CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Honolulu Police Chief Boisse Correa showed one of two large-paneled television monitors yesterday in the department's new Terrorism Prevention Command Center.

Police nerve center wired to spot threats

High-tech gadgets for counterterrorism are not a luxury, they are a necessity, says Honolulu Police Department Chief Boisse Correa.

That is why the police spent $871,000 in federal funds toward a Terrorism Prevention Command Center, one that rivals similar operations on the federal level.

The result is a room at the Honolulu Police Department wired to receive a myriad of information in one place. The center's highlights are a dozen 50-inch TV screens that enable picture-in-picture viewing of computer screens and TV feed.

Officers on the field will be able to display live video feeds of action into the command center while viewing newscasts of an event, said Lt. Aaron Correa, of the Police Department's Homeland Security unit.

Law enforcement heads can also view traffic cameras. By the end of April, videoconferencing between agencies will be possible.

The center was funded by a Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The police chief said it helps local law enforcement establish its own command center to focus on its mission: to suppress threats against local residents, rather than the federal goal of response and recovery.

"We're responsible for the security of our people; (the federal government's) agenda is separate," Correa said. "You can't rely totally on the federal government. You have to create your own infrastructure."