US Security Chief Says Security Funding Should Be Based on Terror Risk By Barbara Schoetzau VOA NEWS New York 25 April 2005
U.S. Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff toured a major New York transportation hub Monday as part of a bid by New York officials for increased federal anti-terror funding. Mr. Chertoff was given an informational tour of Grand Central Terminal where five New York City subway lines and commuter trains from Connecticut and suburban New York bring more than 150,000 people to work every day. Thousands more pass through the station to shop and go to work in the office building atop the station. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city's position as a transportation center and a target of attack mean it should be given more federal dollars than less vulnerable areas. "Homeland Security funding should be based on risk and risk alone. And the bulk of the funding should go to cities like New York that face the gravest threat of attack," he said. Many officials representing the New York region say the area is being short-changed by politicians in Washington who want to send federal dollars to their home states. "The terrorists look for our weakest pressure point. If you strengthen air security, they will look at the port. And if you strengthen the port, they will look at trucks. If you strengthen trucks, they will look at rail. So we need an activist secretary who is going to make those arguments within the Administration that we must do more for Homeland Security,' said Charles Schumer, the senior United States Senator from New York, who is one of those advocating a risk-based approach to federal funding. Secretary Chertoff received a briefing about security measures at Grand Central Terminal, which is patrolled by national guard troops in addition to police and trained dogs. He said his department is fighting for a risk-based approach to security funding. "We do believe in having a risk-based approach to everything that we do at the Department of Homeland Security. What that means is that we want to measure potential consequences, we want to measure potential threats and we want to measure potential vulnerability," he said. After a meeting between New York officials and Mr. Chertoff earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security gave the metropolitan New York region an additional $42 million in transportation security funds. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
