A task force that has spent the last two decades working together against local security threats looks back at how they got started and where their mission is taking them in the future.
Shortly after the 9/11 attack in 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation learned of a possible threat that could be directed to our area. Public officials from Allen County, Shawnee Township, and Lima and leaders from the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, the refinery, and chemical plants in the area started meeting to talk about security. While the threat was deemed not credible, what grew out of the meetings did. The Lima Area Security Emergency Response or LASER Task Force was formed to strengthen the security around some high-value targets in the county.
“At that time we were meeting every week, and it was the plant managers from those critical plants, as well as, the local law enforcement agencies in the community, so we can just have some discussion on a weekly basis what threats we might be seeing and what are our responses to those threats and so there was some uniformity from site to site so someone couldn’t find that weak link that they were looking for,” says Dr. Russ Decker, Former Allen County EMA Director.
“20 years later we are still going strong,” says Tom Berger, current Allen County EMA Director. “The group sets out to exercise, enhance communications, assist with getting us some grants and whatnot to make sure we are able to basically focus on that anti-terrorism message, that is out there around our facilities that we can stay safe in our community.”
Those lines of communication were key when this area was called upon to keep others safe. When Washington lawmakers were getting mail laced with anthrax, a Lima company was one of three places nationwide that could eradicate the deadly chemical. Because of the work done through the LASER task force, everybody was on the same page of what was going on then and those efforts continue until today.
“This is a much securer facility out here, all of these facilities together they are ready to help one another,” adds Decker. “Because they know each other, they know who has what equipment and we can borrow this. I say we are leaps years ahead of other communities that haven’t seen that level of cooperation yet.”
The LASER Task Force celebrated their 20th anniversary, and they are looking forward to continuing their mission of making this area safer for years to come.
“This will hopefully re-energize us and give us a little more a little initiative to keep pushing on,” says Berger. “I know sometimes when we get further and further away from 9/11 we seem to forget what happened that day and the purpose of groups like this.”
