HOUSTON – Harris County has begun to use a $31 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enhance security at the Houston Ship Channel.
The Houston Ship Channel Security District, a public-private partnership, was recently created with the federal grant and is charged with the protection of scores of chemical plants and petrochemical refineries and the Port of Houston.
Jeffrey Easthagen, a sergeant at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, one of six people assigned by the department to secure the more than 50 miles of high-value waterway, said the creation of the Security District and the grant have given him needed resources to respond to a chemical release or a terrorist attack.
"It’s an extreme challenge," he said.
In addition to the $31 million grant, another $100 million in federal grants is in the pipeline to increase surveillance, enhance security and establish a command and control center for the sheriff’s office.
"It's the water side that we're beginning to cover," said Major Robert Doguim of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. "We're not where we need to be ultimately but we’re certainly growing and moving in that direction."
The United States Coast Guard and the Houston Police Department help the HCSO patrol the Houston Ship Channel.
"My biggest worry is that we won't be here when we need to be here," said Easthagen.
He said he hoped to someday make the Houston Ship Channel the most protected waterway in country.
