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As Chief, I have had many opportunities to network with all levels of government in reference to homeland security. I have served on the Urban Areas Working Group (UAWG) representative for the Hampton Roads Chiefs of Police and in that role, had contact with private and public sector entities in a forum that works toward emergency management and preparedness for the Urban Areas Security Initiative in Southeast Virginia. I also served as an executive board member of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and the Virginia Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC). Due to my level of participation, in times of duress I felt assured that should I have requested assistance from any of these organizations, they would have readily assisted.
Through my participation on the JTTF and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Homeland Security committee, I have gained invaluable insight into the Homeland Security Act of 2002 which consolidated the federal government's emergency response capabilities in the then newly created Department of Homeland Security. With Virginia prone to seasonal hurricanes, state and local leaders and first responders are also more than familiar with the Stafford Act, which allows the President to declare a major disaster with or without a request from the Governor in order to mitigate circumstances that are severely beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local communities. The two pieces of federal legislation have shaped our ability to develop the policies which have made police services a vital component of any response organization.