| Accession# |
VE5-2010 |
| Catalog date |
02/17/2010 |
| Collection |
OSHP Collections |
| Date of photo |
2001-2010 |
| Description |
The Patrol always emphasized safety, whether on the road, for children in school, and adults at work every day. But safety and civil defense took on a whole new meaning for the entire country following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
On that day, teams of terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes and used them as weapons. Two planes were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, ultimately causing them to collapse. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought to retake control from the hijackers. Thousands of people were killed.
The Patrol's response was immediate. That same day, troopers were placed on indefinite heightened alert, which meant they paid extra attention to details in the behavior of individuals, increased security in state offices and increased the number of officers assigned to interstate patrol.
Ohio troopers increased surveillance of commercial trucks and other modes of transport on highways - especially vehicles carrying potentially dangerous hazardous materials - for possible use in terrorist activity. Ohio opened its weigh stations to operate 24 hours a day; by the end of 2001, the Division conducted nearly 18,000 hazardous material inspections - nearly four times more than the year before.
The Division partnered with local and federal agencies with regard to safety issues, including precautionary steps developed with fire departments and emergency management agencies.
Troopers also provided escorts for mail trucks that traveled from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., to Lima, Ohio. The vehicles were en route to Titan Scan Industries, which decontaminated mail that possibly had been exposed to anthrax.
Overtime security details were assigned to state offices in Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland, and troopers handled investigations into incidents of suspicious mail receipt, as well as training for employees regarding the safe handling of mail. The Ohio State University's Stadium was another high-profile location which merited increased security measures. Troopers positioned at gates monitored the entrance of nearly 100,000 fans at each Ohio State university home football game, and the university drastically changed its policy as to what fans could bring into the stadium.
In addition to ensuring the Patrol's inclusion of additional protective duties while maintaining service levels in place before September 11, Colonel Kenneth Morckel served as a law enforcement representative on the State Building Security Review Committee, which sent security recommendations to the General Assembly. He also was chair of the Ohio Homeland Security Task Force's Law Enforcement Subcommittee that addressed homeland security issues. Colonel Morckel oversaw the addition of a new LEADS Intelligence Information System, so all law enforcement agencies could share the latest information on arrests and contacts. Also, Ohio troopers joined forces with truck drivers in 2002 for Highway Watch, a national program that enabled truck drivers to alert law enforcement officials about highway safety and security concerns.
One challenge that resulted from the increase in security measures was maintaining the level of service that existed before 9/11. In a February 2002 monthly message, Colonel Morckel stated that new duties taken on after the September 11 attacks, "as well as higher traffic volume, have greatly increased demands for trooper services, yet Patrol manpower remains the same. Since 1974, the uniform strength of the Patrol has changed by less than two troopers per county. However, the number of registered vehicles increased 75 percent and roadway miles increased 65 percent in the same time in Ohio."
In January 2002, troopers and other law enforcement agencies received congratulations for counter-terrorism efforts from President George W. Bush during an Ohio visit. Later that same year, several troopers were assigned full-time to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) headquartered in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo. These groups were responsible for the collection and processing of terrorist intelligence and for connecting different groups throughout the nation to share this information.
The primary goal of JTTF operations was the prevention of terrorist attacks by identifying, investigating and prosecuting terrorists and terrorist organizations. Officers directly involved in major investigations resulted in the arrest of individuals tied to terrorist organizations within Ohio. |
| Year Range from |
2001 |
| Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
| Year range to |
2010 |
| Object ID |
VE5-2010-004 |
| Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
|
