Newswire

General: National ID cards on the way

Barry McCaffrey tells local agencies they need better tools to deal with disasters.

By Pedro Ruz Gutierrez / Orlando Sentinel

Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former White House drug czar, on Thursday said the same technology available to the U.S. military should be used by public-safety agencies in emergencies and natural disasters.

Speaking at a public-safety and technology conference sponsored by Motorola Inc., McCaffrey also said the country faces several challenges after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. These include an inconsistent immigration policy, an inability to control borders, the lack of a unified national police and the need for a national identity card.

"Within 10 years, we are going to have national identification cards," McCaffrey told about 150 people at The Peabody Orlando hotel off International Drive.

McCaffrey served as the country's top anti-drug warrior under President Clinton and now is a national-security consultant as well as a professor at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

McCaffrey, the keynote speaker, also reminded attendees they are the first line of defense on the homeland-security front.

The general said because of the country's governmental make-up, protection occurs at the city and county levels and the best intelligence is available to local governments first. "We don't have a national police force," he said. "It's worked for us for over 200 years."

Predicting a future showdown over civil liberties, he also said law-enforcement agents must have the authority to question people and demand identity documents.

"For God's sake, if we're licensing hairstylists and dog walkers . . . we can't ask who you are?"

The highly decorated general also suggested law-enforcement agencies take the initiative and not wait for a first strike. "My advice to law enforcement: Never get in a fair fight. Your purpose is to end hostilities rapidly."

In response to complaints that local agencies often share information with federal agencies but don't receive anything in return because of information deemed classified, he said, "Some things you can't fight."

After McCaffrey's speech, Motorola representatives showed a videotaped re-enactment of a kidnapping and SWAT team response that highlights the latest in technology. The demonstration, taped in Polk County and being shown around the country at Motorola conferences, features the use of digital cameras, a virtual command center, and the integration of law-enforcement and emergency-response systems.

"Our vision of the future is not science fiction," said Kelly Kirwan, vice president of Motorola's Southern sales division. "It's becoming science fact."

Capt. John Phillips, the logistics and communications liaison for Polk County Fire Services, said the need to connect and share information was put to the test during last year's hurricane season. He said the county's Motorola radio system did not fail during hurricanes Charley, Frances or Jeanne.


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Posted by Editor at February 25, 2005 05:30 PM