Terrorist threats drain law enforcement

The federal government raised its security alert status, prompting the Reno/Tahoe International Airport to join the nation's terminals in implementing added security measures from the Transportation Security Administration.

The Washoe County Airport Authority announced Sunday afternoon it will conduct random inspections of vehicles entering the airport. Private vehicles will be restricted to the outer lanes -- the ones closest to the garage. Motorists are urged to use the parking garage.

Commercial vehicles, such as taxis, may use the inner lanes next to the terminal.

In the terminal, travelers will notice an added presence from law enforcement.

"Our No. 1 priority is the safety and security of our passengers, and we are working cooperatively with the TSA and airlines to enact these new measures," said Krys Bart, the airport authority's executive director.

The federal government may have raised its security alert status, but its impact on South Lake Tahoe's tourism remains to be seen.

Law enforcement and hotels -- the latter listed as "soft targets" by the new Homeland Security office -- have been instructed to be more aware of their surroundings as the nation braces for entering the Muslim holy days.

Most are treating the tiered security upgrade that defines the level of risk with the same vigilance they did a month ago. Others may have implemented changes, but have chosen to keep those measures to themselves.

The one exception: U.S. airports received new security measures last week from the Transportation Security Administration. Otherwise, it's mostly business as usual for agencies and businesses on the South Shore.

"We're going to continue to do the same security measures we've done all the time," Barton Memorial Hospital nursing supervisor Jean Williams said Sunday. "We're just more aware of it since Friday and are keeping our eyes and ears open. This is, (after all), a tourist destination."

The government issued the alert upgrade last week after intelligence deemed it credible that a terrorist attack could occur soon. The information was passed on to law enforcement agencies nationwide and the general public.

"We've received a lot of threats from the Homeland (Security) people. We're getting tons of threats from the FBI. We just have so many. It's a general thing. Unfortunately, this is the society we now live in," Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Duffy said.

The alerts have been so generalized, and so many more are expected, local law enforcement agencies say it's tough to keep up.

Beyond foreign terrorist notices, the agencies are forced to deal with the multitude of threats from domestic copycats.

"That's always a problem. We're always going to have the element out there," Duffy said, adding that the concern is more threats may come if the United States invades Iraq.

Duffy equates the situation to calls Douglas County receives regarding bomb threats at casinos. The Stateline agency receives a handful a year. The Sheriff's Department goes off its police radios and cell phones while casino security conducts a floor-to-floor search of suspicious activity.

South Lake Tahoe Police have also pledged a heightened state of awareness, but, like Douglas, officers admit the difficulty in responding to no particular threat.

"We've had no specific information from the Home Security office," Sgt. Terry Daniels said. "When we are continued to be put on an alert status, it does diminish us. Fortunately, we're small, in the mountains."

Police chiefs across the nation have expressed their concerns to the FBI about the dilemma.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, South Shore law enforcement and civic organizations have shared their primary concern: another attack in a nearby metropolis like the San Francisco Bay area would trigger a huge influx of panicked visitors who may drain local resources.

The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe will review its security policies. The Forest Inn Suites will keep its agreement with High Sierra Patrol to monitor its parking lot at night. Caesars Tahoe and Harrah's security officers working Sunday declined to respond to what additional measures their casinos may take.