"Are we really any safer today? Are we truly any smarter now than we were then?" Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo queried during his presentation on "Homeland Security and Domestic Preparedness: Keeping America Safe" at the Miller Center for Public Affairs last night.
On the topic of preparedness, Longo questioned whether any locality, such as Charlottesville, could truly have the means and resources to respond to a terror attack.
Throughout the evening, Longo focused on measures the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County have taken to prepare for a possible terror strike in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Longo emphasized that the community needs to be aware of vulnerabilities such as schools, the city's power grid and water system, and even local communications.
Longo mentioned that Charlottesville recently has become home to a regional office of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The JTTF is a nation-wide, information-sharing, network of law enforcement agencies fighting terrorism in the United States.
"How we have received information has greatly improved. It is far better now than it was on Sept. 10, 2001," Longo said.
George Gilliam, Miller Center director of forum program and special programs, praised Longo as a "man of rare gifts." Gilliam said he selects speakers such as Longo to demonstrate how national policy can be exercised on a local level.
As he continued to emphasize the importance of local preparedness, Longo remained frank and real about the issue.
When a member of the audience asked about the possibility of multiple simultaneous attacks on Washington, D.C. and the naval base in Norfolk, Va. and whether Charlottesville would have the resources to respond, Longo said it would stress local resources "to the max," but if such a situation arose, he knows "119 police officers that would be up for it"
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