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*''High'' ([[Orange (colour)|orange]]): high risk
*''High'' ([[Orange (colour)|orange]]): high risk
*''Elevated'' ([[yellow]]) significant risk
*''Elevated'' ([[yellow]]) significant risk
*''Guarded'' ([[blue]]): general risk
*''Guarded'' ([[Baby Blue on Cadillac]]): general risk, no Bentleys
*''Low'' ([[green]]): low risk
*''Low'' ([[green]]): low risk


Revision as of 01:16, 5 March 2007

Homeland Security Advisory System Color Chart
Homeland Security Advisory System Color Chart

In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System is a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. The different levels trigger specific actions by federal agencies and state and local governments, and they affect the level of security at some airports and other public facilities.

History

The system was created by Presidential Directive 3 six months after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, to provide a "comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to the American people." It was unveiled March 12, 2002, by Tom Ridge, then the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, but responsibility for developing, implementing and managing the system was given to the U.S. Attorney General.

In January 2003, the new Department of Homeland Security began administering the system. The decision to publicly announce threat conditions is made by the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, according to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5.[1]

Description

The scale consists of five color-coded threat levels, which are intended to reflect the probability of a terrorist attack and its potential gravity.

The specific government actions triggered by different threat levels are not always revealed to the public, although the government does provide general guidance for civilians[2] and federal agencies.[3] Typical actions include increasing police and other security presence at landmarks and other high-profile targets, more closely monitoring international borders and other points of entry, ensuring that emergency response personnel are ready, and, in some cases, deploying members of the National Guard to assist local law enforcement on security details.

Some actions, such as systematic forced searches of automobiles without probable cause near airports,[4][5] are questionable under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment. No court has yet ruled on a specific search triggered by this threat advisory system.

The published terror alert notices have urged American citizens, especially those traveling in the transportation systems, "to be vigilant, take notice of their surroundings, and report suspicious items or activities to local authorities immediately." In addition, people have been warned to prepare an emergency preparedness kit and a family emergency plan.

Criticism of the system

There are no published criteria for the threat levels, and thus no independent way to tell whether the current threat level is accurate. The threat levels Green (low risk) and Blue (general risk) have never been used. Thus the five level system becomes, in practice, a three tier system. The evidence cited to justify changes in threat levels has been stated vaguely (see below) and its sources have seldom been revealed. This lack of disclosure makes the system vulnerable to manipulation by government officials. These attributes have been criticized by cartoonists,[6][7] journalists,[8] entertainers,[9] civil libertarians,[10] and security experts.[11]

The alert level was raised once in 2004, an election year, leading some critics to speculate that the Bush Administration used them for political rather than strictly security reasons.[12][13] Columbia University academic Brigitte L. Nacos has published a study identifying a correlation between increases in terrorism alert levels and Bush's popularity. [14]

In December 2004, the Homeland Security Advisory Council voted to review the color-coded system. One panel member suggested that it had outlived its usefulness.[15] In a public forum, Ridge conceded the system had invited "questions and even occasional derision."[16] Ridge also said that he had not always agreed when others pushed to raise the threat level. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment," Ridge said. "Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on [alert]. ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?'"[17]

Threat level changes

Homeland Security secured the Prudential Financial Building in Newark, New Jersey in August 2004 following the discovery of evidence of a terrorist threat to it.

Although the system consists of five levels, the threat level has never been lowered on a nationwide basis to Guarded (Blue) or Low (Green), although the state of Hawaii lowered it to Guarded for several months in 2003.[18] The threat level has stood at Elevated (Yellow) for most of its existence. In New York City it has stayed at High (Orange) since the start of the system.

Severe (Red)

The Homeland Security Advisory System has been raised to Severe only once, which applied only to flights coming from the United Kingdom:

  • August 10, 2006 - August 14, 2006, in response to British law enforcement announcing it had disrupted a major terror plot to blow up aircraft, the Department of Homeland Security raised the threat level for commercial flights from the United Kingdom to the United States to Severe.[19]

High (Orange)

On a blanket, nationwide level, it has been raised to High five times:

In addition, the alert has been raised to High on a select or partial basis three times:

  • August 1 - November 10, 2004, for specific financial institutions in northern New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C., citing intelligence pointing to the possibility of a car or truck bomb attack, naming specific buildings as possible targets.[20][21]
  • July 7, 2005 - August 12, 2005, for mass transit systems only. The DHS secretary announced the level after the 7 July 2005 London bombings despite the absence of "specific, credible information suggesting imminent attack" in the United States.[22]
  • August 10, 2006 - Present, for all domestic airline flights and all international flights to or from the United States, with the exception of flights from the United Kingdom to the United States. Flights from the United Kingdom to the United States had been under a severe alert, but were downgraded to a high alert on August 14, 2006.[19]

Other Terror Warnings

Other official terrorism warnings issued without raising the threat level above Elevated:

  • May 28, 2004, citing "credible evidence" of terrorist intent to affect upcoming elections.
  • July 8, 2004, again citing "credible evidence" of terrorist intent to affect upcoming elections.

References

  1. ^ Office of the Press Secretary (February 28, 2003). "Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-5". The White House. Retrieved 2006-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ "Citizen Guidance on the Homeland Security Advisory System" (PDF). Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  3. ^ "Homeland Security Advisory System--Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies". Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  4. ^ Goo, Sara Kehaulani (2003). "Police Searching Cars at Random Outside Airports". Washington Post: A01. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "State threat level raised to 'orange'". Dover Post. 2003. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  6. ^ "Israel Police Moving to Level III Alert". Israel National News. Mar 03, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. ^ Kirkeby, Cynthia (Jul 13, 2004). "Pinning the Tail on Terror". Classbrain.com. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  8. ^ Miller, Sara B. (2004). "Terror-alert system: how it's working". The Christian Science Monitor. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ J. (May 22, 2003). "A Frank Guide to Homeland Security Alert Levels". Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |First= ignored (|first= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  10. ^ Wade, Anthony. "Election Season Terror Alert Chart". Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  11. ^ Schneier, Bruce (October 2004). "Do Terror Alerts Work?". Retrieved 2006-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  12. ^ Kamen, Al (2004). "Will Terror Alert Level Show Its True Colors?". Washington Post: A19. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Dems Question Timing of Terror Alert". FOX News. August 04, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  14. ^ http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/41367/, Matthew Stannard, San Francisco Chronicle, September 7, 2006
  15. ^ Sifuentes, Edward (December 15, 2004). "Ridge comes to San Diego and defends color-coded warning system". Retrieved 2006-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  16. ^ "404 error". Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  17. ^ "404 error". Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  18. ^ http://starbulletin.com/2003/02/08/news/story2.html
  19. ^ a b Jordan, Lara (August 10, 2006). "U.S. raises airline threat level to highest level, first time ever, in response to British threat". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2006-08-10.
  20. ^ "Gov't Warns of Threats Against Buildings ([[Internet Archive|archived version]])". Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  21. ^ "Homeland Security Advisory System". Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  22. ^ Stout, David (July 7, 2005). "U.S. Raises Threat Level for Mass Transit". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
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