Cops Teach NY Landlords to Spot Terrorists
— -- Cops Teach NY Landlords to Spot Terrorists
Criminal background probes could become as common as credit checks for New York apartment hunters, according to landlords and managers who met with police and FBI counterterrorist experts.
Law enforcement officials instructed property owners and managers how to detect terrorists looking to sabotage buildings or use them as bases of operations, participants leaving a closed meeting at police headquarters said Monday.
"We have to get over this blase New York attitude," said Dan Margulies, director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, a landlords' group.
The business interests requested the meeting after the FBI warned in April that al Qaeda terrorists had discussed the possibility of renting apartments with the intention of blowing them up. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said al Qaeda links with militant groups that conducted such attacks in Chechnya lent credence to the warning.
Counterterrorist measures under consideration range from background checks for renters to legislation requiring tenants to provide the identities of people living in their apartments, landlords and police said.
"We're going to create a cottage industry by having more and more people involved in background checks," said Joe Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, a 25,000-member property owners group.
Kelly said landlords also mentioned the possibility of state or city legislation allowing landlords to demand the identities of people living in their buildings, and he asked New Yorkers to call a new 24-hour anti-terrorist hot line, 888-NYC-SAFE, if they observe any suspicious activity.
The measures under discussion for landlords sound unnecessary and overly intrusive, said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
"The war on terror has been used by the federal government as a vehicle to expand the law enforcement of federal agencies in areas well beyond terrorism," she said. "It seems that this is an analogous effort."
Law enforcement officials warned landlords and managers to closely scrutinize documents such as drivers' licenses and passports, advising them in some cases to verify that tenants with student visas are actually enrolled in schools, attendees said.
They also cautioned rental agents to keep a close eye on tenants paying deposits in cash and living without much furniture or telephone service. Asking for an apartment whose only salient feature is that it overlooks a potential terror target is also a warning sign, attendees said.
"We're in uncharted waters," Kelly said. "To a certain extent, they have to use common sense."
—The Associated Press
Treasures of Heritage Lost Sept. 11
N E W Y O R K, June 4 — First editions of Helen Keller's books. Sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Artifacts from the African Burial Ground, a centuries-old Manhattan cemetery. Thousands of photographs of Broadway, off-Broadway and even off-off-Broadway shows.
All were lost — along with thousands of other important works of art, photographs, negatives, artifacts and historical documents — when the World Trade Center towers collapsed, a new report shows.
"In emergencies, sometimes there is simply nothing you can do," said Lawrence L. Reger, president of the group that released the report. "There was stuff put in vaults that were simply vaporized."
The report, by Heritage Preservation, a Washington, D.C.-based cultural preservation organization, surveyed 57 museums, archives and cultural institutions close to the trade center site. It focused on the scope of what was lost in lower Manhattan and at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Within and around the twin towers were works such as Fritz Koenig's "The Sphere" and the Rodin collection in the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond-trading firm that lost 658 of its nearly 1,000 employees Sept. 11.
"The Sphere," which sat in the concourse between the towers, was badly damaged and now serves as part of a temporary memorial in nearby Battery Park.
"It was next to a miracle that the Koenig sphere survived in any way," Reger said Monday.
But most of the rare casts of Rodin sculptures did not survive. Those that did were badly damaged.
Aside from the works of art, thousands of important historical photographs and documents also were lost.
Almost the complete Port Authority of New York and New Jersey archive was destroyed, including papers, photographs and blueprints detailing the construction of the World Trade Center and dozens of other city landmarks.
Nearly 40,000 of photographer Jacques Lowe's negatives, detailing John F. Kennedy's presidency, were lost when 5 World Trade Center was heavily damaged in the attack, destroying the bank vault where they were stored. Lowe's family estimated the negatives were worth nearly $2 million.
"Most people did not think that the World Trade towers had such a variety and such a wide breadth of historical items," Reger said.
While so much was lost at the trade center, the Heritage Preservation report also showed that hundreds of thousands of items in nearby institutions were saved by quick thinking and good emergency plans.
"The good news is that people really took common-sense action, and that helped save quite a lot," Reger said. "Most of those who did that had some kind of plan, but we do think too many institutions don't have proper planning."
For example, just across the street from where the towers once stood, administrators at the Museum of Jewish Heritage climbed to the roof and manually cranked vents closed when power was lost. As the towers burned in the background, they stayed to turn off water valves, even though police ordered them to leave.
When they returned, not a trace of dust — which can be lethal to artifacts — was found inside the museum, even though lowerManhattan was covered in a thick layer.
—The Associated Press
Airlines Sued for Removing People Who Look Arabic
W A S H I N G T O N, June 4 — Civil rights groups filed awsuits against four major airlines today, alleging discrimination against five men who were removed from flights after the Sept. 11 attacks because they looked Middle Eastern.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee named United Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines in the suits filed in federal court in Maryland, New Jersey and California.
The lawsuits were filed on behalf of the five men — four U.S. citizens and one permanent resident — who the groups said were ejected from flights for reasons unrelated to security and simply because of their perceived Middle East appearance or origin.
The suits ask the court to find that the airlines violated the plaintiffs' civil rights and for the airlines to implement measures to prevent future discrimination.
Of the four planes hijacked on Sept. 11, two belonged to American Airlines and two were United aircraft. Two were flown into New York's World Trade Center, a third smashed into the Pentagon in Washington and the fourth slammed into a Pennsylvania field.
The civil rights groups said only two of the five men denied travel were of Arab descent.
