By Chief Stuart Cameron
Devices containing radioactive materials are safely used every day for a wide variety of important functions. Many people are unaware that radioactive material is present and being used in the communities where they reside. In many cases, this also includes the law enforcement officers who work in these communities.
If radiological material is not properly safeguarded, it could be stolen and used to injure or kill people. For example, on April 28, 2019, devices containing radioactive material were stolen from an Arizona testing company by a suspect named Jared Atkins. Atkins regularly used these devices for his job and stole them with the intent to use the radioactive material within them during an attack at a shopping mall. Fortunately, the devices were recovered intact, and Atkins was arrested. Ultimately, he was convicted in a federal court for the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. [1,2]
Whether a radiological release is accidental or intentional, large areas of a community could be affected, necessitating a costly cleanup and decontamination. If radioactive contamination is spread in areas containing critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, the resulting denial of access could be especially disruptive.
Which radioactive materials are most dangerous?
The threat posed is greater with certain types of radioactive material than others due to several factors.
Certain radioactive isotopes — variations of elements with differing numbers of neutrons, some of which are unstable and emit radiation — will remain radioactive for years, decades or even far longer. The amount of radiation emitted by various isotopes also varies. Some isotopes are extremely radioactive, and even a small physical amount can be hazardous to life and health.
Radioactive materials come in a variety of physical forms; for example, some are metallic, while others are salts. The materials that cause the greatest concern for use in a terrorist attack are those that remain radioactive for long periods, emit a large amount of radiation and are in a physical form that would disperse easily and be difficult to remediate. These longer-lasting types of materials are often the ones used to power irradiators and other devices. Therefore, protecting these materials from theft is a high priority.
Cesium-137, a manmade radioactive isotope, is one of the radioactive materials of greatest concern, because even small physical quantities are highly radioactive, remain radioactive for decades and are difficult to remediate once they’ve spread. An incident in Seattle, Washington, highlighted the danger from improperly handled radioactive material: In 2019, workers were removing a capsule containing radioactive cesium-137 from an irradiator at the University of Washington’s Harborview Research and Training Building. Due to mishandling, a small quantity of the material within the capsule was released, roughly equivalent to the amount of sugar in a standard restaurant packet. [3] The release of this material resulted in the contamination of both the building and a small number of people on site. The cleanup took approximately two years and cost $156 million, requiring the removal and reinstallation of the ventilation system and extensive decontamination of the elevator shafts, as well as cleaning and surface grinding of concrete.
Individuals attempting to steal radioactive material would likely be determined adversaries who may be prepared to use force against responding law enforcement officers. Additionally, if the radioactive material is removed from the shielding provided by the device, it too can present a grave threat to responding officers or any hostages at the scene. Most law enforcement officers may understand the tactical threat posed by the adversaries; however, without proper training and equipment, they could be ill-prepared to deal with the threat posed by the radioactive material itself or the complex and dynamic situation created when the two threats are combined.
Fortunately for state and local law enforcement agencies that are already resource-constrained, a federal office is prepared to assist. The Office of Radiological Security (ORS), part of the Department of Energy, is tasked with working to secure radioactive materials, remove unused radioactive materials and replace devices containing radioactive materials using alternative technologies when feasible. These efforts include working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies using a cadre of current and former officers with training materials, equipment and resources to respond to these types of incidents. These resources are available at no cost.
ORS works with many entities that use devices containing radioactive material to enhance the overall security around it. These efforts can include changing the hardware on the devices that house the material to make them difficult to disassemble without special tools and adding biometric access and closed-circuit cameras in the rooms that contain the devices, as well as a variety of alarms to alert authorities to any potential theft attempts.
Office of Radiological Security training can improve preparedness
Without the proper training, police officers responding to an alarm triggered during a theft of radioactive material may have no idea of the complex threat environment they are responding into. ORS offers agencies many different options to prepare their members to deal with this threat. Initial outreach efforts usually start with a command brief so that command staff members fully understand the potential threat posed by radioactive material and their agency’s role in mitigating it. This can be conducted virtually or in-person.
Many law enforcement agencies have opted to start their ORS engagement by participating in workshops and creating awareness-level videos designed to inform their members about this unique threat and the roles they would play against it. ORS uses a professional production company to develop a tailor-made high-quality video for each participating agency. This awareness video can be a valuable starting point.
ORS also offers a variety of training. Alarm response training (ART) allows law enforcement to work alongside sites in their community to refine their strategies and plans. Members of law enforcement, including communications staff members, can train with ORS partner sites in realistic response scenarios. Many sites that use radiological material, such as hospitals or blood banks, are open to the public and may lack their own armed security. Large law enforcement agencies that need to train numerous personnel can receive support from ORS to self-deliver this training. Some agencies are eligible to receive a trailer containing various training aids to support it. Radiological security awareness and response (RSAR) training is a collaboration between ORS and local law enforcement agencies to design custom training to prepare officers to respond to radiological theft scenarios. RADCOM is training specifically designed for communications personnel.
Feedback from participating law enforcement agencies is used to diversify, improve and expand training options. For example, Radiological Security Awareness and Response (RSAR) is a field exercise developed to allow agencies to cycle their officers through various tactical scenarios simulating the theft of radioactive materials. Officers who have received this type of training have found it extremely valuable and effective. ORS is also exploring the use of virtual reality training, including radioactive response scenarios, developed for the simulation training systems.
Part of the process of enhancing the security at facilities that house radiological material is the installation of a Sentry-Remote Monitoring System (Sentry-RMS) from D-tech Systems. This system includes various alarms that trigger when tampering occurs or radiation levels increase due to a source being removed from its shielding. The Sentry-RMS also includes cameras that can allow the individual monitoring the alarm system to assess the device containing the radioactive material. In certain circumstances the ability to monitor the Sentry-RMS can be duplicated within a police facility, so law enforcement can receive the alarms in real time while benefiting from the situational awareness generated by the cameras. With additional integration, the Sentry-RMS can also feed data to mobile devices through the Sentry-RMS Communications and Response (Sentry-SECURE) application.
As the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, low-probability, high-consequence events can and will occur. Preparing for these types of incidents is time well spent. ORS can facilitate these preparedness efforts using their team of experienced current and former law enforcement officers who are knowledgeable about this threat and how to mitigate it. The first step in the process is simple: Reach out to ORS to determine if your community has one of these radioactive sources. To learn more about these programs, contact ORS at ORSinfo@nnsa.doe.gov.
References
1. Stern R. (March 2021.) Man who planned to release radiation at Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall gets 15 years. Phoenix New Times.
2. National Nuclear Security Administration. (February 2024.) Case study Jared Atkins.
3. National Nuclear Security Administration, Triad National Security LLC. (March 2020.) Joint investigation report: Sealed source recovery at the University of Washington Harborview Training and Research Facility results in release of cesium-137 on May 2, 2019.
About the author
Stuart Cameron is chief of the Old Westbury Village Police Department and former chief and acting commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department on Long Island, New York. He also works with the Office of Radiological Security to help protect high-activity radiological sources. He has 40 years of law enforcement experience and an extensive background in special operations.