White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino and Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro were quick to point out that there is currently no terrorist threat against White Plains or Westchester County for that matter. Mayor Delfino noted, "The city is the County Seat and a recognized center of business and shopping. It's the home of the U.S. Courthouse and a number of corporate headquarters." He added that at the moment the city is undertaking a major economic development initiative that includes a number of ongoing major construction projects. He noted that the city wants to be proactive and "keep our business and real estate leaders appraised of the latest information concerning terrorism and public safety."

Approximately 60 real estate executives attended the conference held at the Pace University Law School, including representatives of Reckson Associates Realty Corp., Mack-Cali Realty, Cushman & Wakefield, Cappelli Enterprises, the Pepe Organization, the New York Power Authority, New York Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains Hospital and Verizon.

While no threat has been made against the city or the county for that matter, White Plains Public Safety Commissioner Frank G. Straub did note that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had recently indicated that Westchester County presented several viable terrorist targets. The agency suggested that the county should remain on alert for possible attacks.

Westchester County District Attorney Pirro said that after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, it became clear that there was a breakdown in communication between state, federal and local agencies. She advised that commercial real estate owners in their assessment of the safety of their buildings should be vigilant and "share intelligence and information with law enforcement. "You are our eyes and ears," she noted.

New York City Police Lieutenant John Rowland said that just because White Plains is a suburban locale doesn't mean that it could not be a potential target to some terrorist or extremist group. Rowland is in charge of the Internal and External Training Program for the New York City Police Department's Counterterrorism Division.

"Terrorism is not a phenomenon that is exclusive to urban areas," he noted.

Rowland said that building owners should never accept photocopied information from prospective tenants, because these documents could indeed be fraudulent and could perhaps mask a group that has ill intent or is running an operation that might finance terrorist groups.

Some of the advice he offered included: asking building owners to revisit their fire safety plans and conduct an inspection of their properties to look for possible weaknesses; making sure emergency backup systems, such as lighting, are operational; finding out if fire wardens are still working at the building and are trained in their duties; conducting fire drills and notifying neighboring buildings when a drill is going to take place; and in buildings over three-stories, meeting with employees at the property to discuss fire evacuation plans.

He also noted that property owner should provide safeguards to the HVAC system to make it more difficult for a hazardous substance to be introduced into the system. Rowland also suggested property owners enhance their closed circuit television security systems so that they are not recording on one or two tapes. He also noted that security measures should be visible so they serve as a deterrent. Rowland told property owners they can enhance security in their underground parking structures by having personnel check every few vehicles that enter the facility with a parabolic mirror that is a good tool to check for any device attached to the undercarriage of the vehicle.

Rowland concluded his talk by advising the attendees that the face of terrorism changes daily and "every counter measure you use today becomes obsolete tomorrow." He related that property owners need to enhance security and also fight being over-reliant on technology.