SPRINGFIELD - Illinois' latest foray into the fight against terrorism will have state troopers taking an extra look at commercial trucks rolling through the Prairie State.

Next month, the Illinois State Police will launch a $145,000 program dubbed Operation Desert Snow that will train police departments how to conduct detailed roadside interviews, identify suspicious vehicles and detect signs that a vehicle has been altered to create hidden storage compartments.

"This is good training and good information for the troopers," said Illinois State Police Lt. Col. Michael Snyders.

As the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks looms, the training program is just the latest in a series of state exercises aimed at fighting terrorism, drug running and responding to disasters.

The state already has spent $67 million to create special teams to deal with mass destruction, urban search and rescue and hazardous materials. It has spent more than $27 million to boost radio communications, nearly $28 million to open a statewide terrorism intelligence center and $19.1 million on personal protective equipment.

In all, the state has received $436 million in federal money for those programs and dozens of others, according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Illinois isn't the first to target the trucking industry in its push to stay abreast of terrorist techniques.

Operation Desert Snow has been used in Pennsylvania, where troopers focused on commercial traffic that heads up and down Interstate 81, which stretches from Alabama to New York State.

More than 100 troopers in Minnesota underwent the training, where the focus was largely on methamphetamine detection. California and Missouri also have offered training sessions to police.

The program uses commercial-size trucks and trailers to give troopers real-life examples of how terrorists might carry contraband across the country.

Don Schaefer, legislative director of the Mid-West Truckers Association, which represents 2,700 trucking companies and 120,000 truck drivers, said Illinois is a key state when it comes to targeting truckers carrying contraband.

"Illinois has so much truck traffic going through it on its way to other states," Schaefer said. "You don't have as good a grip on it as you could."

The training, Schaefer said, will go together with industry-wide efforts to root out bad truckers. "I think this is one more program that will help," said Schaefer.

In addition to state troopers, Snyders said some local law enforcement personnel will be invited to the training sessions. In addition, the state is offering up the week-long class to some police from outside of Illinois.