Utah depot intruder raises questions at Umatilla

This story was published Fri, Sep 6, 2002

By Karen Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

UMATILLA -- An intruder at an Army depot near Tooele, Utah, where stockpiles of deadly VX and mustard agent are stored, has raised security questions at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Four National Guard officers patrolling the protective fence at the Deseret Chemical Depot sounded a terrorist alert Thursday morning after a suspicious person was seen near the perimeter. They found no intruder despite helicopter searches and police roadblocks.

Although the patrol guards were armed, no shots were fired, said Rick Newcomb, a spokesman for the Deseret depot. "You don't shoot someone just because you see them. That's not part of the rules of engagement," he said.

The situation at Deseret raises a lot of issues for Umatilla, said Casey Beard, emergency manager for Morrow County.

"The stockpile at Deseret is a lot more remote than ours," Beard said. "Our perimeter fence line is close to K-block (where the chemicals at Umatilla are stored)."

He said he's been concerned about the threat of terrorist activity at the site for a long time.

"We've raised the issue of terrorists threat long before 9/11," he said. "That's why I was glad to see the National Guard augment security at our depot."

Beard was relieved that the stockpile of mustard agent at Umatilla was moved to secure igloos earlier this year. "We had some security concerns about the access to mustard agent, which was being stored in basically a potato shed," he said. "It's much more secure now."

Still, Beard said he will follow the events at Deseret closely.

Just like at Umatilla Chemical Depot, there are two fences at Deseret.

The perimeter, or outer fence, is topped with barbed wire and runs the depot's border. The interior fence is topped with razor wire.

The Deseret intruder was spotted just inside the exterior fence line.

"Just like Umatilla, we've increased the number of soldiers patrolling the depot," Newcomb said. "But it's a gigantic perimeter. You'd have to stand soldiers shoulder-to-shoulder to protect the entire fence line."

Deseret has twice as many National Guard patrols as Umatilla Chemical Depot and nearly twice as many security staff.

The Umatilla Chemical Depot covers 20,000 acres and has 3,717 tons of GB, VX and mustard agent.

The Deseret Chemical Depot, about 12 miles south of Tooele and 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, covers 19,000 acres, according to The Associated Press. It stores 1,300 tons of VX and 6,100 tons of mustard gas, a blister agent that can dissolve tissue on contact.

Army officials at Umatilla also are following the intrusion at Deseret closely, said Mary Binder, Army spokeswoman.

"We remain at heightened security levels," Binder said. "We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety and security of the stockpile and the community."

 

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