NCJ Number
178005
Date Published
1999
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video discusses threats to government offices from weapons of mass destruction (WMD), especially biological agents.
Abstract
The video presents an address by officers from the Federal Protective Service to persons who work for the Phoenix, AZ, Immigration Court. The greatest WMD threat today is from biological agents, such as anthrax. People with grudges against the government, or even individuals angry with other citizens, can send potentially dangerous items through the mail. The officers describe how to identify suspicious mail, following guidelines established by the US Postal Service and the FBI. To date, there have been 114 anthrax threats in the United States, and all turned out to be hoaxes, but agencies are trying to prepare for the real thing. Local fire, police and other emergency services are conducting drills on how to deal with the threat, but the Nation is not really prepared for such attacks. One of the primary shortfalls is lack of medical preparedness; most physicians would not recognize cases of anthrax or smallpox and probably would not know how to treat them.