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Homeland Security 5 Year Anniversary 2003 - 2008, One Team, One Mission Securing the Homeland

Securing the Homeland: Helping Illinois' State and Local First Responders and First Preventers

Release Date: 11/13/03 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 13, 2003

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge traveled to Chicago, Illinois on Thursday to announce the allocation of $34,142,222 million dollars to Illinois from the FY '04 Budget as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), to help the Chicago urban area enhance its overall security and preparedness levels to prevent, respond and recover from acts of terrorism.  

This grant is being made available to the state as part of a $725 million dollar program for grants to urban areas within the United States. These funds are available in addition to the nearly $800 million that the Department's Office for Domestic Preparedness awarded during FY '03 for urban areas.  

The urban areas are chosen based on a formula that takes into account factors including critical infrastructure, population density and credible threat intelligence information. Funding allocations among the cities, contiguous counties and mutual aid partners will be based on an urban area assessment and strategic plan.  Eighty percent of the funds allocated to the state under this program must be awarded to the designated cities and contiguous counties within the urban area based on the strategic plan. The state may use the remaining twenty percent for further security enhancements within the urban area.  

In addition to the formula grant, $6,319,029 million has been allocated in the form of grants through the State for mass transit security agencies to help enhance the security of its assets and passengers.  Specifically,

  • $3,034,969 has been designated for the Chicago Metra Railroad,
  • $2,484,059 for the Chicago Transit Authority and,
  • $800,000 for the Chicago - Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.  

The transit system was chosen based upon the number of annual riders and overall track mileage. Allowable uses of funds would include installation of physical barricades, area monitoring systems such as; video surveillance, motion detectors, thermal/IR imagery and chemical/radiological material detection systems, integrated communications systems and prevention planning, training and exercises. If not already completed, each transit system would be required to conduct an assessment and preparedness plan on which to base resource allocations.

"The Department of Homeland Security is pleased to be able to build upon the Administration's vision to enhance security capabilities from the ground up and to form strong regional partnerships to create a foundation of shared leadership and shared responsibility," said Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.  "The funds will go to the designated states, which will then work with counties and cities to form regions that will work together through mutual aid agreements, interoperable communications, statewide intelligence centers and community and citizen participation. Our goal is to ensure that all of these necessary elements are communicating and coordinating to prevent a crisis and to be ready if one occurs."  

Past Urban Area Security Funding for Illinois

  • $40,871,733 to the Chicago urban area from the FY '03 Budget as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative Grant program
  • $5,117,019 to the State of Illinois from the FY '03 Supplemental Budget as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative Transit Security Grant program

This page was last modified on 11/13/03 00:00:00