After 9/11, America was left with a new reality and two years out from the terrorist attack, host Charlies Bierbauer reviewed homeland security measures undertaken by the State of South Carolina to prevent an attack happening here. Guests included Robert Stewart, Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division and SC's Homeland Security Director; Lindy Rinaldi, SC Ports Authority Police Chief, and Larry Holcomb, Deputy Director of the Greenville/Spartanburg Airport.
This production takes you to the harbor, the airport, and more and is a study in teamwork as the resources of the state and federal government work together to prevent or intercept a terrorist attack in South Carolina. We learn more about counterterrorism and the South Carolina Counterterrorism Coordinating Council that has plans in place to respond to terrorist attacks should one occur. Additionally, there are four councils in the regional areas of the state working closely on the local and regional level and are designed to address the peculiarities of the region such as the port in Charleston, the nuclear power plants, and military bases.
There was the awareness that procedures needed to be available at every stage in case a threat would get through. It was noted that there was a high tech command center tracking vessels and that at the time of the program,1.6 million containers passed through the port of Charleston. The Port Authority Police worked with Customs and the Coast Guard, sharing intelligence and data viewing 2 per cent of the containers, with the plans of increasing the number of containers that were inspected.
Larry Holcomb shared information about the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport and the ongoing efforts for training and security there.
Learn more about cybersecurity, bioterrorism and communication with public health in this impactful ETV Classic!
Side Notes
- Remembering 9/11: South Carolina Reflects - Documentary - South Carolinians look back on their personal accounts and the impact 25 years after the 9/11 attacks.
- Remembering Charles Bierbauer
- Operation Seahawk - SLED's Counter Terrorism Department is made up of the Arson Investigations Unit, the Aviation Unit, the Bloodhound Tracking and K9 Team, the Bomb Squad, the Counter Terrorism Dive Unit (CDU), Preventative Radiological, Nuclear Detection (PRND) Program, Protective Services/Emergency Management, the SWAT Team, the Seahawk Interagency Operations Center (IOC), and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Team.
- Mark Sanford - Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019, and as the 115th governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.
- Osama bin Laden - Osama bin Laden—also known as Usama bin Laden—was a violent terrorist and mass murderer who used bombings and bloodshed to advance his extremist goals. After founding the terrorist organization al Qaeda, he engineered a series of attacks in multiple countries that killed thousands of men, women, and children, often ordinary citizens just going about their daily lives.
- Fritz Hollings - The Hollings Record: A Legacy of Service.
- Fritz Hollings - Project Seahawk is something of a model for port security programs, but it also demonstrates the haphazard way such programs have been funded. Seahawk came to Charleston largely through the efforts of one senator, South Carolina democrat Fritz Hollings, who served 38 years in Washington before retiring last year. Hollings says he became increasingly concerned about maritime security after 9/11 so he earmarked funds in the Justice Department budget to protect his hometown port.
- Al Qaeda - Background of Al Qaeda - Inside the Terror Network (Frontline)
- Bioterrorism and Anthrax: The Threat | CDC - Bioterrorism involves intentionally releasing viruses, bacteria, or toxins to harm people, livestock, or crops. Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, may be used in a bioterrorist attack. We don't know if or when another anthrax attack might occur. However, federal agencies, along with health departments across the country, are actively preparing in the event of a U.S. anthrax emergency.
- Cybersecurity Best Practices CISA.GOV - CISA provides information on cybersecurity best practices to help individuals and organizations implement preventative measures and manage cyber risks.
