Southland Police Boost Vigilance

By MAI TRAN and TINA DIRMANN

Oct. 31, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITERS

The next sign of a terrorist attack could be an abandoned truck packed with hidden explosives--or a discarded briefcase. It could be powder in a restroom or a stranger with a video camera. It could be a blimp or a crop-duster.

Faced with almost limitless possibilities, thousands of federal and local law enforcement officers in Southern California went on high alert again Tuesday, working extended shifts and bolstering security at public buildings, after the FBI warned about the “credible” possibility of new attacks.

Many officers took to the task with a tight-lipped sense of apprehension--unsure what to look for, but determined to be watchful.

“It’s always better to have a suspect description,” said Anaheim Police Officer Jacques Laffoon, who patrols his city’s downtown. “But in a situation like this, you don’t know. There’s not a certain type of person. . . . You’re just being more cognizant and looking to be ready should something happen.”

Anaheim police spent part of Tuesday searching for a man who was reported lurking at a police station near Disneyland, taking photographs. Had he been spotted during more normal times, his presence might have warranted the attention of a patrol officer. Instead, the man’s description was broadcast to officers citywide, prompting an extensive search of the area--which by Tuesday night had been in vain.

The police presence at Disneyland and other tourist attractions was especially high.

The Los Angeles Police Department reacted to the nationwide alert issued by Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft by relaying warnings to both Los Angeles International Airport and Los Angeles harbor officials. The LAPD is monitoring 300 locations, from government buildings to entertainment sites to mosques, Chief Bernard C. Parks said Tuesday at a news conference.

“The city of Los Angeles is as safe as it is humanly possible for it to be,” Parks said. “But there is this subtext: There is no guarantee.”

Though no “direct or verifiable threat” had been received, LAPD intelligence is working 24 hours a day and the command center is available, Parks said, but there have been no additional patrol officers called to duty this week. He urged citizens to take common-sense precautions and report any suspicious happenings.

On Tuesday, the LAPD actually downgraded its alert status after upgrading Monday, when its officers were asked to stay beyond their shifts.

For Randall McCain, a 17-year police veteran working downtown, the warnings amount to nothing more than standard operating procedure. Los Angeles’ Central Division, clustered among government buildings, has been on high alert since Sept. 11, he said.

“We just have to do what we’ve already been doing: sharpen our observation skills and go further on our rides than just looking for criminal activity,” McCain said. “We pretty much haven’t stopped being on high alert.”

Even lost purses and the plastic bags of the homeless are objects of passing concern.

“It’s everybody’s responsibility to be on the lookout, but because this is our job, and because we’re on the front lines, we have to really use our training to observe anything out of the ordinary and report it,” McCain said. “It’s not an extra burden. It’s just as much our safety as the community’s” that is at stake.

Jon Kirk Mukri, general manager of Los Angeles’ Department of General Services, said the city is spending an extra $100,000 a month on security at City Hall and the Civic Center. Police also are watching the city’s 700 other public buildings.

All city personnel understand that “the greatest danger is to our buildings . . . that someone will try to drive in with a bomb and blow them up,” Mukri said. “We have blocked off downtown streets, installed metal detectors, limited entrances to specific buildings . . . and required photo identification from all” to enter public buildings and garages.

Though many officers and security guards are tight-lipped about their duties, referring questions to supervisors, a few acknowledged the difficulty of their roles.

“There are times when, as a patrol officer, you see something and maybe you explain it away in your mind,” said Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Guy Stewart. “Now, you don’t have the luxury of doing that. You have to check out everything.”

One example was the pile of powder an alarmed citizen found outside the Ventura County Government Center last week. Stewart taped off the area and tried to calm nearby employees who feared it might contain anthrax.

A hazardous-materials team confirmed that the powder was a harmless drywall compound, left over from a building repair.

“We have to consider that they may try to inflict terror in Americans by hitting small towns,” Ventura Police Lt. Ken Korney said.

A red blimp cruising over the San Fernando Valley was one conspicuous source of concern Tuesday, prompting a barrage of calls to police and 911 dispatchers.

“You’re looking at this giant red torpedo flying across the sky and it just doesn’t feel good,” said Lysa Barry, owner of a media relations firm on the ninth floor of the Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

After calling the police and the FAA, Barry was told that the blimp belonged to the Met Life insurance company and was not violating airspace restrictions. The blimp’s logo apparently was not visible from Barry’s office building, a fact that did little to ease her concerns.

“I just don’t have the same comfort zone anymore,” she said. “Maybe we should all get together and consider restrictions on blimps until the country stabilizes itself and we’re more comfortable.”

Times staff writers Hector Becerra, Daren Briscoe, Kenneth Reich, David Ferrell, Anna Gorman and Jill Leovy contributed to this report.