It’s been nearly two weeks since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the terror alert level from yellow to orange for some big-city financial institutions, but many banks and state and local governments – including some in Connecticut – are still being vigilant.
The elevated warning affected financial institutions in New York, northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C., but Fairfield County’s proximity to New York City prompted Gov. M. Jodi Rell to hold a conference call with leaders of financial institutions on Aug. 2.
Rell had participated in a conference call with Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge a day earlier, releasing a local statement on security issues immediately afterward.
“The call reminds us once again that the post-9/11 world is a dangerous and difficult place,” Rell said in her statement. “The forces of international terrorism present us with a ruthless and determined adversary.”
The Ridge call prompted the discussion with leaders of financial institutions.
“She informed them about steps the state of Connecticut was taking to heighten security,” said Rell’s spokesman, Dennis Schain.
Rell’s statement talked about the possible effects on Connecticut.
“The alert is directed most specifically at potential targets in the financial and banking services … but we in Connecticut will not take anything for granted,” Rell said in her statement. “Our alert level may not have been raised, but our determination and vigilance have been.”
Staying Vigilant
The state Department of Banking also has started taking steps in case of a terrorist attack. Employees of the department have been calling all of the banks in the state and asking them to update their emergency contact information, according to Kathleen Doolan, department spokeswoman. The department started the emergency list at the end of the last century amid Y2K scares and is now updating it, she said.
First County Bank in Stamford got a call from the Department of Banking, said bank President Tom Bartram.
“That is about it,” he noted.
But even though the terror alerts haven’t had much of an effect on the bank’s operations so far, he’s not taking them lightly, Bartram said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s business as usual if they’re calling from the [Department of Banking] to update contact lists,” he said. “We’ll just stay vigilant and aware.”
People’s Bank in Bridgeport hasn’t been too affected, either, according to spokesman Brent DiGiorgio.
“Nothing out of the ordinary has happened,” he said.
The bank already cooperates with the local authorities and is prepared in case of any unusual incidents, DiGiorgio said.
“We have an excellent relationship with the Police Department in Bridgeport,” he said. “We would be prepared, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
The Department of Banking made sure to get 24-hour contact lists from every bank and credit union in the state, Doolan said. It shared that information with the Connecticut Officer of Homeland Security and provided the department’s internal contact information with the state Office of Emergency Management.
The banks heard about possible problems from Rell during her Aug. 2 conference call.
She explained to the leaders of the state’s financial institutions that Connecticut would not let its guard down. The phone call also served as a way to open the lines of communication between the governor’s office and the financial institutions.
“[She] just got a sense back from them about steps they were taking,” Schain said.
In addition to warning financial institutions, Rell announced several other security measures, which were ongoing at press time.
“It seems appropriate to keep our guard up with all the information flying around now,” Schain said.
Rell has ordered the activation of the state’s Emergency Management Operations Center. Personnel from some state agencies and from the National Guard have been on duty around the clock, according to Rell’s statement. She also asked federal authorities to establish a no-fly zone around the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Connecticut, placed the National Guard Quick Response Force on alert and asked the state police to increase surveillance and security on highways and trains to and from New York City. Some state police officers have been riding trains, Schain said.
Rell also has been in contact with New York Gov. George Pataki and New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey.
“I will continue to be in constant contact with key federal and state officials,” she said. “Appropriate officials in our Homeland Security, state police and National Guard units will be sharing intelligence and information with their counterparts at the federal level and in other states. This is a time for increased vigilance; make no mistake about that. But not a time to live in fear.”
