Testimony of Ronald L. Iden, Assistant Director in Charge,
Los Angeles Division, FBI
Before
the
House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government
Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations
Los Angeles, CA
March 28, 2002
"Bio-Terrorism"
Good
morning Chairman Horn and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you to discuss
the FBI's efforts within the Southern California region to
work with our law enforcement and first responder partners
in addressing the threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD),
specifically chemical, biological or nuclear threats.
Introduction
The FBI's
overall counterterrorism mission is to detect, deter, prevent
and respond to terrorist actions that threaten U.S. national
interests at home or abroad, from either domestic or international
sources. Presidential Decision Directives (PDD) 39, 62, and
63 defined the FBI's role of crisis management, investigation,
and intelligence support for terrorism prevention in the coverage
of National Special Security Events (NSSE), and in response
to an actual terrorism event.
At the
Federal level, the FBI's lead crisis management and investigative
responsibilities exist in a partnership alongside FEMA's consequence
management role for response to a WMD attack. PDD-62 created
a three-way partnership in connection with NSSEs, adding the
United States Secret Service (USSS) role of security management.
NSSEs where such a three-way partnership has been in place
include the Olympics, the Republican National Convention,
or as in the case of Los Angeles, the 2000 Democratic National
Convention.
Terrorism
is a global problem with a local impact, as was evidenced
with devastating clarity on September 11th. The FBI nationally,
and the Los Angeles Office of the FBI in particular, long
ago realized the importance of FBI partnership with a region's
law enforcement, first responder, and health communities in
executing its counterterrorism mission. I will discuss in
detail our efforts in this area.
The
Los Angeles Division of the FBI (FBILA)
FBILA's
responsibilities cover the Central Federal Judicial District
of California - a 40,000 square mile, seven county area, including
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo,
Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, and a population that
exceeds 17 million. The FBILA interacts with 155 chiefs of
police and sheriffs, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department (LASD), the largest such department in the United
States, and the Los Angeles Police Department, one of the
largest police departments in the United States. In order
to address the challenges posed by its vast territory, FBILA
has established nine resident agencies (RAs) throughout the
region within the cities of Santa Ana, Long Beach, Riverside,
West Covina, Ventura, Santa Maria, Lancaster, Victorville
and Palm Springs, and one RA at the Los Angeles International
Airport. Four of those RAs have more than thirty agents assigned,
and the Santa Ana RA alone is itself larger than many FBI
field offices.
Southern
California is very diverse ethnically. It is home to many
of the largest émigré communities in the United
States. The Iranian-American community, estimated at more
than 500,000, is the largest in the world outside of Teheran.
The Korean-American community is also estimated to exceed
500,000. According to the 2000 census, the Hispanic community
constitutes up to 49.9% of the population in six of the seven
counties covered by the Los Angeles Division. One can find
significant Vietnamese-American, Chinese-American, and Arab-American
(covering numerous Arab countries) communities within the
region. The Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other religious
communities are correspondingly large.
The Southern
California region is home to multi-billion dollar industries,
including the defense, entertainment, computer technology,
and biotechnology industries. The region is home to a massive
critical infrastructure, including gas and oil storage and
transport, electrical power, telecommunications, banking and
finance, water supply, transportation, emergency services
and government services systems.
Joint
Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF)
The 1993
World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing,
and the events of September 11th only reinforced for FBILA
a longstanding commitment to work integrally with its regional
partners in addressing terrorism. Significant initiatives
to combat terrorism began well before those events. In 1984,
FBILA formed the Los Angeles Task Force on Terrorism (LATFOT)
as the direct result of planning for the 1984 Los Angeles
Summer Olympics. This task force, formed jointly with the
Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department, has expanded to incorporate the full time participation
of 14 Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies.
The agencies that currently participate on a full time basis
include the LAPD, LASD, California Department of Justice,
California Highway Patrol, US Department of State Office of
Diplomatic Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Naval Criminal
Investigative Service (NCIS), US Air Force Office of Special
Investigations (OSI), US Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, US Secret Service,
US Customs Service, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Internal
Revenue Service. The FBILA has assigned four counterterrorism
squads to the LATFOT, addressing the FBI's International Terrorism
(2 squads), Domestic Terrorism, and NIPCI Programs.
Other
joint terrorism task force (JTTF) initiatives are ongoing
within the Los Angeles Division. One is the very successful
Inland Empire Terrorism Task Force formed several years ago.
