LOS ANGELES -- It would have been foolhardy to assume that the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden ended the terror threat. In fact, Bloomberg has already quoted Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as exclaiming that the death of bin Laden "is a continuance of the U.S. policy of atrocities." Not surprisingly, American cities remain on terror alert and Los Angeles is no exception.
Reassuring locals that no specific threats have been made against the City and County of Los Angeles, L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca told the Long Beach Press Telegram how security would be tightened in the area. Echoing the concerns, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck warned that the removal of the figurehead does not actually do away with the terror organization, which bin Laden led. "If you see something, say something," was Sheriff Baca's warning to Angelenos. This slogan has since been picked up by security personnel across the city and county.
While this may seem a bit tepid, it is important for L.A. locals to understand that there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes. For example, military recruitment centers received additional guard officers to protect staff and visitors alike from would-be avengers. Port Authority spokesperson Phillip Sanfield explained that port police were conducting security checks in areas deemed "critical."
Los Angeles Airport Police Chief George Centeno issued a press release reinforcing the absence of direct threats to LAX. Even so, he advised travelers not to be worried by "high visibility law enforcement and security protection," which would be more noticeable in the daily operations of the airport. Chief Centeno echoed Sheriff Baca's exhortation to speak up if anything unusual occurred. True to their words, it is impossible to walk through LAX without noticing police patrols clad in military fatigues, carrying highly visible automatic weapons.
Heightened watchfulness is also at work around Los Angeles' synagogues and mosques, which could make attractive targets after the death of bin Laden. All Headline News explains that this effort is ongoing among metropolitan cities, not just within California's southland.
Of course, at the end of the day the increase in security is only as good as the eyes of the citizens. As L.A. police officials warned, if anything seems out of the ordinary, the average Angeleno needs to be prepared to drop a dime and alert the currently more visibly present law enforcement.
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