Border Security Council Report - Office of the Governor - Rick Perry

Question from BSC: Do we need to look at “Gridding” so that if direct towers are lost,
temporary towers can be used? Yes. The county is currently evaluating a quadruple redundant
system for this very reason.
Question from BSC: What is your relationship with DPS? Outstanding. Though we are
geographically isolated, we must create relationships with the adjoining counties and state
agencies.
Question from BSC: Do you have enough qualified analysts to help you? No, not in house.
In house there is an organized crime unit. They are very proud of TDEX, which has 17
jurisdictions on that system. There is a problem trying to get the federal government to share
their information. Washington DC does not seem willing to share, but the locals and state
officials do this easily. There are gaps in analytical capability.
Question from BSC: Would you benefit by having a dedicated analyst? Yes.
B. Luther Kim, Chief of Police and Security, Port of Corpus Christi
Port of Corpus Christi is the sixth largest in terms of tonnage.
Pre 9/11 security efforts at the port included fences to prevent theft, minimal lighting, and
security guards for access control and loss prevention.
Question from BSC: Can the software be programmed to only detect people and not false
positives like dogs and deer? Yes.
The control room is the backbone of the closed circuit TV system.
The police department began in /2 /0 with 1 officers whose primary mission was
security/counterterrorism; secondary mission – law enforcement.
Security funding - Federal grants of $2 M, state HLS grants $500K, port funds, about $6M,
total = $29M. $29M is enough to buy chairs, but not for people to sit in the chairs.
Question from BSC: Has Corpus decided not to tax the companies that use the port to help
generate funds for law enforcement needs? Yes. We can tax, but the port is a government
agency that is expected to make a profit through user fees. The budget of the port is about
$27M.
Question from BSC: If you have an increase in security personnel, what is the state’s appropriate
role to assist? How can we best partner, in light of the metrics that we face here? Enhanced
communication, including systems that interface with local law enforcement agencies.
Question from BSC: Have you done a comprehensive threat assessment for the port? Yes,
and another is scheduled for the middle of next year. Is it done in house? The assessment
is so large it must be contracted out. When you have a suspicious event, do you have the
ability to use this information and get it to the locals rapidly? No. Would it help if DPS did
a statewide comprehensive port assessment? Yes, but DPS might not be the appropriate
agency to spearhead that, because they don’t have port experience to conduct such an
analysis. The officers aren’t looking at things from an immediate perspective, but are looking
six months down the road.
Appendix C: Public Hearing and Open Meeting Minutes