[BATN] BART cops take 4-day class from Israeli anti-terror institute Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 20:54:47 -0000 Published Monday, March 6, 2006, in the Contra Costa Times BART workers train for terror attack CONCORD: Officers learn how to identify, subdue suspects in four-day session By Tom Lochner Contra Costa Times A make-believe suicide bomber -- actually a BART police SWAT team officer -- stood in a maintenance hangar amid an imaginary crowd of commuters Sunday, poised to "detonate" his weapon and sow tragedy and terror. But another SWAT officer sneaked up from behind and yanked the first officer's legs out from under him. The would-be assassin grunted as the counterterrorism officer straddled his back and pinned his arms outward, preventing the hands from setting off the charge. America is safer now than three years ago when the Iraq War began, according to the Bush administration, but BART wasn't taking any chances Sunday. "This system has been identified as a terrorist target," said Lt. Dan Hartwig, the SWAT team commander. That classification was made "at the highest level of the U.S. government," he said. Common sense alone might indicate BART is a potential terrorist target. Some 340,000 riders use the system on weekdays, Hartwig said. There are 43 stations. A maximum of 61 trains ply more than 100 miles of track. Long before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, BART was delving into counterterrorism, mostly to defend against potential chemical or biological attacks, Hartwig said. And after last year's bombings of London's transit system and the previous year's bombings of Madrid's commuter trains, BART ratcheted up its "Eyes & Ears" campaign, said BART spokesman Jim Allison. "Weaponless takedown," the title of Sunday's demonstration for the news media, came on the last day of a four-day seminar for the 18- member BART SWAT team conducted by Los Angeles native Aaron Cohen, who said he served on a counterterrorist unit during a three-year stint with the Israeli Defense Forces in the 1990s. Today, Cohen runs IMS Security -- the initials stand for Israeli Military Specialists -- an anti-terrorist institute that he said has consulted for local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. military. Sunday's exercise left some obvious unanswered questions -- for example, what if there are no SWAT officers standing near a real bomber when he or she elects to strike. On the other hand, reporters were not privy to all that went on during the four-day class, which included firearm training and room-clearing techniques, among other subjects. "We're selective about what we tell the media," said Sgt. Paul Garcia, the senior SWAT team leader. "We don't want it to become training material for our opponents." The main point of the class was to teach a philosophy of response and risk reduction, Cohen said. Or, to paraphrase Garcia: "Spot all threats. Subdue the threats. Scan for additional threats." Cohen also taught about "red flags" that can give away a bomber, such as profuse sweating, white knuckles (from gripping a package hard), clothing that does not match the season, a glazed look, and avoidance of security measures or personnel. The public should also be aware of red flags, Cohen said. That is the case in Israel, where suicide bombings are ingrained as a reality of life. "I'm not sure we'll ever get there," Allison said. Comparing Israel and the United States is "almost like apples and oranges," he said. "You guys don't have experience dealing with terrorism like we do," Cohen said. Reach Tom Lochner at 510-262-2760 or tlochner@cctimes.com Email article texts/URLs for posting to . Manage your subscription by sending a blank email message to: BATN-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe, BATN-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com to unsubscribe, BATN-digest@yahoogroups.com to switch email to digest mode, BATN-normal@yahoogroups.com to switch email to normal mode, BATN-nomail@yahoogroups.com to switch email delivery off. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN for web access & archives.