Understanding the Homeland Security Advisory System

Lake County's

Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security was created to help secure our homeland from selfish acts of terrorism on our home soil.  The Homeland Security Advisory System will provide a framework for the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Homeland Security to assign threat conditions which can apply Nationally, Regionally, by Sector or to a potential target.  Cabinet Secretaries and other members of the Homeland Security Council will be consulted as appropriate.  There are many factors that will be used to assess the threat.  For example:

•      Is the threat credible?                

•     Is the threat corroborated?

•     Is the threat specific and/or imminent?

•     How grave is the threat?

Public announcements of possible threats and alerts help deter terrorist activities, notify law enforcement and State and Local Government officials of threats, inform the public about government preparations and provide them with the information necessary to respond to threats. 

State and local officials will be informed in advance of national threat advisories when possible.  Heightened Threat Conditions can be declared for the entire nation, or for a specific geographic area, functional or industrial sector.  Changes in assigned Threat Conditions will be made when necessary.  As a tool to combat terrorism, the Homeland Security Advisory System was created.  The HSAS established five levels of threat vulnerability.