Washington's monuments may be easy targets for terrorists

The Washington Monument

July 2, 2000
Web posted at: 7:31 p.m. EDT (2331 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A study commissioned by the National Park Service concludes that Washington's monuments and memorials, some of the most visited and visible in the United States, may be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

"We know the threats are there, it is just a matter of 'when' as far as we are concerned," Lt. John Kmetz of the U.S. Park Police said Sunday. The Park Police is the law enforcement agency of the National Park Service. "If long-term issues are not addressed, there could be long-term threats down the road."

The report said the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the newly renovated Washington Monument and five other national sites could be targets for terrorist attacks such as the bombings of the federal building in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center in New York City.

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The study found that a major cause of the vulnerability is the lack of manpower, poor communications equipment and inadequate security perimeters provided by the U.S. Park Police, which is charged with protecting the monuments and the people who visit them.

Park Police officers said they need $80 million over the next seven years to fix those problems.

"Our communications system ... is 20 to 25 years old, as far as our staffing, we are short 150 officers in the D.C. area, and as far as our operational budget, we do not have at this time an equipment fund," said Lt. Kmetz.

Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, a member of a Senate subcommittee on national parks, historic preservation and recreation, said he had not seen the report, but would support beefing up funding for the National Park Service.

"I think the additional precautions that the National Park Service is recommending seem to be sensible and affordable," he said.

The White House also has not seen a copy of the report, but an administration official said it is "consistent with efforts throughout the government to combat terrorism due to a general increase of threats around the world."

Security has been tightened in Washington in recent years. Barriers went up around the U.S. Capitol after the World Trade Center bombing, and around the Washington Monument in 1998.

Just one month after the Oklahoma City attack, the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was closed to traffic.

But Paul Bremer, a former ambassador for counter-terrorism who chaired a recent congressional panel on terrorist threats, said Americans need to accept a certain level of vulnerability.

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