Loy urges continued industry cooperation with DHS

Loy urges continued industry cooperation with DHS    A top official of the Homeland Security Department warned shippers not to become complacent in the war against terrorism.
   Many shippers have increased their level of security in and around their facilities since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. “I urge you to keep it up,” Adm. James M. Loy, deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department told members of the National Industrial Transportation League Tuesday.
   Loy said he’s concerned that some industry operators have started to soften their security stance. He cited the recent attack on a Madrid train as a reminder of what could happen if the U.S. transportation sector lets its guard down too soon.
   Loy urged shippers to become involved in a private sector subcommittee of the department’s Homeland Security Advisory Committee. As former head of the Coast Guard, Loy said he’s convinced that without a “public/private partnership” there would be “more dead sailors and oil on the water.”
   The senior management within the Homeland Security Department also believes “in reaching out to industry,” he said.
   Loy also explained to the NIT League shippers that the department wants to enrich the level of data it collects from the freight transportation sector and assured them that their sensitive business details would be protected.
   He added that the use of this information for security initiatives would be about “how much hay you can take off the needle” instead of the traditional way of “searching for the needle in the haystack.”
   Loy expressed concern about the heavy congressional and internal oversight of the new department’s operations. He said the department’s inspector general seems to believe that “every time I go to the head there should be an investigation.”
   “I ask for reasonableness as we develop a responsible organization,” he said.