| Creation
of the Office of Homeland Security
On September
11, 2001, we all witnessed the horrific attack upon America
perpetrated by terrorists who had taken up residence within
the United States. We were truly shocked and saddened at the
tragic loss of thousands of innocent lives and the billions
of dollars in property loss. The fact that terrorists could
successfully target two of our country's major commercial
and government centers with such impunity was a clear indication
that drastic action had to be taken to insure the integrity
of our country's "Homeland Security."
This attack
upon our country also clearly demonstrated that emergency
personnel first on scene can make a significant contribution
in the rescue of severely injured victims and the restoration
of public order. In this instance, "first responders"
from local government entities were the only public safety
personnel on scene for several hours. It was incumbent upon
these first responders to attend to the critically injured,
initiate rescue operations, establish the crime scene perimeters,
and develop logistical supply and communications lines for
the many hundreds of additional state and federal emergency
personnel who would eventually arrive on scene.
Should
an incident or disaster of this magnitude occur in our county,
many of the first responders will be the men and women of
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. It is the Sheriff's
duty and responsibility to insure that all residents of our
county are adequately protected from the threat of any and
all forms of terrorism.
Therefore,
we are embarking upon a proactive effort to enhance our Department's
response to potential threats related to local homeland security.
This will be accomplished by designating a special office
to command those bureaus and units within our Department that
have a nexus to local homeland security.
On October
27, 2002, our mission was accomplished. The new Office of
Homeland Security was established by Sheriff Baca with the
concurrence of the Board of Supervisors. The
members of this office are committed to the pursuit of a coordinated
strategy of preparedness to ensure the readiness of our "first
responders"who are ultimately entrusted with the mission
of protecting all the citizens of our county. |
