Four years past the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the billions earmarked for securing the U.S. homeland, Utah today has spent less than half the money Congress authorized to make its citizens safer.

Records obtained by the Deseret Morning News show that while most of the $12 million spent last fiscal year in the Beehive State on all kinds of training and new equipment clearly helps in battling a mass disaster that could be caused by terrorists, the connection of some purchases to the effort of fending off al-Qaida is less obvious.

Take, for instance, eight new Segways — the two-wheel personal transport vehicle — that the state bomb squad bought for $96,000 and South Jordan's purchase of 30 folding chairs for $1,320.

In addition, financial records show that between state and county law enforcement/firefighting allotments, Utah agencies were authorized to spend $26.7 million but spent only $12.6 million, or 47.2 percent of what Congress appropriated in 2004. That number is changing almost daily, as orders for the equipment are filled and grants are approved. All grant funds are expected to be used by the time the authorized money expires late next year. (The funding actually expires in November, but the state can postpone the deadline by up to 12 months, if justified.)

"Don't worry, it will all be spent eventually. None will be turned back," predicted Kris J. Hamlet, financial officer for the Utah Department of Public Safety's Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security.

His office is just now closing out grants awarded for the 2002 fiscal year, he added, and the staff is really only starting work in earnest on the more recent grants.

The anti-terrorism money is two grants — the Homeland Security Grant and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program.

Most of the Homeland Security money coming to Utah, while administered by state agencies, actually flows through to counties and cities.

Nationally, those agencies spent 51 percent of the money Congress said they could in 2004 and the first six months of 2005, records obtained by the newspaper show.

But Utah state law enforcement agencies spent only 34.1 percent ($1.8 million) of what they could have last year. Congress authorized $5.3 million for Utah state government spending, records obtained through the Government Records Access and Management Act show.

Hamlet said much of the state spending comes in "large chunks" — and the state is about ready to bring on a substantial communications construction project, which will be a $1.2 million draw on congressional funds.

Similar equipment

Utah's purchases are not unique, nor are the criticisms of prodigious spending.