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Warning Issued to U.S. Transit Systems Officials Urge Calm As Security Increases

Posted on: Sunday, 10 July 2005, 12:00 CDT

Concerned about a "copycat attack," U.S. officials elevated an alert for the nation's rail, subway and bus systems, prompting more police patrols, searches by bomb-sniffing dogs and inspections of packages across the country.

While the U.S. homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, acknowledged Thursday that there was no specific evidence of a threat against the United States, he said the bombings in London necessitated tighter security here.

"Obviously, we're concerned about the possibility of a copycat attack," Chertoff said at a news conference.

Raising the agency's color-coded alert from yellow to orange, the second highest on a five-point scale, was a first for Chertoff, who took over the department in February with a vow to avoid creating unnecessary anxiety.

Even in announcing the warning which applied only to mass transit systems, unlike the broader security alerts that homeland security typically issued in the past Chertoff tried to reassure the public that it was safe to use buses, subways and light rail systems.

"We are not suggesting that people avoid public transportation systems," Chertoff said. "Rather we are asking that they use those systems, but with an increased awareness of their surroundings."

In cities like Boston, Miami and Washington, the elevated alert and the London bombings translated immediately into additional security measures.

State troopers in Boston rode buses and patrolled subway platforms. In Miami, officers conducted random searches in bus and rail stations. In Washington, a police helicopter hovered over the capital and officials scrutinized video feeds from wall-mounted cameras throughout the city. As a result of the heightened alert, reports of suspicious items skyrocketed in some cities. A transit employee in Washington reported a suspicious package at the Medical Center station along the crowded Red line on Thursday morning, forcing a shutdown of trains in Maryland for about an hour.

But again and again, public officials were urging calm. Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington said, "Live your lives, go to work, spend time with your families, stand up to these terrorists."

Even without evidence of a threat to the United States, the rapid response occurred because security officials acknowledge that mass transit systems are among the most vulnerable of targets.

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James Dao in Washington, Terry Aguayo in Miami and Pam Belluck in Boston contributed reporting.

Source: International Herald Tribune

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