FBILA's Riverside RA, together with law enforcement agencies
from within Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, comprise
this JTTF. FBILA is currently creating an additional JTTF
in Orange County as a response to the September 11th attacks.
Participating
law enforcement agencies have increased the number of officers
and agents assigned to FBILA's JTTFs since September 11th.
These staffing enhancements will increase interagency cooperation
in counterterrorism prevention and response, and will enhance
the effectiveness of investigations. With the FBI's focus
on the detection and prevention of terrorist incidents, this
interagency cooperation and sharing of information is absolutely
essential.
In response
to the events of September 11th, the State of California has
created a California Anti Terrorism Information Center, and
has established regional terrorism task forces throughout
the State, composed of agents from the California Department
of Justice, officers from the California Highway Patrol, and
officers from local police departments. The FBI has worked
closely with the Governor, the California Attorney General,
and their staffs, in order to ensure that those regional state
task force units collaborate closely with the FBI's JTTFs
throughout the State. In fact, most of those units are co-located
with the FBI's JTTFs.
The US
Attorney General has directed the US Attorney in each judicial
district to form an Attorney General's Terrorism Task Force
(ATTF). Within FBILA's territory, the Central District of
California, the ATTF is synonymous with the FBILA's LATFOT
and its Riverside and Santa Ana JTTFs. Cooperation between
the US Attorney's Office (USAO) in terrorism matters has been,
and remains highly effective. FBILA has provided counterterrorism
and WMD training for USAO attorneys. A number of significant
terrorism criminal prosecutions have been achieved, including
the first in the United States charging subjects with providing
material support to a terrorist organization, and the first
to charge a subject with issuing a false anthrax hoax.
WMD
and the non-traditional FBI role
The 1984
formation of the LATFOT was only the first of FBILA's long-standing
and extensive efforts to execute its counterterrorism mission.
The FBI's national commitment to countering the growing WMD
threat through the formation of the WMD Operations Unit and
Countermeasures Unit was mirrored by specific innovative and
nontraditional initiatives within Los Angeles Division. Distinct
from traditional FBI initiatives, which emphasize cooperative
investigation and intelligence gathering among law enforcement
agencies at various jurisdictional levels, these nontraditional
approaches seek to elicit the participation and cooperation
of non-investigative agencies whose mission is instead oriented
to public safety and threat response.
The nontraditional
efforts began in 1996, with the formation of a Los Angeles
County Terrorism Early Warning Group (TEW). The formation
of this group was the direct result of exceptional working
relationships between LASD, LAPD, Los Angeles County Fire,
Los Angeles City Fire, Los Angeles County Health and FBI personnel
assigned to emergency operations, counterterrorism, and bomb
squads. The mission of the Group is to provide a common venue
for information sharing, training, and the establishment of
common response protocols for law, fire, health, and emergency
management agencies to WMD incidents. The TEW has evolved
today into an entity with participation by more than 50 agencies
at the Federal, state and local levels from several area counties,
and with a permanent interagency component housed in the Los
Angeles County Emergency Operations Center. FBILA's TEW in
Los Angeles County was such an effective model that FBILA
has extended the concept to other counties to develop similar
groups. These efforts have met with success in Riverside,
San Bernardino, Orange, and Ventura counties.
It should
be noted that FBILA's WMD efforts were shaped by some very
important parameters. The FBI was only one of many large and
proactive agencies within the Southern California region with
expertise in WMD matters. The Southern California region was
the birthplace of the Incident Command System (ICS), developed
to manage interagency responses to major disasters such as
earthquakes, floods, and fires. In recognition of this working
environment, FBILA adopted and has adhered to the ICS in responding
to WMD incidents. As a result, the question, "Who is
in charge?" is answered through the ICS. ICS regional
partners recognize the FBI's lead Federal agency role in responding
to a WMD attack. The FBI takes charge as management of an
incident shifts from public health and safety issues to the
control and handling of the incident site as a contaminated
crime scene and contemporaneous criminal investigation. In
a major incident, the FBI would also be part of a Unified
Command located in a Joint Operations Center assigned the
task of managing the crisis and its consequences, as well
as attending to investigative requirements over the long term.
