level will not restrict
all movement
Move up in terror
level will not restrict
all movement
By mark rosman
Staff Writer
If the nation’s terrorism alert level is raised to the highest level of concern — the red level — that does not necessarily mean New Jersey will go to level red.
The entire United States has been at the level just under red — the orange level — since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19.
Gov. James E. McGreevey has said New Jersey will only declare a code red alert if terrorists have attacked the state or if the state is being targeted in an imminent attack.
On Friday, Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for Sid Casperson, the director of New Jersey’s Office of Counterterrorism, confirmed the governor’s statement and said New Jersey retains the right not to go from the orange level to the red level even if other parts of the nation are elevated to the highest terror alert status by federal officials.
"States have some discretion based on the circumstances," Lori-quet told Greater Media News-papers.
Published reports last week quoted Casperson saying that in a code red situation people would, in effect, be forced to stay at home and that the state police would take control of highways.
Loriquet said some published reports did not publish the complete context of Casperson’s statement. He said Casperson indicated that if a red alert has to be declared throughout the entire state, then citizens’ movement might have to be restricted. The restrictions would be lifted when the danger had passed, he said.
A red alert notification in one area of the state would not cause all New Jerseyans to lose their ability to move about, he said.
To further clarify the situation, Greater Media Newspapers sought comment from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. On March 20, Detective Robert Fer-guson Sr. forwarded a statement which said that, "There are currently no plans for restrictive movement on people or vehicles even if the threat level is raised to red. Any restrictions will be site specific, that is, just as in any emergency that has befallen this state such as storms or floods … only specific areas will be restricted to all but emergency personnel.
"Schools will not be ‘locked down’ and travel will not be banned except in a declared State of Emergency in which restrictions, which are permitted by the Governor’s Emergency Powers, are implemented. Emergency steps will be implemented by the Incident Command Structure only in response to specific situations, just as in any extraordinary event," according to the statement.
In an attempt to clarify what would happen to children in school during a potentially hazardous situation, Loriquet said a decision to "shelter in place" [i.e. keep students in the building] would be ordered by a local incident commander based, again, on a situation that might arise in a specific area.
In a related news item involving Casperson and the office of counterterrorism, Loriquet confirmed published statements attributed to Casperson in which the director said some people in New Jersey with connections to terrorists have been "locked up recently."
Asked if that meant people have been arrested or detained, Loriquet said individuals have been "apprehended." The spokesman declined to say if charges have been filed against any individual, noting that ongoing investigations will not be discussed.