Federal agencies and local police band together against terrorism

Anti-terrorism task forces made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials are being set up across the country as part of the government's new counterterrorism strategy, according to Attorney General John Ashcroft. Ashcroft announced Tuesday that he has directed every U.S. attorney's office in the country to establish a task force with representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to share information with one another on suspected terrorists and monitor any local terrorist networks. "This information highway will not be a one-way street," Ashcroft said, emphasizing that both federal agencies and local police must share any intelligence they gather on terrorists with each other. The task force will include federal representatives from the FBI, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Marshals Service, Customs Service, Secret Service, and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency. Each U.S. attorney's office must designate a prosecutor to serve as task force coordinator for its particular region, if it has not already done so. The task forces will be responsible for developing and carrying out strategies in conjunction with the national anti-terrorism plan to dismantle and incapacitate terrorist organizations in their areas. Ashcroft acknowledged the hard work involved in coordinating such a vast anti-terrorism coalition. "I understand that this is an aggressive and ambitious agenda, that it represents a preventative approach to doing business in the U.S. attorneys' offices together with the FBI, than, perhaps, has been the case in the past," Ashcroft said. There are 93 U.S. attorneys in the country. Maine U.S. Attorney Paula D. Silsby said her region's task force will also include members from the Coast Guard, Border Patrol and Naval Investigative Service. "Given our coastline and border with Canada, participation of these particular federal agencies is crucial to the effectiveness of our task force in Maine," she said. Government officials believe some of the terrorists involved in last Tuesday's attacks entered the country through Maine's border with Canada. Silsby said she was confident Maine will be able to increase security measures while protecting civil liberties.