HOW WELL would law enforcement and health officials in New Hampshire respond to a terrorist attack, a disease outbreak or a crazed gunman loose on a college campus, a school or a courthouse? The answer, both frightening and comforting, is that no one knows.
On Friday morning someone e-mailed a bomb threat to the UNH Office of Admissions, and university, state and federal law enforcement officers responded immediately. Students were alerted, a search was conducted, and the campus was declared safe later that day.
On Monday afternoon a sharp-eyed Portsmouth District Court official noticed a suspicious-looking package with the return address of a man who had threatened judges in the past. The State Police explosives disposal unit was called, and, thankfully, the package was found to contain only court documents.
Last Wednesday police evacuated a car dealership, the Colebrook and Pittsburg police stations and the Colebrook District Court in response to a bomb scare. This one also turned out to be false, evidently the result of a dispute between a wanted criminal and his former boss.
Two weeks ago, after a student killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University, bomb threats were investigated at Keene State University, Pinkerton Academy in Derry and Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro. That same week, schools were closed for two days in the Winnisquam Regional School District and the Franklin School District so the FBI could investigate a threat of violence that was to occur on or near the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.
Luckily, all of these threats were false alarms. But what if the next threat is real?
Under the radar, state, local and federal officials have spent years training for violent attacks, disease outbreaks and natural disasters in New Hampshire. The most recent drills were held last month in Berlin, Concord and Rochester. Manchester has developed a new emergency management plan, as have several other communities. And UNH will soon have a new campus-wide warning system to alert students, staff and faculty to dangers.
State Homeland Security Director Chris Pope said in November that he was "never satisfied" with the state's readiness and intended to pursue improvements without end. That's the right attitude, and it is shared by Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen, who has worked hard to prepare the state in case of an infectious disease outbreak.
Pope and Stephen are putting their worry to the test on a frequent basis, regularly drilling and practicing so that if anything awful does happen, first responders will be as ready as possible. We hope their preparations will continue to be tested only by drills.
Constantly testing the readiness of first responders will not guarantee a flawless response if something does happen, but it will minimize the chances that a fatal error will crop up. It is good to know that if someone out there is secretly plotting something sinister, the state and local governments are also quietly plotting a response.
