LA broadens counterterrorism efforts

After Paris attacks, focus shifts to shopping areas, public transportation hubs

LOS ANGELES -- Counterterrorism efforts in Southern California have long focused on the region's landmarks. Los Angeles International Airport was the intended target of a terrorist driving a vehicle filled with explosives in 2000. The U.S. Bank tower in Los Angeles was mentioned in al-Qaida documents as a possible mark for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. And, of course, there's Disneyland.

But the coordinated attacks in Paris -- where 130 people were killed at cafes, outdoor terraces and a concert hall in several parts of the city -- has officials reassessing the threat. In addition to protecting famous attractions, authorities say they need to focus more on lesser-known gathering places where a few terrorists could carry out a devastating attack.

"Iconic and symbolic targets are not as high on terrorists' priority list as killing high numbers of people," said Michael Downing, the Los Angeles Police Department's anti-terrorism deputy chief.

Beyond Paris, experts point to a terrorist attack on a Kenyan university this year that killed nearly 150 people as well as the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, where multiple places were targeted at the same time to maximize the body count.

Authorities are now broadening their view of seemingly ordinary locations where people gather. Bus and railway stations, malls and event venues are now perceived to be on par with the Rose Bowl and Dodger Stadium when it comes to risk assessment.

After the attacks in Paris, security was increased at popular shopping areas and public transportation depots across Los Angeles County.

"Terrorists, for the most part, attack soft targets," said terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins, who recently testified before the Senate about homeland security and Paris. "About 80 percent of all terrorist attacks are carried out at places without a security perimeter or guards. The presence of a single guard at the soccer stadium stopped a horrific bombing in Paris. Terrorists look for places they don't have to penetrate or face a challenge."

Los Angeles -- with its urban sprawl and pockets of neighborhoods each with its own favored public locales -- offers numerous targets for terrorists looking for venues where many people gather. A synchronized attack on multiple locations could paralyze the city in the same way it did in Mumbai, said Jenkins, senior adviser to Rand Corp.'s president.

"Can we protect all the soft targets in LA? No, realistically," he said. Most of the killing, he noted, happens in the first few minutes when law enforcement officers have yet to respond. He added that the key is gathering enough intelligence information to prevent an attack.

Last week, an elite Los Angeles Police Department unit trained to respond to terrorist attacks was summoned to a parking lot near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a surprise training drill. As sirens wailed and a police helicopter sputtered above, more than 150 officers sporting tactical vests and helmets and clutching rifles were briefed on simulated concurrent threats: An explosion at the Long Beach aquarium. A shooting at a Van Nuys recruitment center. An attack at the Howard Hughes Center.

"What you saw in Paris was a game changer in many ways," Downing said into a bullhorn. "For the past several years, we've been preparing for lone wolves -- one or two people hitting one or two locations. This was layered. It was complex. It was coordinated."

The stadium is one of several staging areas in the city where officers would convene before being deployed to respond to a terrorist attack. The Police Department's Operation Archangel is constantly updating its list of soft and hard terrorism targets.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said the Paris attacks offered critical lessons.

"You always have to evolve with the threat," he said.

Protecting soft targets has long been an issue in Los Angeles. For years, experts have expressed special concern about Los Angeles International Airport, saying it is vulnerable to truck and car bombs that could be detonated next to crowded terminals and sidewalks. Officials said they have boosted security dramatically since 9/11.

But since then, the airport has been the scene of two violent incidents.

In 2002, a gunman attacked the El Al Israel Airlines ticket counter, killing two people and wounding several others before a security guard working for the airline fatally shot him. In 2013, a gunman roamed through a terminal with an assault-style rifle before killing a Transportation Security Administration officer.

The approaching holiday season has agencies on their toes. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said deputies will increase their visibility across the region. He noted that the weapons and explosives used in the Paris attacks are readily available in Southern California.

He declined to go into specifics on counterterrorism plans, but he acknowledged that law enforcement officers were limited when it came to dealing with a vast landscape.

"At the end of the day, an engaged public comfortable with reporting what they see is just as important," McDonnell said. "It is time for the police and community to come together. There are too few officers protecting many, so the public's eyes and ears are the key. You can no longer think someone else will report that bag."

A Section on 11/26/2015

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