*
jim.newton@latimes.com
Advertisement
Hypothetical Terrorists Put Regional Officials to the Test
Panel gets generally high marks in its response to a simulated biological attack on Greater L.A.
FIVE YEARS AFTER
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday September 06, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 42 words Type of Material: Correction
Terror attack: An article in Monday's Section A about Los Angeles leaders discussing how they would respond to a terrorist attack referred to ricin and anthrax as chemicals. Ricin is a toxic protein, and anthrax is a disease spread by bacterial spores.
Advertisement
*
Begin text of infobox
The players
The Los Angeles Times invited leading officials at various city, county and federal institutions to participate in last Tuesday's terror simulation. Those who attended were:
* Lee Baca, Los Angeles County sheriff.
* James T. Butts, who supervises security at Los Angeles International Airport.
* Janet Clayton, assistant managing editor of The Times.
* Richard Deppisch, emergency preparedness coordinator for the city's Animal Services Department.
* Dr. Jonathan Fielding, county director of public health.
* Sandra Hutchens, chief of homeland security for the county Sheriff's Department.
* Dan Isaacs, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
* Deputy Chief Mark Leap, head of the Los Angeles Police Department's Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau.
* Deputy Chief Mario Rueda of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
* Deputy Mayor Maurice Suh, who oversees homeland security and public safety for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
* Assistant Director in Charge J. Stephen Tidwell, head of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
An expert on terrorism
The scenario was designed by Brian Jenkins, a nationally known expert on terrorism and senior advisor to the president of the Rand Corp. Jenkins, author of "Unconquerable Nation: Knowing Our Enemy, Strengthening Ourselves," worked with Rand officials and authorities at the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to design the details of the episode. He then presented them to the participants, who were not told in advance what they would confront.
Jenkins also consulted with officials at those agencies to be sure that no details were so unique that their disclosure would introduce new ideas to possible terrorists. At the conclusion of the session, Jenkins discussed it with a representative of the LAPD, who was confident that nothing would reveal sensitive information regarding the region's preparedness.
Funding for the event was provided by The Times' 125th anniversary fund.
*
Source: Times reporting
Los Angeles Times
