State, 'U' on terror alert

From staff and wire reports

Detroit - As part of the heightened "orange alert" announced during the weekend by the Bush administration, the Michigan State Police increased patrols around major bridges and other sensitive areas.

State officials noted, however, there has been no information of any specific threats to Michigan, or to suggest Michigan is at any more risk than any other state.

"It's only the second time they've done it, so I think it's good," MSU police Chief Jim Dunlap said. "If you try to increase to that level all the time then people would be less aware of their surroundings."

The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety receives daily briefings from government agencies on information that could affect police operations.

Dunlap said much of the information is generic to areas around the country.

"There's more patrol of areas of concern, but that wouldn't reduce the emergency response time to other calls," he said. For procedural reasons, Dunlap wouldn't say what those areas include.

The Bush administration increased the terror alert during the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. During that time, planes carrying banners weren't allowed to fly above Spartan Stadium.

A no-fly zone was created over all U.S. stadiums and open-air venues, after federal officials put the nation on an orange alert.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft cited an "increased likelihood of an al-Qaida terror network attack as a reason for raising the terrorism alert status from code yellow to orange. Yellow represents an "elevated" risk and orange represents a "heightened" risk.

Detroit Metro Airport and border crossings with Canada stepped up security in light of the elevated terror concern.

At the airport, authorities asked those who stopped to open their trunks for inspection.

A short-term parking lot also was closed so officers could focus on larger parking areas.

More vehicles than usual were being checked at Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel border crossings, said Cherise Miles of the U.S. Customs Service.

"Everything is flowing smoothly," Miles said.

Stepped-up protections stretched across the country, from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.