alternatehistory.com

Organization of command and control was not something that came quickly until the war began in Europe. Throughout the autumn of 1983, the best way things could be described was baby steps. Word went out through law enforcement and emergency management channels to the parish and county sheriffs and emergency managers: do you know who your counterpart is across the state line and to all the other counties/parishes you border?; do you ever talk to them?; how do you communicate with them?; if you don't, start now.

Some local governments caught on faster than others, Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana proved particularly obstinate. The parish president was called in and told in no uncertain terms that if he didn't get on board, command and control would happen through NAS New Orleans and martial law would be declared. He was also reminded that it wouldn't be the first time that the state had to send troops to make them behave, during WW2 Governor Sam Jones had to send the State Guard in.

College football turned out to be a means for the state police forces to really talk to each other. Anytime you see a college football game on television, you see that the head coach is always escorted by a state trooper or two. It just happened that during football season in 1983, whenever schools from Louisiana and Mississippi played each other, there were a few extra state troopers accompanying the football team and band. Part of the procedure that evolved was for the troopers from the other state to visit the local state police headquarters. HBCU football turned out to be just as an effective means of setting up communications as the major schools of the Southeastern Conference.
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