Upkeep Of Security Devices A Burden

"In fact, as communities begin to build their capabilities, we should see them getting less money," Chertoff said at a news conference.

The FBI bomb-kit program shows how even the best-intentioned plans to equip first responders can go awry over the simple question of maintenance.

The program was requested in 1999 by Congress, which had been alarmed by a nerve-gas attack on a Tokyo subway that killed 12 people and sickened thousands. Legislators set aside $25 million for the FBI to prepare state and local bomb squads to deal with weapons of mass destruction.

The FBI developed a special suitcase of tools that bomb squads could take to scenes. The core of the kit was a rugged wireless laptop loaded with files describing explosives and chemical and biological agents.

The kit also included a digital camera so technicians could snap a picture of any strange device and e-mail it to FBI bomb experts for quick advice.

"It was a unique communication tool," said FBI Special Agent Barbara Martinez, a top official in the agency's Critical Incident Response Group.

The "Cobra kits" were handed out to nearly 400 state and local bomb squads across the country in 2003. Each came with a prepaid three-year service agreement and a one-year wireless card.

But apparently, no one realized that the squads might not have the cash to maintain the wireless subscription.

Local officials said it could run $60 a month per kit, totaling a few hundred dollars for a squad with several kits. Also, the kits needed periodic updates, which could run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, they said.

"It was quite expensive for the local jurisdictions to absorb the cost," said Jerry Swain, bomb-squad commander for Loudoun County.

Montgomery's Love said his department had to stop paying for the system in 2005, just two years after getting it.

"Basically, we're still dealing with the same budget we had 10 years ago, except for personnel costs," he said.