The effectiveness
of the TEW was put to the test during the last quarter of
1998, when the Southern California region experienced over
40 anthrax hoax threats. Early in that period, those incidents
garnered a high level of media attention and incurred a cost
to the public averaging $600,000 per response. By the end
of that period, the participating agencies had cut response
costs dramatically, lowered the media profile, and reduced
the unnecessary decontamination of victims. The FBI was able
to assist in the development of these protocols by providing
direct access to the US Army's research facility, USAMRID,
in advising responders on how to handle anthrax incidents.
Both the events of September 11th, and the actual dissemination
of anthrax spores that took place shortly thereafter, resulted
in the handling of several hundred anthrax-related calls and
incidents by the FBILA and its regional partners. The preceding
years of interagency cooperation had already established the
basis for consistent protocols in the handling of anthrax-related
calls by the TEW member agencies bearing that responsibility.
Training
In recognition
of the importance of a WMD/counterterrorism response, FBILA
management authorized the formation of special agent positions
dedicated to WMD outreach, training, and response in 1998.
During 1999, FBILA formed a squad encompassing those WMD responsibilities,
as well as responsibilities for bomb response, training and
outreach, and the NIPCI program. Currently, FBILA has a 25
member HAZMAT Response Team (HMRT) and a team of four bomb
technicians who are cross-trained as HMRT members. These resources
service the comprehensive FBILA efforts to work with state
and local governments to prepare for a WMD attack.
As a
point of explanation, the HMRT is composed of FBI Special
Agents trained to gather evidence in a crime scene contaminated
by either biological or chemical contamination utilizing Personal
Protection Equipment (PPE) up to Level A. The cross-trained
bomb technicians wear both PPE and a bomb suit, and they are
able to "render safe" an explosive device used to
disseminate chemical or biological materials.
Utilizing
these dedicated resources, FBILA personnel have to date participated
in five Nunn-Lugar sponsored WMD consequence management exercises
which have taken place in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim,
Santa Ana, and Huntington Beach. Two more exercises are scheduled
for later in 2002, and FBILA will participate in those exercises
as well.
The FBILA
field training exercise codenamed "Westwind 99"
warrants discussion. Held in February 1999, Westwind 99 combined
the FBI's annual crisis management exercise with a Nunn-Lugar
WMD consequence management exercise for Los Angeles City and
County. Westwind 99 simulated a chemical attack on a local
air show by a fictional domestic terrorist group, resulting
in the simulated deaths of 2,000 victims. The exercise was
all-inclusive, encompassing the pre-investigation phase, detecting
the possibility of a terrorist attack, through a comprehensive
consequence management response, an investigative response,
and finally culminating in the tactical arrest of the "terrorists."
An estimated 2000 participants included the FBI, county, state,
and local law enforcement, regional fire and HAZMAT agencies,
health agencies at all levels of government, emergency management
agencies at all levels of government, the Department of Defense,
the US Marine Corp, and a deployment of various Federal agencies
from Washington, D.C. comprising the Domestic Emergency Support
Team (DEST). Of the many lessons learned by participants at
all levels of government, the most important was the lesson
of working together in an effective and coordinated manner.
During
1998, FBILA developed a WMD "train the trainer"
course curriculum, which provided information on terrorism,
WMD, and the role of the FBI to regional law enforcement,
fire, health, and emergency operations personnel. Participants
were provided with hard copies and a CD-rom of the curriculum
so that they could teach their own agency personnel in turn.
The FBILA
HMRT conducts monthly WMD training drills with other agencies.
A notable example was a drill in which a simulated WMD incident
was handled aboard a commercial airliner. This drill involved
the HMRT, FAA, and Los Angeles Airport Police Department.
A second example was a WMD drill utilizing a live but harmless
biological organism in cooperation with UCLA, the Los Angeles
County Health Lab, and the LAPD HAZMAT team. The most recent
HMRT drill took place during the week of March 18th at the
UCLA campus, in which the FBI HMRT, LAPD, LASD and UCLA personnel
responded to a simulated WMD incident involving simulated
radioactive materials.
The FBI
has participated with the 88 Los Angeles County hospitals
in their annual disaster exercises which are required by state
law. FBILA personnel provide WMD/counterterrorism training
at the California State Training Institute in San Luis Obispo
in support of the State of California's Office of Emergency
Services.
In summary,
FBILA has conducted WMD/counterterrorism training in support
of state and local government within a variety of venues,
and it continues to do so on an ongoing basis.
FBILA
also conducts eight basic one-week post-blast schools for
regional law enforcement agencies annually. These courses
are sponsored by the FBI Bomb Data Center. Additionally, FBILA
bomb technicians conduct the only advanced large vehicle post-blast
schools in the entire United States. These courses attract
students from law enforcement agencies all over the country.
