TITLE
Recommendation to request that City Council and Long Beach Harbor Commission meet jointly in closed session within the next 30 days for a briefing on port security from Chief of Police, Jim McDonnell, and Coast Guard Sector Commander and Captain of the Port, Roger Laferriere.
DISCUSSION
A UCLA report, PORT SECURITY:IMPROVING EMERGENCY RESPONSE CAPABILITIES AT THE PORTS OF LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH notes that
The nation’s two busiest container ports sit side by side in the heart of Southern
California. Together, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach constitute the busiest port complex in the United States and the third busiest in the world. The complex handles over 43 percent of all shipping containers entering or leaving the country-more than all of the ports on the East Coast combined-and carries more than $200 billion in containerized cargo annually. Because of their critical economic importance, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been recognized by officials and experts alike as some of the most likely and inviting targets for terrorists. In a list of the top 624 terrorist targets in California released by the California Attorney General’s Office in February 2003, the Port of Long Beach ranked third and the Port of Los Angeles ranked sixth. Had the two ports been considered together as a single port complex, they might have been more accurately identified as the state’s number one target, instead of Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The Port of Long Beach is the world’s 5th largest containers port complex and handles over 40% of the containers entering the U.S. In 2010, the Port had 6.2 million cargo containers (TEUs), and over 4,000 vessels arrivals. Over the next 10 years $4.4 billion will be invested into capital improvements for projects, such as, the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement project, Middle Harbor Redevelopment project, Pier S container terminal, Eagle Rock Aggregated Terminal, and the Green Port Gateway project, in order to meet the projected market demands.
Security at the Port of Long Beach is the multi-jurisdictional responsibility of many government agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs & Border Protection, state and federal Homeland Security offices, the Long Beach Police Department, and the Port’s own Harbor Patrol. These agencies work in close cooperation to secure the Port’s containers, terminals and coastline.
Safety and security are top priorities at the Port of Long Beach, which is always updating its plan for continued business operations in the event of an emergency. It is estimated that a shutdown of the Port complex would cost the U.S. economy about $1 billion a day and would affect more than 300,000 jobs in the region and 1.4 million throughout the country. The UCLA report notes that: "an attack on any single U.S. port would likely cause the entire global trading system to go into gridlock.”
Since September 11, 2001, the Port has greatly expanded efforts to protect the Port complex and surrounding communities. The Port takes a leadership role in the development of strategies to mitigate security risks in the port complex, working closely with multiple partners, both public and private, to plan and coordinate security measures. The Port of Long Beach received a total of $120 million in security grants and has made great strides in recent years to upgrade its security systems and develop new technologies, including:
• Video-equipped submersible - essentially underwater robots - that serve as the eyes of the security team to detect threats under harbor waters.
• Radiation scanners called Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP), designed to better protect seaports from nuclear threats. Piers A and J facilities became among the first shipping terminals in the nation with the scanners.
• The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program is a national identification system that requires transportation workers, including those in the maritime industry, to pass background checks before accessing port facilities unescorted. The Port worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security to develop and test the program.
• The Port's Command and Control Center, opened in 2009, provides a state-of-the-art facility for the Port's Harbor Patrol and its security partners.
• The Port places high importance on the ability to communicate with stakeholders during an emergency - including Port tenants, government officials, law enforcement and community members. The Port’s security communications systems include:
• A Web-based portal to improve coordination among area security stakeholders.
• An AM radio station with a hazard alert system to broadcast traffic and emergency information.
• An Emergency Notification System to contact Port employees, tenants and the community in the case of an emergency.
• Electronic signs throughout the Port display Port closure, traffic and emergency information.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, Fifth District
Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, Eight District