By Robert Jablon
The Associated Press
The start of a military campaign against targets in Afghanistan
forced cancelation of the Emmy Awards on Sunday as California
airports, border crossings and military installations remained on a
heightened state of alert.
It was the first cancelation in the television award
show’s 53-year history.
The show will not be rescheduled, said Nancy Carr, vice
president of communications for CBS. It was postponed after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and was scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Sunday in Los Angeles.
Across the state, public safety and military officials said they
were prepared for possible retaliatory attacks in the wake of
Sunday’s military strikes.
“It’s show time,” said California National
Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Charles Terry Knight. “It brings it
home that this is serious.”
Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield in Northern California went
to a heightened security level, DefCon Charlie, one short of its
highest alert, in preparation for possible retaliatory terrorist
attacks, said base spokesman Staff Sgt. Mark Diamond.
“A majority of our aircraft and our crews have received
orders” in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Diamond said. He
could not immediately confirm if Travis personnel were involved in
the Sunday assaults.
Security forces also were present at California airports.
National Guard troops were deployed to Los Angeles and San
Francisco international airports last week.
In Los Angeles, uniformed police officers and county
sheriff’s deputies mixed with airline passengers.
Charif Martin of Chatsworth considered staying home Sunday after
hearing of the attacks on Afghanistan but decided to continue on to
Las Vegas, where she was to celebrate her sister’s 26th
birthday.
“I did write my children some letters, and my husband,
telling them how much I love them, in case the worst
happens,” said Martin, 27, who has a 6-year-old daughter and
9-month-old son.
However, the born-again Christian said she was “pretty
confident with God taking care of us.”
“God’s in control,” she said. “Whether
or not it happens, I know where I’m going.”
In Los Angeles, officials stopped short of calling in additional
police officers but did open an emergency operations center. They
also called a tactical alert that would allow them to keep officers
on duty after their shift ended.
“We haven’t received any word of threats,”
LAPD Lt. Horace Frank said.
In San Francisco, the police department was put on the same
heightened alert instituted during the millennium celebration.
Police officers were on-call for 12-hour shifts with no days off,
said Commander of Special Operations Greg Suhr.
“We’re pretty much ready for whatever is going to
come,” Suhr said.
Commercial airline flights remained unaffected throughout the
state, even as the U.S. State Department warned of the possibility
of “strong anti-American sentiment and retaliatory actions
against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the
world.”
“Aircraft activity is normal,” said Tom Winfrey,
spokesman for Los Angeles International Airport. “This event
is not unanticipated. Various precautions are in place.”
Officials at airports in San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose
said security had not been heightened beyond measures already in
place since Sept. 11.
In San Diego, heightened security remained in effect at
Lindbergh Field airport and the U.S.-Mexico border-crossing
points.
“We’re on alert and staying on guard,” said
Brian Enarson, spokesman for the San Diego Port District.
Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, said agents at the border crossings continued to operate
at Status Alert 1, the highest security level. Inspectors were
closely evaluating vehicles and people seeking to enter the United
States.
The Port of Los Angeles also remained under heightened security,
but port operations continued as usual, Port Police Lt. Bill
Fletcher said.
There were no plans to shut the port or limit operations, he
said.
“We have a plan in place and we’ll stick to that
plan,” he said.