The Earth Times | Posted October 1, 2002

INTERVIEW
Raymond W. Kelly on security in the post-September 11 era
> BY PRANAY GUPTE
Copyright © 2002 by The Earth Times. All rights reserved>

Patrick Fuller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red As the Commissioner of NYPD, Ray eased police tensions in minority communities while retaining the confidence and support of the police force. As Commissioner of Customs, he substantially reduced trade violations and traveler complaints, prompting The Washington Post to say upon his retirement as Commissioner that "The U. S. Customs Service came a long way in a short time under Raymond W. Kelly" and that "The next commissioner will undoubtedly find Kelly a tough act to follow."

The Post also described the conflict prevention and resolution measures Mr. Kelly had taken, noting that "Kelly -- a former Marine who served in Vietnam and then worked as a New York police officer for 31 years -- began by focusing on the agency's nearly 20,000 employees. He preached that every Custom agent, inspector and employee should always be seen as acting professionally and fairly when dealing with the public."

The Post went on to say that "Kelly especially sounded that theme throughout 1999, when Customs was swept up in controversy over whether the agency engaged in racial profiling when conducting strip searches of airline passengers returning from overseas trips." Also, that "He overhauled agency procedures for targeting international travelers suspected of smuggling cocaine and heroin in their clothes and in their bodies" and that "no search now takes place without the approval of a supervisor."

In light of his record of accomplishments in combining conflict prevention with law enforcement, President Clinton named him Director of the International Police Monitors of the Multinational force created to prevent conflicts in Haiti growing out of the forced retirement of Raul Cedras, whom the military had installed as President, in favor of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whom the people of Haiti had elected as President.

Thereafter, President Clinton named Ray Kelly to be the Under Secretary for Enforcement of the U.S. Treasury Department with direct supervisory authority over the Department's enforcement bureaus including the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Following are responses from Commissioner Kelly to questions from The Earth Times:

In the wake of the terrible events of September 11, how should everyday citizens change their lives concerning everyday security matters?

Vigilance is the watch word. Pay attention to your surroundings, the unattended package or suitcase should be brought to the attention of security personnel. Take fire drills seriously. Consider ahead of time what you would do if catastrophe struck. For example, when you travel, count the number of doors from you hotel room to the stairwell so you can find the stairs in the dark. A sailor on the attack on the USS Cole said he attributed his survival in finding his way from the pitch black engine room to the deck to training: "We practiced blindfolded," he said.

The NYPD and NYFD suffered tragic losses. How should these forces be rebuilt and strengthened now?

Despite the economic impact of 9/11 on New York City, there is no doubt in my mind that the city government will quickly fill the void left by the disaster in terms of personnel and equipment. Before 9/11 , the New York City Police Department was having difficulty recruiting candidates. Ironically, I believe in the aftermath of the disaster there will be greater interest in serving in the NYPD, FDNY and EMS because heroism displayed on September 11.

Is there a danger of Americans becoming too "security conscious"?

No, I don't think America will become too security conscious. Even with a disaster of this magnitude, the public will eventually return to a relatively lax view toward security as time goes on. If anything, I believe they will have to be reminded to maintain vigilance.

Is there a danger of government becoming too intrusive in ordinary citizens' lives in the cause of greater security?

There is always the possibility of the best of intentions yielding unwanted results, especially when it comes to privacy versus security. We need to remain levelheaded, especially in a crisis. There were complaints in some quarters that the FBI was too aggressive in holding potential witnesses or suspects on minor immigration violations in immediate aftermath of the attacks. "Witnesses" were reportedly held for days, even weeks, without access to a lawyer. My view: Yes, hold them. But unless you suspect that the lawyer too is part of the terrorist related conspiracy, he or she should have access to the client. Having said that, the U.S. has generally looked the other way for too long on immigration violations. You or I would not expect to be permitted to stay in any foreign country we visited in violation of their immigration statutes. No question that we have to be much tougher in this regard. The 9/11 terrorists specifically exploited our laxity on immigration enforcement in order to kill thousands of people.

