FUND TIMES! Four bloodied beauties were among the props at a Homeland Security-funded training exercise for first responders in October. (
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WASHINGTON — Zombies are bleeding the taxpayers!
The feds spent precious terror-security cash on an October “zombie apocalypse” training exercise for cops and first responders, complete with Hollywood makeup for zombie-playing actors at a posh California resort.
The Department of Homeland Security let first responders use urban security grants to pay the five-day event’s $1,000 admittance fee, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) revealed in a report he issued yesterday on homeland-security waste.
“Every dollar misspent in the name of security weakens our already precarious economic condition, indebts us to foreign nations and shackles the future of our children and grandchildren,” said Coburn.
The event featured 40 actors in ghoulish makeup, stumbling out of buildings and from around corners just like on the hit AMC show “The Walking Dead” — only to get gunned down by a camouflage-wearing military tactical unit.
The shows performed this past Halloween were intended “to challenge authorities as they respond to extreme medical situations where people become crazed and violent, creating widespread fear and disorder,” according to Brad Baker, president of conference organizer HALO Corp.
But Coburn insisted that staging a zombie attack “does little to discourage potential terrorists.”
The event was held at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, which on its Web site touts the “exotic beauty and lush grandeur” of its unique island location near San Diego.
Homeland Security didn’t say how many responders attended on the federal dime.
The money came from the same pot that funds urgent security upgrades for urban areas. New York, the nation’s top terror target, has fought hard in past years to maintain its share of the funds for law enforcement, equipment, surveillance and perimeter security.
New York has received $1.4 billion of the $35 billion handed out in grants through the program over the last decade, making it the top recipient of cash, which is intended to be awarded based on threat.
The zombie boondoggle wasn’t the only waste of anti-terror cash found by Coburn, whose report singled out grants to cities and towns far from the front lines, including:
* Columbus, Ohio, spent $98,000 on an underwater robot.
* Keene, NH, set aside funds to buy an armored vehicle to help at events like its annual pumpkin festival.
* Ascension Parish, La., spent $2,700 to buy a teleprompter.
* Fargo, ND, which averages two homicides per year, bought a $257,000 armored truck for its cops.
The report also cites FDNY for using $143,000 to “backfill” expenses for employees who worked overtime to cover for other workers who were attending training.
Department of Homeland Security Spokesman Matthew Chandler said the agency “fundamentally disagrees” with the report’s position on the value of homeland security grants.