http://www.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=wpni/print&articleid=A26985-2000Apr27 or http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26985-2000Apr27.html Top Officials, Actors to Pretend at Terrorism By David A. Vise Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday , April 27, 2000 A cadre of federal agents, professional actors, presidential cabinet members and local officials will conduct large-scale mock terrorism raids and counterterrorism responses to the use of weapons of mass destruction, in Washington D.C., Prince George's County, Md.; Denver and Portsmouth, N.H. during 10 days in May. "Although counterterrorism response exercises are conducted routinely across the country, this marks the first time that an exercise of this scope, with the participation of top-level federal, state and local officials, has ever been conducted," the Justice Department said. "The exercise consists of a combination of weapons of mass destruction incidents, but there will be no release of any actual weapons or agents." Federal officials said Attorney General Janet Reno, Department of Health and Human Services Director Donna Shalala, and other senior leaders from the Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FBI, and state and local governments will participate. The exercises in Colorado and New Hampshire were mandated by Congress, which provided $3.5 million for the drills, a Justice Department official said. Professional actors will pretend to be victims, testing the readiness of local hospitals and emergency medical teams to address a major terrorist attack. To minimize the risk of public panic or fear that an actual raid is taking place, no sirens will be used and traffic laws will be obeyed. In addition, Justice officials are working with local communities to publicize the mock terrorist raids in advance, although they are not saying exactly when they will occur in May so that first responder teams are forced to participate in an exercise that more closely resembles reality.
