A security guard is attacked at a power plant

WSAZ NewsChannel 3 ^ | November 5, 2001 | Scott Saxton

[Sunshine55]

PUTNAM CO., WV, Nov. 5 - With the world as it is now, an attack at a power plant gets even more attention. And it comes just days after the news leaked that the coast guard was already looking for a suspicious boat in our region. At this point, the coast guard is not sure whether the two things are connected. It could be a coincidence. But here's the good thing out of this whole mess: AEP says it was a test that security passed.

Putnam County Sheriff Stan Farley says, "Someone tried to come on the property." They came from the river side of the John Amos plant. A female security guard spotted one man and chased him. Then she says he turned and hit her. Farley says, "They were talking some type of foreign language. They got into the boat and took up the river." By the time police got there, only the ripples of the river remained. The men were long gone.

They're described as two dark skinned men, wearing dark clothing. Joe Haynes, with the John Amos Plant, says, "Our security reacted exactly the way we wanted them to." The Kanawha River is very close to the John Amos plant. AEP officials say from time to time people wander on to their property. Two months ago, they wouldn't have thought twice about this incident. Now they do.

September 11th changed that. A recent report from the Coast Guard adds to the concern. The guard says some boat is masquerading as a guard vessel in this region. Haynes says, "We're a little more sensitive to those kind of things, so we have to take that extra little bit of precaution when something like this happens." Joe Haynes says the already tight security at John Amos tightened even more after September 11th. Guards use mirrors to check under cars and trucks, just one precaution to keep much of the Valleys power supply pumping.

The guard who was involved in that scuffle, Patricia Parsons, is okay. She did go to the hospital, but she only had minor injuries. The Coast Guard is looking closer into this incident. They have the discretion with any water incident. They consider this a serious incident, so they're helping out. They can see if there are any connections to the bogus boat.

[KSCITYBOY]

This very well could be a story made up by a security guard to get 15 minutes of fame. If it's real incident then I wish just once the security guard would apprehend the suspect.

[harpseal]

My first reaction was why didn't this security officer drop at least one of these intruders. This was a power plant for God's sake. One may presume they were inside the fence. They were described as intruders. The article does not make it clear that this was a conventional plant and I have no idea if it was a nuje or a conventional.

As to grid HQ building this is an essential infrastucture target. Photographs should be forbidden and security needs to be maintained. If people are photgraphing the area then someone should be stopping them and questioning them.

It seems like we need at least another 100,000 dead Americans before we as a nation will take this war seriously. This is very sad but until we have armed volunteers who will shoot if the situation warrants it we will continue to be at risk for major hits on our nation.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

I remeber getting off I64 in Nitro a few years back while taking a vacation drive through West Virginia. The diner we stopped at had great biscuits and gravy. I agree on the topography keeping an MIC disaster in the valley and I completely agree that some sort of volunteer force is needed to help protect American infrastructure. This danger to the population presented by attacks on power and chemical plants is great. Communications can also be overloaded by power failures and some diversionary attacks. There needs to be a fast reaction force to back up police departments in this matter. It could be modeled on volunteer fire departments and get the job done.

Stay well - stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

I remeber getting off I64 in Nitro a few years back while taking a vacation drive through West Virginia. The diner we stopped at had great biscuits and gravy. I agree on the topography keeping an MIC disaster in the valley and I completely agree that some sort of volunteer force is needed to help protect American infrastructure. This danger to the population presented by attacks on power and chemical plants is great. Communications can also be overloaded by power failures and some diversionary attacks. There needs to be a fast reaction force to back up police departments in this matter. It could be modeled on volunteer fire departments and get the job done.

Stay well - stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Travis McGee]

We just aren't serious, we are still in denial.

[Samwise]

No, not true.

[js1138]

poking, prodding, testing our defenses.

For what it's worth, we should not have any standard defense, no schedules, no routines. Everything should be constantly moving and changing.

[neubie]

"Our security reacted exactly the way we wanted them to."

What? What happened to "Halt or I'll shoot" BANG ?

I think I prefer : Halt or I'll *BANG* shoot

[mountaineer]

When I heard about the phony Coast Guard boat on the Kanawha, my first thought was that there could be another Bhophal. We must have armed guards at all our chemical plants.

[LaineyDee]

I'll bet it was one of the security guard's jilted boyfriends.

You know, I thought the same thing. I guess I'd have to see more particulars about this incident before making a judgement tho. It's awfully vague.

On the same note... I wonder why they had a lone female security guard on this shift? It's a known fact that the ME's have very little respect for women and common sense would tell you that they would be less intimidated, plus more combative with a woman...IMHO.

[Travis McGee]

Note 37 and the chem plant targets and Bhopal topography.

[Poohbah]

It's all worrisome.

Still, I have a gut feeling that this is a diversion. Nothing beyond the infamous "I sense a disturbance in the Force" sensation, but I'm wondering if this is intended to draw our attention away from another target set.

Either that, or these are the jihadists who rode the short camel to school--they're attracting attention to themselves.

[FReepaholic]

Shoot them all and let Allah sort 'em out.

[Henk]

Note that he subject plant is not a nuclear plant. It's a coal plant. This is just media hysteria.

[Travis McGee]

That area is so packed with chemical plants it would make your hair stand on end. Read on into the thread.

[Travis McGee]

Or perhaps the terrorists are no longer acting in coordination, but a moving into the leaderless mode, taking targets of opportunity as they can?

[Poohbah]

If they are, then they're being a bunch of bloody fools doing it...sequential attacks are much more easily dealt with than simultaneous ones.

[Travis McGee]

We may have arrested enough key players that they have no alternative to independant action.

[Poohbah]

If true, good news then--their P_success goes down, and our P_{sending-the-worthless-dirtbags-off-to-meet-Allah} goes up.

Maybe I'm giving them too much credit for being able to act intelligently and in a coordinated fashion.

[gridlock]

The Coast Guard is looking closer into this incident. They have the discretion with any water incident.

Having the Coast Guard looking into a power plant invasion makes as much sense as having the Park Police investigate a murder because it happens in Fort Marcie Park. And that only makes sense if you don't want them to figure it out.