician who chairs the Nevada Homeland Security Commission. "They're like a bunch of people fumbling around in the dark."

The latest funds, which make up about a third of the anti-terrorism assistance Las Vegas gets from the federal government, are crucial in the war on terrorism on the homefront.

Last year, for example, the Metro Police Department was able to buy a high-tech vehicle equipped to handle chemical and biological hazards, a remote control robot that can be used in bomb threats and a computer system that can track cellular phones.

For the moment, Nevada Sen. John Ensign seems to have persuaded Chertoff to keep the money flowing to Las Vegas.

In a conversation with Chertoff late Tuesday, Ensign secured what he said was a commitment that Las Vegas would get the same amount of money this year (about $8.5 million) that it got last year when these funds became available.

But there are no guarantees beyond that.

You don't have to be a first responder like Young and Carrison to see that it's ludicrous for Homeland Security to suggest Las Vegas doesn't have a big enough terrorism risk to share in this funding.

All you need is common sense, which apparently isn't very common at the department.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida has had a tendency to strike tourism or transportation targets around the world.

There is no bigger tourism destination than Las Vegas, with 12 of the world's 13 largest hotels.

Las Vegas also boasts having the sixth-busiest airport in the country and a new high-tech monorail, which together serve nearly 40 million tourists each year.

The city's name also repeatedly surfaces in terrorism intelligence chatter, and it's getting tiresome reminding Washington that the key Sept. 11 hijackers spent time here prior to the attacks.

So Young has a piece of advice for his federal colleagues at Homeland Security: "Open your eyes."