They are conducted on remote and isolated US military facilities
such as California's China Lake research station and Vandenburg
Air Force Base, due to the large amount of explosives (up
to 1000 lbs) utilized.
Communication
FBILA
adheres strongly to a belief in the need for excellent interagency
communication and cooperation. With the formation of the TEW
Group in 1996, the FBI not only obtained Top Secret clearances
for key law enforcement personnel, but also for fire, HAZMAT,
and health personnel. This was necessary to ensure that critical
information could be passed to local and state officials so
that they could make appropriate health and safety decisions
during the course of a WMD terrorist incident.
Since
its formation in 1996, the TEW has also served as a conduit
to disseminate important threat information through its member
agencies and the 88 cities within Los Angeles County. Given
the sensitive and often classified nature of counterterrorism
investigations conducted by the JTTFs, the information is
filtered for release to the TEW.
During
1999, FBILA expanded its WMD outreach and training to the
private sector in connection with its NIPCIP efforts. The
InfraGard component of the NIPCIP is an FBI/Federal partnership
with the private sector, as well as with local and state government
agencies within eight identified critical infrastructures:
banking, telecommunication, oil transport/storage, water,
power, continuing government services, emergency services,
and transportation. Corporate and government members alike
have stated clearly that they wish to receive information
on physical and WMD threats, as well as information on cyber
threats.
FBILA's
strong working relationship with the Pacific Gas and Electric
personnel who run the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Facility reflects
the recognition by the FBI of the critical nature of the facility.
The channels of communication established through FBILA's
Santa Maria Resident Agency, ensures that threat information
is forwarded to them on a timely basis.
Subsequent
to September 11th, FBILA has established direct dissemination
of threat information to the 155 chiefs-of-police within the
Southern California region. This is accomplished utilizing
an e-mail listserv on Law Enforcement On-line (LEO). With
the emphasis on the most rapid possible dissemination, threat
information including the National Law Enforcement Teletype
System (NLETS) and the National Threat Warning System (NTWS)
disseminations are sent directly to the regional chief of
police through FBILA's LEO listserv.
FBILA,
in conjunction with the TEW, will expand communication and
cooperation with the State of California anti-terrorism intelligence
efforts within the California Anti-terrorism Information Center
(CATIC). This computer based "pointer system" will
contain information provided by California's local law enforcement
agencies on individuals with an alleged connection to terrorism.
FBILA
has participated in the State Standing Committee on Terrorism
(SSCOT), a California State initiative of the Office of Emergency
Services. During the aftermath of the September 11th attacks,
FBILA participated in a series of statewide telephone conferences
implemented by this Committee. These conferences discussed
development of anthrax protocols, incidents that occurred
within the state, and policy issues as they pertained to the
capability of the state's health labs to handle testing of
biological samples.
As with
the state and local partners, FBILA's regional Federal partners
are essential to any successful effort to prepare for and
respond to a WMD terrorist incident. Both FEMA and the Center
for Disease Control (CDC) have figured very prominently in
major training exercises such as Westwind 99 and in real operations
such as the FBI's coverage of the 2000 Democratic National
Convention. Both agencies have very well defined areas of
responsibilities which would be carried out in an integrated
and complementary manner as part of the overall management
of a WMD incident by the Unified Command and the Joint Operations
Center.
Conclusion
The Los
Angeles Division of the FBI retains its long-term commitment
to working as a partner with state and local government in
preparing to meet the challenge of a WMD terrorist incident.
This has been accomplished through participation in organizations
like the TEW, SSCOT, InfraGard, and the JTTFs. This has been
accomplished by participation in WMD exercises like Westwind
99. Support has also been provided through WMD training and
outreach promulgated by FBILA. Support for preparedness has
been provided through dissemination of threat information
via the TEW and the LEO listserv.
Mutual
support is developed within the context of everyday working
relationships established through the numerous real responses
to anthrax and chemical hoaxes, joint terrorism investigation,
and joint coverage of major events like the 2000 Democratic
National Convention, pre-Olympic and other international sporting
events, and major entertainment industry high-profile events,
such as the Emmy and Academy Award telecasts.
Chairman
Horn, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would like to
express my appreciation for this subcommittee's examination
of the issue of counterterrorism preparedness within the Southern
California region. I look forward to responding to any questions
that you might have.
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