Homeland Security has extremely high priority in Columbus. We do not live in fear of terrorist attacks, but at the same time we must not be lulled into complacency by the pleasant and peaceful life we enjoy in this valley. We must face the fact that this city and region are possible terrorist targets because of our industrial base, our ties to Fort Benning and our status as one of the major metropolitan areas of Georgia.
Terrorists do not announce where they will strike, so we must outguess and outsmart them. We have organized to do that by establishing the Columbus Office of Homeland Security and by bringing together the Columbus Regional Homeland Security Board.
The Office of Homeland Security plans and coordinates the city’s responses to threats and if necessary actual breaches of our security. The Director of Emergency Management also works daily on the planning aspects of response. This arrangement recognizes that many of our Homeland Security response mechanisms apply also to natural and manmade disasters.
And of course our public safety personnel, who are the very best, are the frontline in any responses to threats and emergencies. Neither terrorists nor natural disasters observe jurisdictional boundaries, and we are after all one community, so it was very important that we form the Columbus Regional Homeland Security Board.
The board meets regularly and is an effective vehicle for coordination and communication among representatives of various public safety agencies and other response agencies from throughout the metro area. I am happy to note that we have pursued our Homeland Security initiatives in a timely manner and we are now considered a model for other communities as they address Homeland Security issues. That is not to say, however, that we have done all we need to do. In fact, we can never say that, because Homeland Security is not a static state but a continuing process.
We cannot afford to be smug or complacent about Homeland Security. We will continue the process vigorously and we will take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety and protection of our community.
Jim Wetherington
Mayor/Director of Public Safety
Department of the Columbus, Georgia Consolidated Government