Replies

Here's an article from today's Asbury Park Press. I think there may have been more to the story.

Police guard against emergency-vehicle theft

Published in the Asbury Park Press 12/30/03
By TOM TRONCONE and A. SCOTT FERGUSON
STAFF WRITERS

Police statewide are to conduct random stops of emergency vehicles and, along with other emergency workers, are under orders to maintain round-the-clock security for all such vehicles, authorities briefed by state officials said yesterday.

The mandate, given during a special telephone briefing Sunday to local and county law enforcement throughout New Jersey by the state's Office of Counter-Terrorism, also calls for an inventory of all public and private emergency vehicles, officials said.

State officials yesterday would not disclose what specific intelligence led to the orders, which are designed to prevent possible theft of a patrol car, ambulance or firetruck for use by terrorists.

The mandate from the state comes on the heels of a statement Saturday by Gov. McGreevey warning motorists that all vehicles entering New York are now subject to search. It also comes less than a week after security was beefed up at chemical plants because of concerns they could be targets for terrorists.

While police would not talk about specific threats against the area, they did say that there is a great deal of information filtering in from Washington, D.C.

"There's a lot of things we're looking at. This is not business as usual," said Sgt. Kevin Rehmann, a State Police spokesman.

The emergency-vehicle mandate went into effect today, authorities said.

Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said the directive "originated in Washington but came through the New Jersey office. We were asked, first of all, to run an identification audit to find every single emergency vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is there. Actually look at it."

No specific threat

Most law enforcement personnel interviewed yesterday said the mandate simply reinforces what they already know should be common practice -- securing their vehicles. They said, however, that the timing of the briefing -- on the Sunday before New Year's Eve -- may indicate the importance of sharing the information quickly.

Local law enforcement was not told of any specific threat during the briefing, said Detective Lt. Bruce Johantgen of the Long Branch Police Department.

"They're just looking for 24-hour accountability on our part for our vehicles, that they are not left running and not left unsecured," Johantgen said.

Whenever the national terror alert is raised to orange, Long Branch police increase patrols at so-called "soft targets," such as hospitals, train stations and synagogues, Johantgen said.

"Police were instructed to make random stops of emergency vehicles and ask the drivers for identification, and they have to show documentation that shows a connection to the vehicle," Kaye said.

He also said police may accompany emergency vehicles when they make calls.

"This comes from recent extensive use of these types of vehicles in bombings in Istanbul just a few months ago, in Riyadh, an attempt in Yemen, use in the Philippines and Indonesia," Kaye said.

He also didn't rule out canceling police vacations and ordering longer shifts for officers.

"We didn't do that, but that doesn't mean that we won't," Kaye said. "We're not taking this for granted, and we won't."

The State Police have already increased the length of some officers' shifts.

"Some troopers were put on 12-hour shifts," Rehmann said.

While he also said everyone from the State Police is on call if needed, he cited a departmental policy not to talk specifically about manpower.

Briefing confidential

Kathy Ellis, a spokeswoman for Gov. McGreevey, said that the directives given to local police departments should remain confidential and not be disclosed. "People shouldn't be talking about it," Ellis said.

Ellis did say, however, that law enforcement in the state needs to be extra-vigilant because of the state's proximity to New York.

"We are like a sixth borough, and we've worked hand in hand with New York," Ellis said. "If you assume New York City itself is a target, then we have a responsibility on this side of the bridge from keeping (terrorists) from getting into the city and also helping with any evacuation that may be necessary."

She said motorists should allow extra time in their New Year's Eve planning and "expect to be searched" if en route to New York.

The mandates will not have much impact on the way the Shore area's largest emergency squad operates.

MONOC, the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corp., a non-profit company comprising 10 acute-care hospitals in Monmouth, Ocean and Atlantic counties, has had tight security procedures in place since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York, which included keeping their vehicles secure at all times, said John DeFillippo, a MONOC spokesman.

"Especially with the theft of a couple of ambulances that recently happened, there is going to be tighter security," DeFillippo said. "We had to submit all of our VIN numbers to the Prosecutor's Office."

An ambulance was stolen in Paterson on Christmas but was recovered later at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne.

Private ambulance services also were required to provide fleet details to county officials and welcomed the random stops.

"It's not bothersome," said Christopher Rowley, operations manager for Maximum Care Ambulance Service, Hazlet. "It's actually good that they are going to be checking."

'A wake-up call'

In Ocean County, Undersheriff Wayne R. Rupert, who coordinates the county's Office of Emergency Management, said yesterday that each time the terrorism alert level has been raised to orange, his office has emphasized that emergency vehicles should be accounted for at all times. Rupert added that each time the level has been raised, his office reminds police and other emergency workers to take precautions with any emergency vehicle, whether it's a patrol car, firetruck or ambulance.

"It's used like a wake-up call to get our people to think outside the everyday routine," Rupert said. "We make sure that they keep track of their vehicles, and they don't keep them running and so forth."

In Dover Township, Detective Lt. Steven Henry said that since Sept. 11, 2001, the department has reinforced the need for officers to keep track of vehicles and to account for them when shifts end.

The Bush administration raised the nation's level of terrorism preparedness a week ago, calling an orange alert because of general reports of threats against nuclear power plants, electrical installations, large dams, bridges and other facilities.