Can the violence of terrorism be effectively dealt with unless some of the roots causes--such as poverty, political conflicts, etc--are also handled forthrightly?

Certainly it is useful to understand the roots of terrorism, without "root causes" becoming an excuse for mass murder. I suggest that the terrorists attacks of 9/11 had more to do with the megalomania of an individual, Osama Bin Laden, than the economic condition of his followers. He is the ultimate rich kid, playing out his mid-life crisis fantasy as a "holy warrior." Mother Teresa saw poverty and sought to heal its victims. Bin Laden, a millionaire, saw ignorance and built a cult following there. Whether the root causes of a terrorist act arise from the disturbed musings of an individual psychopath or broader social reasons, understanding them is secondary to eliminating the perpetrators. In the post-9/11 analysis, we must not forget that 6,000 individuals were murdered in New York and Washington and on board civilian aircraft carrying them to the terrorists' targets. Bin laden applauded these acts and promised more. Under these circumstances, the first responsibility of government in safeguarding its people is to eliminate the present danger. That means finding and killing the terrorist planners and support network. Understanding root causes can wait until this obligation is fulfilled.

What's your message to American corporations now concerning how they should deal with the broader conceptual questions of "security"?

It was instructive that Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvannia, in his first speech as the director of the Office of Homeland Security, said he wanted to use the directors of corporate security to bolster the nation's civil defense posture. Corporations should use the aftermath of 9/11 to reexamine not just its security procedures, but how it responds in an emergency in protecting its employees and safeguarding valuable information and property. Corporations should be asking themselves a series of questions, including:

In times of uncertainty it may be helpful for corporations to assume the paternal posture of old: the reliable rock-solid center, where employees don't just pick up a paycheck, but the place they turn to for reassurance in times of crisis.
Do you see the U.S. business community freshly vulnerable both domestically and abroad?

Officers of American and other industrialized nations traveling abroad have been the targets of terrorism, as well as kidnappings for profit, for many years now. That will continue to be true until such time as we increase the risk to planners of such acts. I say the planners, because as we've seen on 9/11 and previous attacks, the planners behind them have succeeded in recruiting operatives willing to sacrifice their lives in suicide missions.

Do you feel that the carefree ways of Americans are forever gone?

America's "carefree days," if there ever was such a thing, ended with the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Urban crime, although on the wane in recent years, certainly undermined Americans' sense of personal safety and freedom from the 1960s on. Unlike most street crime, terrorism is conducted on a much more violent scale. It also appears to be more random and unthwartable. You may fight off a mugger. How do you fight off a car bomb, or, now, an aircraft used as a bomb? In the short run, Americans may feel less carefree. But in time, especially if we persist in eliminating terrorist planners, America will return to a normalcy.

How concerned are you over ethnic profiling, especially regarding Muslims?

Racial and ethnic profiling have no place in law enforcement or national security. The whole purpose of spending billions of dollars on intelligence gathering is to pinpoint threats in advance. Reverting to mass stereotyping is not only unjust and unfair to its victims, it is impractical and wasteful of law enforcement resources. Intelligence agencies can't tell us there are a billion Moslems in the world and any one of them may be a threat. Their job is to identify the one in a billion, or the one thousand in a billion, and help us stop them before they strike again.

How can mutual trust and social harmony be restored in America now?

The question implies a large degree of mistrust and disharmony in America since the 9/11 attacks. If anything, the opposite is true. The country, both socially and politically, appears more united and harmonious than ever. The isolated attacks on innocent Moslems (or, more accurately, persons thought to be Moslems) was widely condemned. From the outset, public officials from the President of the United States on down, vigorously condemned such acts, as well as religious, ethnic and racial bigotry in general. Yes, there have been isolated acts of bigotry, but nothing like the hysteria that led to the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.