Corey Washington
Staff Writer
Signal Hill Police Department (SHPD) is moving forward with additional layers of protection to the city following authorization from the City Council to use funds from a Department of Homeland Security grant the department received. The grant, which totals about $408,500, is intended to help law enforcement in the event of a terrorist threat.
The City Council unanimously approved on April 21 for the police department to use funds from the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) 14. The bulk of the grant, about $300,000, would be used to purchase and install wireless Internet Protocol (IP) cameras at critical security sites throughout the city. An additional $100,000 would fund helicopter download capabilities to mobile command and watch commander vehicles. The remaining funds would be used to purchase chemical and biological protective gear for the department, according to a staff report.
According to SHPD Capt. Christopher Nunley, who prepared the staff report for the Council, the police department identified several sites and facilities in the city that could be potential terrorist targets or used to execute a terrorist attack. Implementing IP cameras at these sites could help prevent a threat and aid in any subsequent investigation, he said.
Nunley acknowledged there are plausible terrorist threats that could be attempted at multiple sites within the city, which underscores the need to secure those areas.
“Investigation-wise, if someone was to break into the water reservoir, we would be able to hopefully monitor it in real time and send officers out to apprehend them or stop them,” Nunley said. “At the bare minimum, it could assist us with our investigation of who did it, what they did and where they went. On the high end, if you had a terrorist group that was bent on poisoning the water supply in Signal Hill, what better place to go than to the multiple reservoirs here. So, the cameras at those locations would alert us to their presence and allow us to mitigate the threat.”
Nunley emphasized the camera systems are not intended for surveillance of citizens.
Among the critical sites identified by the department were the Temple Pump Station, Gundry Water Treat national security threats in localities. Signal Hill Police Department was among several cities’ law-enforcement agencies to receive the grant.
Mayor Larry Forester praised the grant and the police department’s efforts to protect the city at all times.
“It is wonderful to be able to get this money for domestic preparedness, and we appreciate the city of L.A. working with us,” he said.
Nunley said many people may not actively think about terrorist activity in their city but should be conscious of the possibility.
“Most people want to feel safe in their homes, and they don’t want to think about the possibility of something terrible happening around them, and personally I don’t blame them,” said Nunley. “I would like people to think more about their safety and the safety of their city, and to keep a more watchful eye over places where these types of events can occur. We have water pump stations, we have reservoirs, we have oil facilities that store oil and gasoline. These are things that people should keep an eye out for, and if they happen to see something that doesn’t fit in or doesn’t look right, they should call us right away.”
Following the City Council’s approval, the grant was sent back to the Los Angeles mayor’s office for further approval, which is expected in the next few weeks, Nunley said. Implementation of the cameras will probably take another year, he added.