"These cases show that people of many different ethnicities are being subjected to arbitrary and humiliating discrimination by airlines across the country," said Jayashri Srikantiah, an attorney for the ACLU in a statement. "A country as diverse as the United States should have no tolerance for this kind of discrimination."
The government denies it is engaging in racial profiling, noting that tougher security measures since Sept. 11 target passengers for myriad reasons, including those who buy one-way tickets or use cash to pay for expensive airline seats.
The Transportation Department on Monday said consumers filed 18 complaints in April — the latest data available — alleging discrimination by airlines due to factors other than disabilities, such as race, religion, national origin or sex.
The department received 35 such complaints in March.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta opposes racial profiling of airline passengers, but security has been tightened around the country and many Arab-Americans and other minorities have complained of unfair treatment.
—Reuters
FBI Changes Tough for War on Drugs
M I A M I, June 4 — Law enforcement officials nationwide, already strained by added security work since Sept. 11, say the FBI's sweeping reorganization could hamper their ability to fight drug traffickers and white-collar criminals.
Some authorities have urged the government to increase funding to local agencies. Others say they're prepared to take on the FBI's responsibilities in investigations into drug and gang activity, bank robberies and fraud.
"All the sheriffs in the country are making an extra effort and we'll continue to do that," said Monroe County, Ga., Sheriff John Cary Bittick, president of the National Sheriffs' Association. "I think it can be done, and I think we're obligated to make it happen."
FBI Director Robert Mueller has proposed shifting hundreds of agents, mostly from drug and white-collar crime investigations, to focus on terrorism. A new assistant director, Louis F. Quijas, also is slated to coordinate better relationships with state and local police.
The details of the changes won't be known until Congress approves the measure.
While law enforcement officials applauded the FBI for retooling its mission, some question the costs to their agencies in manpower and resources.
"Now that the FBI is going to be focused on its core mission of terrorism, I'm wondering how our state and local agencies are going to deal with motorcycle gangs, narcotics trafficking and white-collar crime," Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas said. "White-collar crimes usually don't usually occur in just one city or one county … and the FBI has been really helpful with that over the years."
Broward County, Fla., Sheriff Ken Jenne said the changes will create "a gaping hole" in his agency's fight against drugs and white-collar crime.
In Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley warned last week that drug dealers are terrorists and the city will suffer if the FBI pulls its resources.
FBI agent Hardrick Crawford Jr. of El Paso, Texas, said the reorganization means the FBI must be more selective in targeting drug cases.
In the past, FBI agents have worked on unsolved crimes and investigated identified groups, he said. He said his agents now have been told, "You have to prevent. You have to neutralize. You have to predict."
He admits it won't be easy.
"It's humanly impossible to be flawless when an enemy is determined to strike in a way and on a time of his own choosing," Crawford said.
The agency that will be most affected by the changes, the Drug Enforcement Administration, said it will transfer agents to ensure there is no lag.
"The void that the FBI is going to leave in the war on drugs … is going to be immediately backfilled by the DEA," said DEA agent Osvaldo Amaro in El Paso.
Smaller agencies with fewer officers may feel more of a pinch. In Peoria County, Ill., Sheriff Chuck Schofield said the FBI provides crucial support for fighting gang activity.
"I know they have big responsibilities, but I'd hate to have the relationship affected," he said.
Rockford, Ill., Police Chief Jeff Nielsen said he envisions fewer arrests on major drug cases the FBI works, but it may be a fair trade-off.
"While you wish they didn't have to [pull agents], you understand," Nielsen said. "If a slightly lower arrest rate means they have a higher arrest rate in terrorism, that's good."
—The Associated Press
Computer, Stamps for U.S. Visas Stolen From INS
T A C O M A, Wash., June 4 — A laptop computer and stamps used to grant access to the United States were stolen from an Immigration and Naturalization Service office, officials said.
No arrests were reported, and investigators had no motive for the weekend burglary but said terrorism had been largely ruled out.
There were no signs of forced entry, police officer Jim Mattheis said.
The items, taken from a secured locker, included five stamps used to validate foreign passports and grant admission to the United States, the computer, an INS badge and a .40-caliber Baretta pistol with two clips of ammunition.
"We don't think [terrorism] is a link," INS spokesman Garrison Courtney said. "It's still an ongoing investigation. We don't really want to speculate on a reason."
The stamps were invalidated, and the computer contained little important data, he said.
"Anything we do on computers we do through a secure line and don't store it on the hard drives," Courtney said.
—The Associated Press
Vanity Plate on BMW Honors Todd Beamer
P U T N A M V A L L E Y, N.Y., June 4 — A couple with a new BMW has obtained a license plate that reads "LETZROLL" so their Beemer can honor Todd Beamer, the hero of Flight 93.
"It was just a very heroic thing that Todd Beamer did and it just seemed like a tribute," said Michael Sheifetz of Putnam Valley. "Our BMW — our Beemer — will always say `LETZROLL."'
Beamer, 32, was among the passengers on United Flight 93 who apparently tried to overpower their hijackers on Sept. 11 and thus thwarted another attack on Washington. The plane crashed near Shanksville, Pa., killing everyone aboard. Beamer had made a call from the plane, telling a phone official of the passengers' plans, and the last words heard from him were, "Let's roll."
Sheifetz, whose wife, Julie, had the idea for the vanity plate, said "LETS ROLL" was taken so he settled for "LETZROLL."
The state Department of Motor Vehicle has placed a moratorium on requests for personalized Sept. 11-related plates — such as "WTC4EVER" — citing concern for victims and their families. Elsewhere around the country, motorists have chosen such plates as "WTC911" and "RMBRWTC."
—The Associated Press