“We want the people of Jersey City to know that we are doing all we can to make sure they are safe,” said Deputy Police Director Edgar Martinez, regarding Jersey City’s response to the orange level on the national terrorist alert last week. “We are preparing for everything.”
According to Martinez, the city has started a number of public safety initiatives, among them the placing of increased police presence in what he described as “primary” locations.
“The department has put about 100 cops on duty in areas like the PATH stations,” said Martinez. “These officers have been in training to handle both chemical and biochemical threats.”
The systematic education of the Jersey City police force on dealing with possible terrorist actions has been going on since the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, Martinez added.
“They have been educated on how to handle situations involving weapons of mass destruction,” said Martinez.
Earlier in the month, Mayor Glenn Cunningham announced the increased police patrols and other safety initiatives after the threat of terrorism was raised to orange or “high risk” by the federal Office of Homeland Security.
“With this heightened risk, it’s our call to not just have all our emergency response personnel prepared for the unpredictable, but to also have an informed citizenry,” said Cunningham. “The best prevention of a terrorist act is awareness and diligence by our sworn personnel and the public alike.”
Martinez said the patrols would also be increased in the waterfront financial district and Washington Avenue and downtown areas.
“The chief of police has opened the emergency management office,” said Martinez. “We are asking residents to be alert to any suspicious people or objects they may see.”
Martinez said that if the public has any questions regarding the orange alert terrorist status, they should contact the Mayor’s Action Bureau at (201) 547-5749.
On the county level
One effect of the orange alert status in Hudson County was the locking down of water facilities such as reservoirs, sewerage treatment plants, and other venues that could be used as a distribution vehicle for biological or chemical weapons.
After the attack on the World Trade Center, the state has issued a variety of measures to secure water treatment areas, including the installation of video cameras and barbed wired fences.
Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, the state Assembly’s chairperson for Homeland Security and State Preparedness, said that Hudson County hospitals are reporting patterns of treatment to the Hudson County Regional Health Commission.
“These reports are not dealing with the diagnosis, just the symptoms being treated,” said Quigley.
Quigley said. “Hudson Regional puts this data into computers which have programs that will alert us to clusters of activity. In this way we get to scan for possible bio-terrorism activities.”
Quigley said the three hospitals she represents in the Bon Secours medical system, St. Mary in Hoboken, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, and St. Francis Hospital in Jersey City have teams that meet every Friday to discuss disaster plans.
In a telephone interview this week, Quigley said residents of the county should be “cautious,” but not panic.
“I wouldn’t go out and buy duct tape or plastic,” she said. “But I’ve made sure I have adequate water and food in my house for an emergency situation such as a heavy snowstorm or a hurricane, or any event that would require you to remain in your home for a few days.”
This means stocking up on batteries, candles, and other items needed in case power should go out, and making certain to have extra blankets and other items for warmth should heat be affected.
Quigley also commented, “We have been talking with people about additional security, such as checking identification of people coming and going into buildings. We’ve reminded our own hospital staffs to carry their identification with them in case they have to come back. Only those with proper identification will get through police lines in case of an emergency.”
Quigley is also encouraging tenants of larger buildings and management of buildings with numerous clients to set up and review emergency evacuation plans.
“They should have more than one plan to get out,” she said, “in case the main stairs are inaccessible. They should also check to make sure doors are not locked at the bottom, or that the exit they take does not lead out into an area being used by fire or other emergency apparatus.”
Residents in home or offices should also check their smoke detectors as well as the status and location of fire extinguishers.
“You should use common sense, but you shouldn’t panic,” Quigley said. “The alert means that we should be vigilant.”
People who take prescription drugs should also renew their prescriptions.
How to hear
Presently, various public safety groups are meeting and talking about what to do in case of an attack, Quigley said. Hudson County responded well to the Sept. 11 attack, but that event also showed some weaknesses in the general system, such as communications between various police, fire, and other emergency services.
“We have our emergency services talking to each other and devising general plans,” she said. “If there is an emergency, we have a command system.”
Residents will be notified through a variety of communications. Every radio and cable TV station will broadcast emergency information.
“The police will also send out vehicles with loud speakers,” Quigley said.
In the event of a major disaster, the county’s OEM coordinates various groups from medical services, fire and police departments, and the Department of Public Works in each municipality and county.
“We currently have a snag we’re working out,” Quigley said. “The way the system works currently is that the information goes to the law enforcement agency, not to the Office of Emergency Management.”