The Department of Homeland Security's Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office held a virtual meeting of state and local officials to discuss the best protocols for safeguarding citizens against radiological and nuclear threats.
The meeting included officials from 14 local governments currently participating in the Securing the Cities program, as well as top officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy, according to a May 16 DHS news release.
“Securing the Cities is one of CWMD’s flagship programs. This meeting is the first of many we are planning to help our partners learn from each other by sharing information, strategic direction and critical developments," Gary Rasicot, acting assistant secretary for CWMD said, according to the release. "The meeting also provided CWMD and our federal partners the chance to hear directly from state and local officials about their needs.”
“Working for an STC region, we are often in the weeds, thinking about equipment selections, hosting committee meetings and developing plans,” Aimee Mankins, Maricopa County Emergency Management emergency services planner, said in the release. “This meeting provided us with an opportunity to view the STC program from a national level and to see how we are connected to other STC regions. It also served as a reminder of the risks and threats we each face, making our implementation work at the regional level more important.”
The STC Program was first introduced in New York City as a pilot program in 2006, according to the news release. The CWMD Act of 2018 then sanctioned the program to utilize radiological and nuclear materials to safeguard metropolitan areas against "terrorist attacks" and other "high-consequence events."
