Reply #2: Excuse? Worried that "criminal element" will invade in the guise of helping oil spill efforts?

[flamingdem]

http://www.sbso.org/InTheNewsMay2010/tabid/139/Default....



Sheriff Stephens hosts meeting with law enforcement officials to discuss a credentials system to prevent criminals from invading oil spill parishes

May 18 ,2010 - In an effort to prevent criminals from invading parishes in the guise of helping in the oil spill clean-up effort, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack A. Stephens hosted a meeting of other law enforcement agencies on Tuesday, May 18, to discus methods to require credentials for employees of sub-contractors of BP or others seeking to enter certain restricted areas.

“Our mission is to make sure a criminal element doesn’t interfere with the actual clean-up,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. The sheriff recently said, “We don’t want any dirt bags coming here’’ trying to take advantage in terms of crime.

The issue of the credential system will be taken up at a state Sheriff's Association meeting in Baton Rouge, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Stephens explained that was is being considered “would be a standardized credential system’’ that could be used by any law enforcement agency to determine who is a legitimate worker or needs to be in certain areas, Sheriff Stephens told a meeting attended by numerous coastal parish sheriff’s or their representatives, as well as State Police, state Wildlife and Fisheries Department personnel, the attorney general’s office and representatives of BP.

A significant public safety problem could be created by the oil spill because of the numbers of personnel being brought in as contractors by BP as well as volunteers to the area and a system to manage this inflow is needed, the sheriff said.