Local cops join FBI terrorist probes

By:Alec Moore
   A task force established by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has local police officers working with the FBI in its ongoing probe of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
   An FBI spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., would not comment on the specific mission or objective of the task force due to the security reasons and the discrete nature of the FBI’s objectives during this critical period.
   Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest, who assisted in the coordination of local law enforcement officers with the federally operated task force, also declined to comment specifically on the task force as well due to security reasons.
   Manville Police Sgt. Mark Sniscak said that although no officers from the Manville Police Department were assigned to actively serve on the task force, the department was on standby for the task force if necessary.
   Five Hillsborough officers devoted a total of 72 hours of service to the joint FBI run task force, in 12-hour shifts over the course of six days sometime after the tragedy, accoridng to Hillsborough Chief of Police Robert Gazaway.
   Chief Gazaway, who also declined to comment on the specific objective of the task force, indicated that the task force was organized in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy. Chief Gazaway added that the Hillsborough Police Department was one of a handful of local law enforcement agencies that lent manpower to the task force in the form of experienced investigative officers.
   Chief Gazaway pointed out that no one had to pull teeth to find officers for the task force and said many Hillsborough police officers were "chomping at the bit" to lend their support to the national effort in whatever way they could.
   "(The tragedy) had a very emotional impact on them," he said of his officers, many of whom made requests to volunteer to assist with the World Trade Center rescue work.