As the war in Iraq continues, the country is on high alert for terrorist activities. Dealing with the modern threat of terrorism has been a priority for local law enforcement agencies.
However, one law enforcement agency spokesman has stated that the effort to seek out local terrorist activities has been hindered by protesters.
“Seven thousand officers statewide have been on 12-hour shifts with days off canceled until further notice,” said Officer Greg Williams, the public information officer for the California Highway Patrol in Bakersfield. “But the real problems,” he added, “have been with peace demonstrators in West L.A. and San Francisco. We have to get involved when they clog a bridge or major highway.”
When war protests get out of hand, Bakersfield CHP officers have to give support, leaving local resources stretched thin, said Williams.
The California Highway Patrol is the law enforcement agency that monitors the state’s power grid and the California Aqueduct for suspicious activity.
According to Williams, the flight patrols of these crucial lifelines has been stepped up to 24 hours a day while the country is in a stage of heightened alert.
The CHP watches the local highways and interstates, where they also are beefing up security.
“We have double protection of the bridges and power plants, and increased random inspection of trucks. We also will be getting a bomb-sniffing dog that will be used at the weigh station on I-5,” Williams said.
The Bakersfield Police Department handles homeland security issues inside the city.
For about two years, the department has had a lieutenant who works closely with the FBI on dealing exclusively with possible terrorist threats in Bakersfield, according to Karen Bennett, crime prevention supervisor for the BPD.
To most people, the Neighborhood Watch Program may not seem to be an important local program for deterring terrorist activities, but Bennett said it is of utmost importance.
“We have taken a different approach to Neighborhood Watch, incorporating homeland security within the neighborhood,” Bennett said.
She said the program is a tool to help identify possible gang activity and methamphetamine labs in Bakersfield, but now it can help officers identify possible terrorist activities as well.
The police also work with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies are responsible for supplying Meadows Field with added security during the heightened alert, according to Mike Bradley, assistant sheriff in charge of law enforcement.
Helicopter patrols have been increased, Bradley said, with sheriff’s pilots keeping watch over the unincorporated areas of the county.
Communication is key to all of the agencies that have taken on the task of homeland security.
“We have been sharing information with local law enforcement agencies,” said Bradley. “The Sheriff’s Department encourages everybody in the community (to act) as additional eyes and ears.”