GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM
A Coast Guard 41-foot utility boat with fully loaded M-60 machine guns escorted a vessel into Honolulu Harbor yesterday.
Isle forces Coast Guard helicopter pilot Lt. Olav Saboe will be patrolling the waterways and the ports of Honolulu today looking for "anything out of the ordinary" on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
remain vigilant
despite lower threat
By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com
But while the mainland stands at a "high" or "orange" threat alert, Hawaii's level of readiness is more relaxed.
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That is because "there is no specific credible threat of the state of Hawaii," Ed Teixeira, deputy Hawaii homeland security director, said yesterday.
Gov. Ben Cayetano added: "I think on the mainland, certainly in some states, the biggest states and Washington D.C., there's certainly a need for it. But not in Hawaii.
"We don't have any evidence, and we, of course, always receive reports from the federal government, to warrant that kind of heightened security," Cayetano said.
Besides attending services marking the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the governor said "people should conduct themselves as if it were just another day for business or for study or for recreation or for whatever they are doing."
However, all of the military bases in Hawaii went on full alert with some re-instituting full identification checks and random vehicle inspections. Earlier this year, some of the military bases, like the Army, had eased their access requirements.
"We will ensure strict access control to our installations," said Maj. Stephen Clutter, Hickam Air Force Base spokesman.
Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that the U.S. Office of Homeland Security will elevate the terrorism threat level, which stood at "yellow" to "orange," which is the second highest level.
However, Teixeira said Hawaii, relying on FBI and other government sources, will remain at "green."
Under the federal homeland security system the lowest level is blue, followed by yellow, then orange with red being the highest. The state's threat advisory system begins with green, followed by amber, then red with black at the top.
"Our assessment is that the risk is low," Teixeira said.
Despite that, emergency service agencies are not taking any chances.
Honolulu police have taken measures to prepare for a threat level a little higher than green but not all the way up to amber, said Assistant Police Chief Boisse Correa.
Police raised their security alert posture Friday by activating certain personnel and units and by conducting more intelligence. Similar increased security precautions were being taken by neighbor island police officials.
Honolulu fire station commanders have instructed firefighters to: Be aware of suspicious packages and boxes on station grounds; move private vehicles and trash containers a safe distance away from sensitive areas such as exit doorways; and inspect all deliveries for hazardous substances.
At island airports, Federal Aviation Administration personnel will be taking extra precautions like doing walk-around inspections of facilities and being on the look-out for anything suspicious, said Tweet Coleman, FAA Pacific representative.
There will be an increased uniformed presence at Honolulu Airport, said Sidney Hayakawa, the airport's federal security director.
Ashcroft said President Bush approved the threat-level change. He said the U.S. intelligence community has no specific intelligence about attacks targeting the U.S. homeland, which would have required an elevation to red, or "severe."
The attorney general said the threat appears to be most severe for U.S. interests abroad, specifically in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Saboe, 28, said one-third of his flight time in his HH-65 Dolphin helicopter is dedicated to homeland security.
Rear Adm. Ralph Utley, commander of the 14th Coast Guard District, said before the terrorist attacks only two percent of the Coast Guard's efforts here centered on security matters.
"By Sept. 12, that was up to 58 percent and has dropped this year to about 25 percent."
Coast Guard Lt. Clint Trocchio, who has been flying C-130s for nearly three years, said the only difference since last year is that "we do these missions at a greater intensity."
Despite the increased flight hours, Trocchio, 27, said the Coast Guard has been "able to meet the call. I know what we do matters."
Cmdr. Thomas Tabrah, who commands the Coast Guard group at Sand Island, said: "I can't foretell the future; so I have to be ready."
Tabrah's search and rescue crews now wear sidearms. Two fully armed M-60 machine guns are mounted on either side of their utility rescue ships. Cargo ships coming into Honolulu Harbor must give 96-hour notice before their arrival. Before Sept. 11, the policy was 24 hours.
Ships now must report their cargo, provide a crew and passenger list, their destination and where their voyage originated and be ready to be boarded and inspected before being allowed to dock in Honolulu.
Star-Bulletin reporters Nelson Daranciang and Pat Omandam and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
