December 8, 2004

LANSING, Michigan – The Michigan State Police is pleased to announce that Capt. John Ort, deputy state director of homeland security for the Michigan State Police, is among 30 state, local and federal officials from more than 20 states to be appointed to a national task force studying the impact of terrorism on individual states.

In cooperation with The Council of State Governments (CSG), the task force is charged with developing recommendations for improving terrorism prevention and response capabilities for state and federal government.

Among other issues, the task force will explore new roles for state agencies in intelligence sharing and analysis, protection of critical infrastructure and integrating terrorism-related demands into current law enforcement priorities. Using site visits and surveys, the task force will release a final report in spring 2005.

Ort is the National Emergency Management Association’s (NEMA) representative to the task force. As Commander of the State Police Emergency Management Division, he oversees Michigan’s homeland security and emergency management efforts.

CSG is the nation’s only organization serving every elected and appointed official in all three branches of every state government. CSG has championed excellence in state government since 1933 by advocating multi-state shared problem solving and states’ rights, by tracking national conditions, trends, and innovations, through nonpartisan, groundbreaking leadership training and support.  

For more information about The Council of State Governments, contact Chad Foster at (859) 244-8032 or cfoster@csg.org.