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From the operations center of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, duty officers peer at digital closed-circuit TV images of three international bridges that play a key role in the life and trade of the Niagara-Buffalo region.
Pivoting the remote cameras with the click of a mouse, the officers have a twofold duty: monitor traffic along the spans and, in the post-Sept. 11 world, be alert to the possibility of suspicious behavior.
The commission o-nce relied o-n foot patrols at the Lewiston-Queenston, Rainbow and Whirlpool bridges, which collectively ferry 12 million vehicles and trucks between the United States and Canada every year. But after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bridge commission installed 144 remote cameras and opened a sleek new 24-hour operations center.
The operations center gets real-time intelligence about possible threats from Canadian and U.S. law enforcement.
"It's a quantum leap in security," said Brent Gallaugher, the commission's security manager, calling the cameras a "marvelous tool."
His enthusiasm is shared by Border Patrol officials in nearby Tonawanda.
Just weeks after the Border Patrol installed remote cameras at the Whirlpool Bridge, agents watched their TV screen as a man crossed the closed bridge at 4 a.m. with a pack o-n his back.
That backpack contained 50 pounds of hydroponic marijuana _ valued at more than $3,000 a pound _ Border Patrol Deputy Chief Ed Duda said, as he replayed the grainy surveillance footage.
"When we put the cameras in, the capabilities were a lot more effective than we imagined," he said.
Enforcement also has been enhanced by the installation in 2000 of pole-mounted cameras at four spots along the Niagara River. But while the Border Patrol identified a need for 12 of the remote video surveillance systems, the funding hasn't come for the remainder, said Bill Coughlin, the camera room supervisor.
"We hear a lot of talk, and this is all we have," he said recently. "We need more of them."
Border Patrol officials at headquarters say more cameras will be rolled out at both borders as part of an intrusion detection program known as America's Shield Initiative.
Cameras are but o-ne tool in an arsenal deployed by U.S. and Canadian forces to improve border security and combat alien and drug smuggling rings that operate in the area.
Another is the advent of integrated border enforcement teams, which bring together a mix of federal, provincial, regional and local law enforcement from both countries. The concept, which dates to the mid-1990s, was invigorated after Sept. 11.
The U.S.-Canadian teams, located in 15 regions, share intelligence and equipment, and in some cases conduct operations jointly, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Rick Bourdon.
"We're kind of the first responder to national security," he said.
Border Patrol agent John Crocitto, a fellow IBET member, agreed, noting that the Niagara region team had broken up drug trafficking rings and an alien smuggling ring responsible for bringing hundreds of people illegally into the United States.
While U.S. and Canadian law enforcement must disarm before crossing the border, U.S. personnel have operated o-n Canadian soil and vice versa, Bourdon said. He suggested there are still operational hurdles to untangle, such as the issue of officers carrying arms across the border.
Though U.S. and Mexican law enforcement and intelligence share information and cooperate, there is no parallel to the U.S.-Canadian joint law enforcement teams at the southwest border.
Source: Tri State Observer News
Copyright: 2005 Tri State Observer
Contact: news@tristateobserver.com
Website: tristateobserver.com
Pivoting the remote cameras with the click of a mouse, the officers have a twofold duty: monitor traffic along the spans and, in the post-Sept. 11 world, be alert to the possibility of suspicious behavior.
The commission o-nce relied o-n foot patrols at the Lewiston-Queenston, Rainbow and Whirlpool bridges, which collectively ferry 12 million vehicles and trucks between the United States and Canada every year. But after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bridge commission installed 144 remote cameras and opened a sleek new 24-hour operations center.
The operations center gets real-time intelligence about possible threats from Canadian and U.S. law enforcement.
"It's a quantum leap in security," said Brent Gallaugher, the commission's security manager, calling the cameras a "marvelous tool."
His enthusiasm is shared by Border Patrol officials in nearby Tonawanda.
Just weeks after the Border Patrol installed remote cameras at the Whirlpool Bridge, agents watched their TV screen as a man crossed the closed bridge at 4 a.m. with a pack o-n his back.
That backpack contained 50 pounds of hydroponic marijuana _ valued at more than $3,000 a pound _ Border Patrol Deputy Chief Ed Duda said, as he replayed the grainy surveillance footage.
"When we put the cameras in, the capabilities were a lot more effective than we imagined," he said.
Enforcement also has been enhanced by the installation in 2000 of pole-mounted cameras at four spots along the Niagara River. But while the Border Patrol identified a need for 12 of the remote video surveillance systems, the funding hasn't come for the remainder, said Bill Coughlin, the camera room supervisor.
"We hear a lot of talk, and this is all we have," he said recently. "We need more of them."
Border Patrol officials at headquarters say more cameras will be rolled out at both borders as part of an intrusion detection program known as America's Shield Initiative.
Cameras are but o-ne tool in an arsenal deployed by U.S. and Canadian forces to improve border security and combat alien and drug smuggling rings that operate in the area.
Another is the advent of integrated border enforcement teams, which bring together a mix of federal, provincial, regional and local law enforcement from both countries. The concept, which dates to the mid-1990s, was invigorated after Sept. 11.
The U.S.-Canadian teams, located in 15 regions, share intelligence and equipment, and in some cases conduct operations jointly, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Rick Bourdon.
"We're kind of the first responder to national security," he said.
Border Patrol agent John Crocitto, a fellow IBET member, agreed, noting that the Niagara region team had broken up drug trafficking rings and an alien smuggling ring responsible for bringing hundreds of people illegally into the United States.
While U.S. and Canadian law enforcement must disarm before crossing the border, U.S. personnel have operated o-n Canadian soil and vice versa, Bourdon said. He suggested there are still operational hurdles to untangle, such as the issue of officers carrying arms across the border.
Though U.S. and Mexican law enforcement and intelligence share information and cooperate, there is no parallel to the U.S.-Canadian joint law enforcement teams at the southwest border.
Source: Tri State Observer News
Copyright: 2005 Tri State Observer
Contact: news@tristateobserver.com
Website: tristateobserver.com
