In New Role, Ridge Tackles Security Gaps

As a second day of attacks in Afghanistan left many Americans jittery about their own safety, President Bush’s new director of homeland security took office Monday and began working to strengthen defenses against terrorism on U.S. soil.

The new director, former Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas J. Ridge, will coordinate the work of 40 or so federal agencies that have a role in preventing or responding to terrorist attacks. They range from the Justice and Defense departments to health and fish and game authorities.

Some lawmakers say Ridge must be given additional powers, such as direct control over certain agencies, to do his job properly. Ridge himself called his task “difficult, but not impossible.”

“There may be gaps in the system” of homeland defense, Ridge said at a White House swearing-in ceremony, with Bush by his side. “The job of the Office of Homeland Security will be to identify those gaps and work to close them. The size and scope of this challenge are immense. . . . But we will carry it out.”

Ridge took office even as the Justice Department warned more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies and 27,000 corporate security managers to stay on high alert and remain vigilant for signs of terrorism. Banks, oil and gas companies, railroads, water providers and telecommunications firms have all been put on alert, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft said.

In one indication of the heightened security, federal authorities on Sunday quietly asked about 550 freight railroad lines for a 72-hour halt on shipping certain types of materials, including chemicals considered “poisonous by inhalation,” sources said.

And the National Pest Management Assn. warned its 6,000 members Friday to keep a careful eye on their spraying equipment after a Florida company reported two unusual inquiries to buy pesticide devices. The inquiries raised concerns that the equipment could be used to distribute dangerous chemical or biological agents.

In another sign of unusual security precautions, Ridge was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Vice President Dick Cheney had been scheduled to administer the oath of office, but Cheney remained at a secret location away from the White House.

Bush created Ridge’s job as a response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Monday, he said Ridge would be asked to look far beyond the air travel system, to find new ways to protect food, water and other “critical infrastructure.” Ridge is also charged with bringing together intelligence on terrorism from various agencies.

Ridge, 56, is a former six-term congressman and a decorated Vietnam veteran. He resigned as governor Friday.

He is a longtime friend of Bush whose job will carry Cabinet rank. Ridge has been given an office in the West Wing of the White House and a personal staff of about 12. He will work with nearly 90 people detailed from various other agencies.

His job, authorized by an executive order that Bush signed Monday, has been compared by White House aides to that of the national security advisor, who is the president’s top aide on international issues and coordinates the information flow on those topics to the president. That post is held by Condoleezza Rice.

But some lawmakers say Ridge lacks the power to force diverse and turf-minded officials to work together. Congress is considering several bills that would give Ridge budgetary powers and even direct authority over several government agencies, making him more than a coordinator.

“I just worry that agencies under him, for example the ones that deal with infrastructure protection, will not cooperate with one another,” said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) “After a time they might go back to focus on the responsibilities of their agencies, and homeland security will become a lower priority.”

“We’re in wartime, but I just don’t think we can count on that to bring everyone together for the indefinite future,” said Rep. William M. “Mac” Thornberry (R-Texas).

The White House has dismissed the need for new laws, however. “The president doesn’t believe it’s necessary,” said spokesman Scott McClellan said.

At the National Pest Management Assn., Gene Harrington, manager of government affairs, said a Florida company reported the unusual inquiries about pesticide equipment on Friday. He said he did not know whether the inquiries came from one or more people or whether they were made by phone or in person.

But he said they were noteworthy because they entailed equipment more powerful than a homeowner would use, possibly 50- or 100-gallon pesticide containers and spray equipment.

Ashcroft told reporters that the investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks continues to grow, with the number of people arrested as part of the probe rising from 590 to 614 over the weekend.

More than 160 people have been arrested on immigration violations, while hundreds more who have been arrested on unrelated charges may have information about the case, investigators say. Authorities will say little about the arrests--a silence that is angering civil rights advocates--but Ashcroft said they are critical for security.

“I believe, as the president does, that the best defense against terrorism is a multifront offensive,” he said.

Even as the Justice Department warned of the dangers of new attacks, Ashcroft urged Americans not to “yield to fear.” As evidence, Ashcroft said he went to Saturday’s Air Force-Navy college football game.

“I do not think that Americans should avoid sporting events or should avoid undertaking their lives in a way which is appropriate to American freedom,” he said.

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Times staff writers Edwin Chen in Washington and John-Thor Dahlburg in Florida also contributed to this report.