Officials seeking funds for securing city’s part of border
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Providing public http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3095 within a municipality on the U.S.-Mexico border requires carrying out duties beyond those a typical city would provide, especially homeland security, which is why the City of Laredo believes it is important to keep federal legislators and agencies abreast of the challenges and needs of the Gateway City. A delegation of about 15 City of Laredo officials is in Washington, D.C., this week. There, the officials plan to attend more than three dozen meetings.
Tops on the list of priority issues is homeland security – namely, funding for the River Vega plan, additional police officers and emergency response equipment.
“Homeland security is always a red flag issue, and it will continue to be for some time,” said City Manager Carlos Villarreal.
The River Vega plan is the city’s alternative to a border fence. The http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=40 Department hopes to increase its officers per 1,000 citizens to provide more security. And the Laredo Fire Department is seeking money to purchase equipment that would facilitate more efficient operations when responding to disasters related to weather and the high amount of trade traffic here. As Laredo and other border communities continue to battle the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over a border fence, Laredo officials said they have taken a proactive approach.
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