Last week, James Bolden became executive director of the Homeland Security Council for Shelby, Lauderdale, Tipton, Fayette, DeSoto, and Crittenden counties. The former Memphis police director may have changed uniforms and gotten into color-coding, but he’s still protecting the Mid-South.
Flyer: What is the most significant terror threat facing our district?
Bolden: It could come in the form of anything, from cyberterrorism to transportation, to utilities, to a large-scale disruption of a public event.
The biggest threat that we have here in Tennessee, being a largely agrarian area with many chemical plants, is a potential for some sort of chemical threat.
How does the local office acquire terrorist information?
Federal authorities supply local authorities with information regarding terrorist activity. I cannot elaborate on investigations involving terrorist activity, but believe me, there are people involved in the act right here in Shelby County.
I think as citizens we forget that “terrorist activity” can include anything from money laundering to funding terrorists elsewhere to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. So don’t think that all of a sudden you’re looking for someone walking down the street who is a suicide bomber, because terrorism takes on a lot of forms.
