NCJ Number
199426
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2001 Pages: 16-18
Editor(s)
Mike Terault
Date Published
May 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A representative of "Sheriff" magazine interviews Thomas G. Kinnally, the Administrator of the U.S. Justice Department's National Domestic Preparedness Office (NDPO), regarding issues in the preparedness of local jurisdictions for weapons-of-mass-destruction (WMD) incidents.
Abstract
Kinnally advises that although the probability of a WMD incident is very low, the consequences could be catastrophic, so sheriffs should be involved in planning for effective preparation for a WMD incident. He notes that significant progress has been made in the willingness of law enforcement agencies to participate in WMD exercises and training. In some areas of the country, there are sheriffs' offices that have received much training and equipment from the Office for Domestic Preparedness Support. A basic principle of planning for a WMD incident, whether it involves a conventional, chemical, biological, or nuclear weapon, is the integration of local planning with State and Federal planning to create seamless plans. The NDPO can be instrumental in providing technical assistance to local jurisdictions and in coordinating local plans with Federal and State plans for a WMD incident. The NDPO coordinates the Compendium of Federal WMD Courses, which lists all of the Federal training courses available to emergency responders. NDPO acts as the funnel for disseminating threat information from Federal sources to local law enforcement agencies. A NDPO representative has been made a member of the National Sheriffs' Association's Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee.