Declaring a nuclear or radiological attack one of the greatest terrorism threats facing the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Friday that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would soon be equipped with large radiation detection portals to screen all international containers entering the nation's busiest port complex.
Wrapping up a two-day visit to Los Angeles and a swing through Irvine, Chertoff said the radiation monitors would begin operating at three terminals within the Port of Los Angeles by the end of the month. Ninety of the towering detection devices would be in place at the Los Angeles/Long Beach complex by the end of the year, he said.
Just weeks ago, the Port of Oakland became the first in the nation to be outfitted with the radiation monitors, which are large enough for container trucks to drive through.
"We all know that one of the greatest threats we face in this country is the possibility of a nuclear or radiological attack, which would be devastating in its consequences," Chertoff said in San Pedro. "Obviously, one of our top priorities at the Department of Homeland Security is to prevent that kind of attack. And a key element of that strategy is detection. We have to know that something is coming in so we can intercept it."
Earlier Friday, Chertoff praised Orange County's cities for sharing nearly $70 million in grants since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"You've got quite a spirit of partnership," he said after meeting with police and firefighters at the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters.
Some areas of Orange County have been criticized over how they have used their portion of the $20 billion that was disbursed nationally in homeland security grants, or for accepting money when they had few identifiable terrorist targets.
Chertoff and Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, have urged Congress to apportion the money by risk and the impact of an attack, not by population formulas alone. A Cox-sponsored bill to do so passed the House, while a companion measure is being debated in the Senate.
In the most recent allocation, Anaheim and Santa Ana received a total of $25 million, but agreed to spread the money among 12,000 "first responders" countywide, said Sheriff Michael S. Carona.
A law enforcement committee has earmarked the county's money for hazardous-materials suits, command vehicles and other equipment.
