LAPD Readies for Worst on Sept. 11

Touting an array of new equipment--from a high-tech hazardous materials analysis kit to a $500,000 mobile command post--acting LAPD Chief Martin Pomeroy said Thursday that the department is “better off than it was a year ago.”

“I believe we’re prepared for whatever may come our way,” he said.

On the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Los Angeles Police Department will have 2,300 officers on patrol, about one-third more than before, the chief said. The department has identified 450 locations citywide it has deemed “high risk”--including religious institutions, government buildings and utility plants--that will be under special watch that day.

Whether a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, police officials said they will be able to respond more effectively because of the new equipment and vehicles displayed Thursday at the Edward M. Davis Firearms/Tactics Training Facility in Granada Hills.

A new Rapid Threat Analysis Kit--developed in conjunction with McBain Instruments of Chatsworth and Safe Environment Engineering of Valencia--will reduce the time the hazardous materials unit needs to analyze a suspicious substance, officials said.

“We’re always trying to determine what something is not,” Officer Christopher Watson said. “This will allow us to do that quicker, safer and more accurately.”

The LAPD will now respond to major crime scenes with a 39-foot mobile command post, which has four computers, a restroom, a kitchenette and an area that expands to accommodate three work stations.

“It’s completely self-contained, like a top-of-the-line motor home,” Sgt. Greg Doyle said.

Also on display was a $150,000 bulletproof Ford Excursion that will replace a Vietnam War-era vehicle that the SWAT team uses to rescue officers and community members.

Another device, the “Hot Dog” K-9 temperature system, determines if an unmanned patrol car is getting too hot for a police dog awaiting its handler. The car windows automatically go down when the temperature is too high, and the police officer is alerted by pager to check on the vehicle.