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Lab upgrades to Security Condition two

The Laboratory has upgraded to Security Condition 2 consistent with national terrorist threat level orange, which was announced Sunday by the Bush administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration directed the Laboratory to upgrade its security condition. The Laboratory last upgraded to SECON 2 in May.

According to the Security and Safeguards (S) Division, there continue to be no known immediate threats to the Laboratory. Laboratory management continues to closely monitor the security status of the Laboratory and will take reasonable and prudent precaution as required.

The Laboratory has implemented several actions to achieve SECON 2 by increasing security patrols and establishing additional traffic controls at key Laboratory locations, and maintaining the Pajarito Road corridor restrictions, as well as other less visible activities. It is not known at this time how long the Laboratory will remain at SECON 2; typically the Laboratory follows the upgrading and downgrading of the national terrorist threat levels.

Pajarito Road is currently limited to badge holders only. This restriction has remained in place since the Laboratory upgraded to Security Condition 2 in February 2003 and will remain in place until further notice, regardless of the security condition level. One badge holder per vehicle will be required and that badge holder will be responsible for any other passengers in the vehicle, according to S Division.

To lessen the possibility of traffic tie-ups, Laboratory personnel and area motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes unless they have a specific need to enter the Pajarito Road corridor.

Additional access control posts are being staffed by Protection Technology Los Alamos personnel. Those posts are located at:

• Casa Grande Drive and West Jemez Road
• The entrance to the NNSA Los Alamos Site Office, off Trinity Drive
• The entrance to the area of TA-55/TA-35
• The entrance to TA-48, and
• The entrance to the TA-18 area

Lab workers are reminded to stop at these additional posts for badge inspection. The same access rules apply at these additional posts as they are for "normal" SECON 3+ posts. Personnel who don't stop at SECON posts for badge inspection will be reported to their supervisors via formal notification from Security Integration (S-2).

Employees with specific questions about how SECON 2 requirements impact Laboratory operations can call the Security Help Desk at 5-2002.

For more information, go to http://int.lanl.gov/security/sec-con/ online.

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