NEW ANALYSIS OF STATE AND LOCAL ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORTS SHOWS DROP IN EFFORTS SUPPORTING TERRORISM PREVENTION

24 June 2002

NEW ANALYSIS OF STATE AND LOCAL ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORTS SHOWS DROP IN EFFORTS SUPPORTING TERRORISM PREVENTION

States, Localities Less Prepared Than Last Fall

PHOENIX, ARIZONA June 24, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A new analysis of government data from states and localities reveals a 3 percent drop in efforts related to terrorism prevention, despite increasing calls for more focus on prevention efforts.

This is an alarming trend given the fact that Vice President Cheney himself recently warned "It's not if but when" another terrorist attack would occur. Cheney strongly emphasized that this could happen anywhere, anytime and Americans must work to prevent this. Dr. Saul B. Wilen, President of International Horizons Unlimited said, "While the need for prevention efforts is increasing, the actual commitment by states and localities to terrorism prevention is declining. A reassessment of how government agencies are expending their resources on anti-terrorism efforts is needed."

The analysis was conducted during the period of October 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002 from data gathered in four states and eight localities strategically located around the United States. In addition four non- intelligence gathering federal agencies (Federal Emergency Management Agency, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy) were also monitored. The state and local jurisdictions were geographically and socioeconomically diverse.

Data was gathered from public domain documents available in the following states and localities: New Jersey; Texas; Indiana; and Washington State; Portland, Maine; Charleston, South Carolina; Minot, North Dakota; Durango, Colorado; Orange County, California; Wichita, Kansas; Cook County, Illinois; and Montgomery, Alabama.

All actions taken or proposed relating to terrorism, emergency management, effective communication, educational efforts for entity personnel and the public, resources management, and crisis response were evaluated and classified as being prevention, protection, preparedness, intervention, or reaction. Prevention is defined as those actions instituted to defeat a threat before any impact can occur. All of the other four categories relate to efforts after a threat is manifest and ongoing.

On April 11, 2002 the preliminary analysis of the data obtained was presented in New York City at the U.S. Secret Service Task Force on Electronic Crimes and Terrorism to approximately 600 attendees from law enforcement, private sector business, the U.S. Congress, and New York State Legislators. As of March 31, 2002 the states and localities being monitored showed 80 percent of their efforts were solely reactive in nature. Only 5 percent of all efforts were prevention directed.

Revisiting the analysis of state and localities information, but now from October 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002 revealed startling results. 81 percent (an increase of 1 percent) of all efforts were solely reactive, intervention efforts had increased from 5 percent to 7 percent, and prevention efforts had dramatically decreased from 5 percent to 2 percent.

International Horizons Unlimited
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