More than 300 maritime law enforcement and first responder personnel from 23 federal, state, local and tribal agencies participated in an operational maritime exercise in Puget Sound Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23.

They were simulating attempts by small boats to smuggle nuclear weapons into the area, particularly Elliott Bay and the Canadian Border because of it being a possible target during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

A serious game of cat and mouse played out. The small vessels, those under 300 gross tons, were loaded with safe, low-level radioactive materials. Law enforcement craft were armed with radiation detectors at lines drawn in the water, or “choke points” set up at Admiralty Inlet, Bellingham Bay and North Skagit Bay.

The boats carrying radiation attempted to breach the choke points.

For on-shore back-up. three temporary shore-based hazmet centers, in La Conner, Bellingham and Port Townsend were operated by members of the Washington State Patrol bomb squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation bomb technicians, and the 10th Civil Support Team, a National Guard Unit.

Law enforcement representatives announced the exercise was a success at a press conference and harbor tour at the Seattle Coast Guard facility across Elliot Bay from Alki Thursday, Sept. 24.

The exercise is part of a pilot demonstration funded by the Department of Homeland Security Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to evaluate radiation detector sensors and operational protocols for the small vessels.

“Some technology was new, including the technology to verify radiation and secondary testing,” said Cost Guard Captain Suzanne Englebert at the press conference. “Quite a few of the participating agencies never had this equipment before. It was useful getting this (equipment) into hands of our local and state partners.”

“The equipment performed extremely well, as did triangulation, multiple human portable systems, and the critical ability to communicate,” said Captain David Crowley of the United States Coast Guard, and liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.

“We had over 50 boardings, or ‘vessel interrogations,’ with the test group,” said Crowley.

Bill Peterson is the maritime project manager for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL. He explained the procedure of the interrogations.

Law enforcement members were equipped with personal radiation detectors, or PRD’s, that resemble cell phones. If these little Geiger counters get a reading, a second, more sensitive device is engaged called a handheld radio-isotope identification device, or RIID. That one looks like a bulky yellow telephone receiver.

It “sniffs” the suspected radioactive area for three minutes and gives a reading. If it also detects dangerous radiation, it is plugged into a computer laptop and emailed to Washington D.C. An agency there does a spectrum on the reading and returns the results by email.

Radiation detectors can show a reading by people who have had radiation treatment for cancer.

“That’s most often what we see in our jurisdiction,” said Marine Patrol Unit operator Chris Lewis. “Often times radiation on a vessel is legit. People who have had cancer radiation treatment can carry their paperwork onboard their vessel.”

“We have been doing exercises with Canadians since last summer,” said Englebert. “We put our Coast Guard officers on Royal Canadian Mounted Police boats. They go on ours. We train together. It is a coordinated effort. All the agencies are very involved in supporting Canadian efforts to putting on wonderful Olympics.”

While detection of nuclear material on Elliott Bay is the highest priority, other dangerous materials, albeit much more benign, are a hazard off of Alki.

“We have issues with stranded kayakers, cruise ships, and heavy debris out in the water, “ said Sergeant Patrick Addison with the Port of Seattle Police Department in charge of its marine patrol unit and dive team.

“We’ve had to deal with people’s floating docks broken loose off Alki that drift into shipping lanes," he said. "Last weekend an 80-foot log was on the shipping lanes. We backed up and used the jets on the boat to blow it up onto the sandy beaches. We don’t get a rooster tale but there’s enough thrust.”