Thursday, December 04, 2003

Depot intruder slips net

By TERI MEEUWSEN of the East Oregonian
tmeeuwsen@eastoregonian.com


An intruder was spotted on the Umatilla Chemical Depot early Wednesday morning, but the person was able to escape security thanks to the darkness and fog.

Security saw the individual several hundred yards from the depot’s nerve agent storage area while on routine patrol at about 12:30 a.m. The individual was on foot, said depot spokeswoman Mary Binder, and did not pose a threat to the nerve agent stockpile. K block, where the chemical weapons are stored, is not only fenced and heavily patrolled but also includes an electric detection system.

There was no indication or evidence that the individual was armed, she said, and at no time was there any danger to the public or the environment.

Security personnel attempted to apprehend the individual, Binder said, but were unable locate the person.

“It’s not flat on the depot,” she said. “It’s not glass. There are hills and bushes and shrubs, and in this case it was night time and foggy.”

The individual was last seen outside the depot’s perimeter fence on its northern boundary, the closest boundary to the stockpile.

Security at the depot has been heightened since the Sept. 11, Binder said. Currently, about 100 Oregon National Guard members are helping regular depot security personnel.

While the depot itself sits on 20,000 acres, the stockpile is stored in one location that is guarded 24 hours a day.

Depot personnel regularly train for a full-range of potential incidents, including unknown individuals entering the depot. Soldiers, depot security guards and other depot personnel followed established procedures for such incidents, Binder said, but she declined to elaborate on what those procedures were for this incident.

Depot officials notified area and state law enforcement officials of the intruder and are coordinating with them on the investigation. The area was searched in the morning for items that could have been left behind, Binder said.

If the individual is found, the person would most likely be turned over the local, state or federal authorities.

Depot officials also notified emergency operation centers in Umatilla, Morrow and Benton counties, the states of Oregon and Washington and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Incidences of trespassers on the depot are rare. In August of 2001, two Hermiston teenagers trespassed on a remote section of the depot to shoot birds and were found by security troops after their pickup got stuck in the sand.

About 12 percent of the nation’s chemical weapon stockpile is stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. It is scheduled to be destroyed by incineration starting next year.