Region isn't prepared for bioterrorism, officials say

Suspicious mail brought to local law enforcement agencies ends up in little more than a dead-letter file, and police say they have no clue how to deal with the threat of anthrax-laced letters or other bioterrorist acts.

Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell said his office in Benton, Mo., received three suspicious letters that were turned in by concerned citizens.

"We had no place to send them, no place to take them," he said. "We're still hanging onto them."

Ferrell said the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab and the FBI didn't want the letters. Neither did local or state health agencies.

Ferrell was among more than 50 law enforcement, fire, health, emergency services and local government officials from a nine-county area who gathered Tuesday in Cape Girardeau. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson hosted the meeting to learn what's needed to better prepare her Southeast Missouri district's rural communities to deal with bioterrorism.

Gerald Jones, Cape Girardeau County's presiding commissioner, said his county isn't prepared for bioterrorism.

"We are very, very poorly prepared," he said. "We need a lot of training."

Jones said federal and state authorities need to set up procedures where counties can declare states of emergencies, if necessary, to deal with a bioterrorist act.

The local crime lab needs to check out suspicious packages and determine what is in them, he said.

Robert Briner, who directs the crime lab in Cape Girardeau, wasn't at the meeting. Reached at his office, Briner said local crime labs aren't equipped to handle anthrax-contaminated items. Labs have to have an isolation room to prevent contamination.

The state lab in Jefferson City, Mo., can check for anthrax but won't without the FBI's approval in each specific case. Briner said the FBI feels there's little chance of a bioterrorism threat in Southeast Missouri and doesn't want to swamp laboratories with unnecessary work.

The state lab found no evidence of bioterrorism in more than 40 cases it handled this fall.

Better communication

At the meeting, Southeast Missouri law enforcement and emergency services officials said better communication is needed between state, federal and local agencies.

Emerson said she would relay the concerns to Gov. Bob Holden and Tom Ridge, the nation's homeland security director.

"There has just been a real lack of coordination and communication," said Drew Juden, director of Sikeston's Department of Public Safety.

Lt. Tracy Lemonds of the Cape Girardeau Police Department agreed.

"We are like a bunch of ships around here, and we need a dock," he said.

Lemonds said he understands the FBI has its hands full.

"I am not bashing them," he said. "They were running all over picking up letters."

No FBI representatives attended the meeting or returned phone messages Tuesday.

In many cases, law enforcement officials said they've received more information about bioterrorism threats from CNN than from federal and state authorities.

But a state emergency management official said the state is working to help local police, fire and other agencies.

Mark Winkler, State Emergency Management Agency coordinator in Southeast Missouri, said SEMA offers a wide range of training for local firefighters, police and other "first responders."

Winkler said the cities of Jackson and Sikeston have a 44-member team of firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel in place to deal with hazardous materials.

Winkler said federal agencies themselves have had to learn how to deal with bioterrorism.

"They had their own learning curve," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123