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.