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When President Bush
announced he was forming a new federal department dedicated to
protecting the homeland, there were many people who said it couldn’t
be done. Those of us who deal with these issues on a daily basis
were intrigued by the idea.
Although there is no one answer to the task of protecting a country
the size of ours, the Department has succeeded in adding value
during its first year in existence and we have seen improvements
across a wide spectrum of areas.
First is the Department’s recognition that the key to securing the
homeland lies in strong partnerships with state and local officials,
members of the private sector, first responders, and others. It is
true that in order to protect the homeland we must secure our
hometowns. And that means supporting the needs of our public safety
agencies and ensuring they have the tools they need to protect our
families.
Secretary Ridge has coined the phrase “integration of a nation” and
it is appropriate for what our efforts should be on the homeland
security front. These efforts cannot be micro-managed from
Washington, D.C. Instead, they must be a priority in every city,
county, neighborhood, and home across America. A “one-size-fits-all”
solution is no solution at all with a country as diverse as we are.
Over the past year we have seen an increased flow of information
from Washington to us which enables us to better protect our
communities. When we have information about areas of vulnerability,
we are better able to allocate our resources.
Information sharing must go both ways and DHS recognizes that.
Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN—formerly known as the
Joint Regional Information Exchange System, or JRIES), for instance,
is a valuable information-sharing tool between homeland security
officials/law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
HSIN allows for the real-time sharing of relevant information,
strengthening the two-way flow of threat information. On Monday,
February 23rd, Secretary Ridge announced the expansion of this
program to all states and territories.
DHS also recognizes that we need a national inventory of all
critical infrastructure so that, in conjunction with the increased
information, we can better identify points of vulnerability in our
communities and add increased protective measures to those
facilities.
Another issue where there has been progress is in coordination.
Previously we had to contact many different people scattered across
the federal government when it came to managing a potential
incident. With most of the relevant players consolidated within DHS,
it has become much faster to get real-time information from the
federal government in addition to being part of a more holistic
approach to homeland security that takes into account local needs
and private sector interests.
The bottom line is that our nation is more aware, more secure and
better prepared than ever before. Although there is still work to be
done, there are signs of progress. Homeland security is a national
effort, not merely a federal one. Although there is still work to be
done, having a federal department that recognizes the national nexus
and approaches homeland security from a one team, one fight
perspective has made a difference.
DON KNABE
Supervisor, Fourth District
County of Los Angeles
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