Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115 No. 21	May 21, 2008

State official shares grant tips and tricks

Photo by Larry See Jr.
State Homeland Security director Adam Edelen, right, confers with county computer technician Jeremy Bullock following the conclusion of an hour-long information session at the Meade County Courthouse Friday. Edelen, a Meade County native, encouraged area law enforcement and fire officials to apply for state grants in the coming year during the session and explained the department’s goals and objectives.

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

The state’s homeland security director usually only manages to return to Meade County for tornadoes or weddings, but May 9he shared some advice about his department with area emergency responders.

State Homeland Security director Adam Edelen discussed what his department does and how it can benefit Meade County.

“My background is not in law enforcement,” Edelen said. “I have a background in business. In the past year we administered $14 million worth of grants without a strategic plan.”

He said the department will be 99 percent funded by the federal government in the upcoming budget year, an increase of 2 percent from the current year.

“Kentucky is managing to maintain an increased share,” he said. “We also have some real serious threats here. Kentucky has got a uranium storage facility in the western part of the state, we have the Louisville International Airport and south of Lexington we have a facility that disposes of chemical weapons.”

The latter facility, if a dangerous situation occurs, would easily wipe out a 20-mile radius.

“We have a lot of infrastructure and a lot of events going on here,” he continued.

Locally, Edelen referenced the Arch Chemicals facility south of Brandenburg and the fact the Ohio River narrows locally as other issues.

“If you have a failure to prepare that invites an attack,” he said. Edelen said those planning attacks are more creative than in the past, referencing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City.

Edelen told those gathered in the Meade County Courthouse they needed to maintain a good working relationship with each other.

Edelen welcomed representatives on the grant review committee. All grants reviewed by the committee aren’t identifiable, to prevent bias, and members travel to Frankfort to review applications.

According to Edelen, any grants awarded are considered reimbursement grants, meaning the county has to expend the funds first.

“We’ll reimburse you for the purchases, but we won’t give you the money to buy things,” Edelen said. “You have to purchase it first and then we’ll reimburse you.”

He also reviewed state grants for the law enforcement body armor program, funded by the sale of confiscated weapons. Other grants are available for purchasing guns, vests and tasers, he said, adding the program operates throughout the year.

Edelen spoke highly of the state “fusion center” in Frankfort which houses representatives from several enforcement agencies.

The center assists all federal, state and local law enforcement with requests for information on suspects by utilizing available databases.

Because the relationships with these agencies are partnerships, Edelen explained, representatives are not Homeland Security employees, but rather detailed employees from their respective agencies.

“It looks like a miniature NASA control when you first walk in,” Edelen said. “I would really like, if you have not already, to designate an intelligence liaison officer within your departments to share intelligence with us in Frankfort so we can share it with others.”

“You really need to come up and see it,” Edelen said. “It is very difficult to explain and you have got to see it to believe it.”

Edelen compared Kentucky’s Homeland Security office to Florida, which he said is the best in the nation, and California, which has three offices.

“My goal is to have the best small Homeland Security department in the country,” Edelen said. He said his department would be like a PT boat, compared to California’s which he likened to a combat aircraft carrier.

Another new program, in the developmental stages, is a community certification program, which would indicate the fact county officials have taken the necessary training and can implement emergency measures easily and quickly.

“Nobody is going to be able to be certified overnight,” Edelen said.

As an added incentive, Edelen is currently in negotiations with insurers to secure an insurance rate reduction for those attaining certification, adding he hopes to roll out the program later this year.

He also spoke highly of an e-warrant program, reporting Kentucky currently has 300,000 unserved warrants, with 2 percent of them being criminal complaints.

Under the process, warrants would move from a paper system to a paperless system, Edelen said, adding the process would be streamlined.

“We tested it last year in Jefferson County and if we can make it work in Louisville than we can make it work in the state,” he said. “We are planning on moving it into 15 other counties this year around the state. It will be statewide within the next several months.”

Edelen encouraged officials to seek a state grant for a Zodiac rescue craft, currently under review by Meade County Fire Protection District Chief Larry Naser and county emergency services director Ron Dodson.

The apparatus, estimated to cost about $15,000, would be used for water rescues along the Ohio River, Doe Lake and other places, Naser said.

“You just need to deliver the application to (state Rep. Jeff Greer) and he’ll walk it over to me,” Edelen said. “Make sure you have a mutual aid agreement in place.”

Naser said all county fire departments work under a mutual aid agreement and Dodson said they also filed the necessary state paperwork.

“We have 27 miles of Ohio River shoreline, which is more than any other county in the state,” Naser said, adding that might be an additional incentive for the grant.

Edelen said out of 120 counties, Meade was the 40th largest in the state.

“This county is one of the largest in the scheme of things,” he said. “You need to get together as a group and look at some of these grants.”

Edelen encouraged those not to be bashful about calling his office for assistance, reciting the names of several staff members available for questions.

In conclusion, Edelen said the changes coming about because of the Fort Knox Base Realignment and Closure would be of tremendous benefit locally.

“The economic benefits are going to be larger than when Toyota went to Georgetown,” Edelen said. “You will be getting thousands of new jobs. This is going to have a huge impact and you need to get ready for it. It is going to be a big boost for your county.”

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