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Key facilities getting increased scrutiny
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
As the nation braces for war in Iraq, Pasco County law enforcement and emergency officials are putting their employees on alert. The looming use of military force, coupled with reports of suspicious activity around some facilities, has prompted the Sheriff's Office to increase patrols of water and sewage treatment plants. The first reports came in Saturday night, with workers describing two men lingering around the Embassy Hills and Hudson wastewater treatment plants and taking pictures. On Monday a neighbor told the Sheriff's Office that two trucks tried to "cut the gate" to get into the Pasco County well fields on Mercott Road. The men drove off without entering the facility after the neighbor, Robert Burke, told them it was county land, the sheriff's report said. One deputy pulled over a truck Monday morning as it was leaving the county well fields, just to make sure it was allowed to be there, according to reports. The driver, a contractor with Southern Land Services, did have permission; he just drew attention by using the wrong gate, the sheriff's report said. The war effort has put only a tiny dent in the sheriff's staff. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has 22 military reservists, but only three have been called to active duty, sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said. "That's not really a drain on our resources," Doll said. At the Pasco County Office of Emergency Management, director Michele Baker sent e-mails Tuesday morning ordering up to 100 members of its emergency operations team to be on standby. "We are trying to make sure we are at the maximum state of readiness," Baker said. Workers are testing phones, contact lists and other communication systems to make sure all are in good order. "It's nothing we wouldn't do if a hurricane were threatening," she said. Nationwide, the Homeland Security agency's threat level was at high risk on Tuesday. Capt. Darryl Garman of the New Port Richey Police Department said although officers are not running extra patrols or changing daily routines, everyone is watching for suspicious activity. "We're pretty much keeping our eyes and ears open," he said. Pasco County firefighters have been warned to pay close attention on all calls. "Naturally we're paying a little more attention to what's going on around us," said Assistant Chief Chris Alland. "We've cautioned our crews to be very aware and very vigilant." -- Times staff writers Saundra Amrhein, Bridget Hall Grumet and Jamie Jones contributed to this report.
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