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Chicago's Preparedness for Terrorism THE ASPEN INSTITUTE HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM Chicago’s Preparedness for Terrorism By Clark Kent Ervin Chicago’s Preparedness for Terrorism Clark Kent Ervin Aspen Homeland Security Program Clark Kent Ervin Director Washington, DC April 2010 Clark Kent Ervin Director Copyright © 2010 by The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 Published in the United States of America in 2010 by The Aspen Institute All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 0-89843-523-4 Pub #: 10/008 Contents INTRODUCTION CHICAGO’S PREPAREDNESS FOR TERRORISM Chicago Police Department.......................................................................................1 Aviation Security.......................................................................................................2 Maritime Security......................................................................................................4 Mass Transit Security................................................................................................6 Critical Infrastructure, Soft Targets, and Icons.........................................................7 Best Practices...........................................................................................................16 Preparedness Gaps...................................................................................................17 APPENDIX Exhibit A: The Agenda............................................................................................21 Exhibit B: The Participants’ Bios............................................................................25 Exhibit C: The Audience List..................................................................................42 Introduction This is the third in a series of reports about various cities’ preparedness for terrorism and/or natural disasters. It is the outgrowth of a series of discussions in 2007-2008 in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, and Chicago among key federal, state, and local government offi cials in each such city, as well as private sector stakeholders, and think tank/academic experts on homeland security and counterterrorism. The series was underwritten by a generous lead grant from the Ford Foundation, supplemented by additional grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the McCormick Foundation, and the Houston Endowment. The goal in each city was to identify best practices that can be replicated around the country; to identify any gaps in preparedness; and to recommend to policymakers ways and means of closing any such gaps. The Chicago roundtable, held on June 24-26, 2008, was sponsored and hosted by the McCormick Foundation. A copy of the agenda for the roundtable; the biographies of each speaker; and a list of audience members are attached hereto as Exhibits A, B, and C, respectively. A summary of the best practices identifi ed in the report, and the preparedness gaps precede the exhibits. (Recommendations to close the preparedness gaps are implicit in the explanation of the gaps). As noted in the preceding reports on New York and Los Angeles, two caveats are in order. First, this report is not, and is not represented to be, an exhaustive and rigorous examination of homeland security preparedness in Chicago. It is, instead, the product of the considered judgment of front-line practitioners and nationally recognized experts as of a particular moment in time. And, though considerable time has, admittedly, passed since the roundtable, the report remains an invaluable tool for policymakers as they evaluate, now nearly nine years after 9/11, what we have accomplished in terms of counterterrorism preparedness in the intervening years and what remains to be done. Second, like the fi rst two reports, this one focuses exclusively on counterterrorism preparedness. Like New York and Los Angeles, Chicago is likewise at the top of terrorists’ target list. This is not meant to denigrate the importance of preparing for natural disasters. And, certainly, to some degree at least, preparing for natural disasters and terror attacks is complementary. Clark Kent Ervin Director, Homeland Security Program The Aspen Institute April, 2010 Chicago’s Preparedness for Terrorism By Clark Kent Ervin Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Jody Weis noted that Chicago, like New York and Los Angeles, is a top terror target. It is the third largest city in the United States, with a population just under 3 million people. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has identifi ed more than 1,000 assets, including those in the government, fi nancial or commercial, transportation, technology, and utility sectors, which terrorists might fi nd tempting. The city is home, for example, to two airports – O’Hare and Midway, with O’Hare being the second busiest in the country. Six major freight railroads service the city, with more than 1,200 trains passing through Chicago daily carrying 75% of the nation’s freight valued at some $350 billion. Chicago is the fourth busiest stop on the Amtrak system. The city’s public transportation system, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the nation’s second largest, serves 1.6 million riders a day. Chicago is one of the few cities with mass transit service to the airport. The Port of Chicago, with access to major railroads, is on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) list of 100 critical seaports. And, Chicago has some of the nation’s major landmarks, including the Willis Tower, formerly the “Sears Tower,” the tallest building in the country and the target of a 2006 terror plot; and the Navy Pier, the number one tourist attraction in the Midwest attracting more than eight million visitors each year. There are 29 Fortune 500 companies in Chicago. CPD has approximately 13,500 offi cers, making it the largest police force in the Midwest and the second largest in the United States. Only a few hundred offi cers work exclusively on counterterrorism, but Weis’ goal is “to make every offi cer a counterterrorism offi cer.” The department actively participates in the Chicago’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. (JTTF). The Chicago JTTF is among the oldest in the country, having been founded in 1981 in response to the activities of the Puerto Rican terror group, FLN. Like others around the country, local, state, and federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies work together through the JTTF to investigate every lead that may be linked to terrorism. To keep at the ready, the JTTF periodically conducts both fi eld and tabletop exercises, with particular emphasis on weapons of mass destruction. The task force also partners with universities and the Argonne labs to develop and refi ne counterterrorism-related technology. Thanks in part to such relationships, Chicago has “A-level” bomb detection capability. Chicago uses an Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) that blends traditional policing methods with “alternative” strategies designed to encourage the police and the community to work together to reduce crime. Neighborhood-based “beat” offi cers have an average of 250 meetings each year with citizens in an effort to make the community the “eyes and ears” of the police. Weis wants all Chicagoans to “take ownership of where they live,” “saying something” to police if they “see something” suspicious. The Clear Path website, https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath, provides a means for citizens to report problems and concerns to the police, share 1 information, and learn about the department’s various programs and activities. The department provides counterterrorism training through the Terrorism Awareness and Response Academy. And, CPD is working with DHS to provide training and certifi cation for emergency responders under the National Incident Management System. CPD has centralized its counterterrorism efforts within its Counterterrorism and Intelligence division. The Counterterrorism Division Deployment Operations Center assists the JTTF in developing strategies and monitoring global events, deploying additional resources as required. With support from DHS, the department has created a fusion center called the Crime Prevention Information Center (CPIC). CPIC handles both traditional law enforcement operations and anti-terrorism initiatives. It has access to both city and private sector security cameras (including those in schools), and a direct link to the Offi ce of Emergency Management. About 30 full-time line offi cers, detectives, supervisors, and federal liaison offi cers staff the center everyday. Each of the 35 departments in the surrounding suburbs provides offi cers as well. CPIC staffers occasionally spend time in the DHS operations center in Washington DC. As a measure of its success and international stature, the United Kingdom’s famed Scotland Yard has asked CPD for help in improving its information center, and the British are interested in establishing a formal process to share information. Weis contends that those, like terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman, who believe that Al Qaeda is still a major threat to America, and those, like terrorism expert Marc Sageman, who believe that homegrown terror is the greater threat nowadays, are both right. Citing the cases of Jose Padilla1 and Derek Shareef 2, Weis thinks that homegrown terrorists are especially dangerous because “they fl y under the radar screen.” In terms of potential targets, Weis worries most about mass transit. Aviation Security Kathleen Petrowsky, the Federal Security Director for Chicago O’Hare
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