Progress Report Marks Six-Year Anniversary Of Sept. 11
Sep 6, 2007
A new progress report on implementation of mission and management functions of the Department of Homeland Security from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been released to lawmakers.
It reports that, according to the GAO, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows inadequate funding, unclear priorities, continuing reorganizations and the absence of an overarching strategy.
The report marks the sixth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, as the Democratic Congress, Republican White House and presidential candidates from both parties are beginning to debate the administration's record of accomplishments since that date....
Northrop Grumman Places Team Bid For FBI NOI Competition
Aug 23, 2007
Northrop Grumman Corp., Los Angeles, has named its team of partner companies for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Next Generation Identification (NGI) competition.
NGI is a ten-year development, operations and maintenance program. The NGI system will provide biometric services to support the expanded FBI mission. The current FBI's fingerprint system, known as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, provides automated flat and rolled fingerprint matching. NGI will expand these services to include other biometrics, such as facial recognition, palm prints and iris scans....
DHS Announces Predeparture Screening Of International Passengers
Aug 23, 2007
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced steps that will strengthen aviation security through uniform and consistent passenger pre-screening against government watch lists. DHS is publishing two regulations that will initiate these changes:
(1) The Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Predeparture Final Rule enables the DHS to collect manifest information for international flights departing from or arriving to the United States prior to boarding.
(2) The Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) regulation lays out DHS' plans to assume watch list matching responsibilities from air carriers for domestic flights and align domestic and international passenger pre-screening. Both programs carry out Sept. 11 Commission recommendations....
Report Says Biological Surveillance Falls Short
Aug 23, 2007
The nation's biological surveillance system is "falling short" of its goals -- some three years after President Bush ordered the Homeland Security Department to consolidate biological threats uncovered by agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into a central early warning system -- a new report found.
Homeland Security has failed to provide "consistent leadership and staff support to ensure successful execution," of the National Bio-Surveillance Integration System progam, according to the report, authored by the agency's Inspector General Richard Skinner.
Skinner found the system has "struggled since its inception" to hire enough staff to effectively manage the program. The report is already creating a stir on Capitol Hill, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution....
New Devices May Spot Terrorists Based On Behavior
Aug 23, 2007
Counterterrorism experts have drawn up plans to develop an array of advanced technologies capable of spotting would-be terrorists in a crowd before they have time to strike, reports New Scientist Magazine.
Scientists and engineers have been asked to devise ways of analyzing people's behavior and physiology from afar, in the hope they may reveal clues about their mental state and perhaps their future intentions.
Under Project Hostile Intent, scientists will aim to build devices that can pick up telltale signs of hostile intent or deception from people's heart rates, perspiration and tiny shifts in facial expressions....
U.S., Mexico Strengthen Human Trafficking Protections
Aug 9, 2007
On Aug. 1-3, 2007, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Public Safety, held a conference on the bi-national program Operation Against Smugglers Initiative on Safety and Security (OASISS) in San Antonio, Texas.
During this event, both countries recognized that OASISS has promoted collaboration and established high levels of trust between participating agencies in order to focus on human smuggling and trafficking....
New Passenger Imaging Security Being Tested
Aug 9, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has contracted to begin testing millimeter wave imaging machines, as well as additional backscatter machines, at airport security checkpoints in Phoenix, Los Angeles and New York-JFK in the coming months.
These passenger imaging technologies enable TSA to screen passengers for prohibited items on their person quickly, unobtrusively and without physical contact, detecting weapons, explosives and other metallic and non-metallic threat items concealed under layers of clothing.
"Exploring new technologies is critical to enhancing security at all points in the process," says TSA Administrator Kip Hawley....
Focus Will Shift To Chemical Security
Aug 9, 2007
House Democrats are looking to reopen the chemical security debate this fall, adding facilities that were exempted from regulations that became law last year, reports Congressional Quarterly.
The proposal is expected just months after the Department of Homeland Security began implementing chemical security regulations that Congress cleared as part of the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security spending bill (PL 109-295). The regulations took effect in June....
Bill Calls For National Strategy On CCTV
Aug 9, 2007
Included within the FY 2008 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill recently passed by the Senate is a requirement for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a national strategy for the "effective and appropriate" use of closed circuit television (CCTV) to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism....
GSA Releases Security Convergence Requirements Information
Jul 26, 2007
The General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Greater Southwest Acquisition Center is responsible for the products and services under Schedule 84, Total Solutions for Law Enforcement, Security, Facility Management Systems, Fire, Rescue, Special Purpose Clothing, Marine Craft and Emergency/Disaster Response. As part of this responsibility, they are reviewing current trends in the industry and in Agency requirements. The trends they are interested in are regarding changes in security approaches and the integration of security requirements with other requirements. Additionally, they are interested in whether the term security convergence is used to describe the integration of physical security, informational security and other operational requirements into single contract actions.
Specifically, the Greater Southwest Acquisition Center is requesting information from Industry, Academia and Government Agencies regarding experience with contracts, task orders, Blanket Purchase Agreements and contract requirements involving security and security convergence. ...
Experts Warm To TSA's Warnings
Jul 26, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration's warning that terrorists might be testing whether innocent-looking bomb components can be smuggled onto an airplane has been praised by security experts and politicians.
The TSA's intelligence circular that leaked demonstrates that the agency has matured beyond confiscating nail clippers, tweezers and lighters, according to the Associated Press.
The experts agreed that this judgment holds true even if the four incidents that triggered the warning turn out to have innocent explanations, as two of them - in San Diego and Baltimore - appeared to....
SIA Applauds House GSA Schedule 84 Bill
Jul 26, 2007
SIA announced its strong support for legislation introduced July 25 by Reps. Ed Towns (D-N.Y.) and Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) to extend cooperative purchasing to GSA Schedule 84. The bill, titled "The Local Preparedness Acquisition Act," will ensure local governments have the option of purchasing fire alarm systems, access control devices, perimeter security and video surveillance systems and other Homeland security products and services at GSA-approved reduced prices. More than 80 percent of companies on the GSA Schedules are small businesses.
"This bipartisan bill delivers significant cost-savings to state and local governments while opening up new market opportunities for thousands of small businesses nationwide," says Don Erickson, director of Government Relations, The Security Industry Association....
Homeland Security Grant Program Announces 2007 Awards
Jul 26, 2007
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced final Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) awards totaling $1.7 billion, including a total of almost $411 million to the nation's six urban areas at highest risk of a terrorist attack: New York City/Northern New Jersey; the National Capital Region; Los Angeles/Long Beach; the California Bay Area; Houston; and Chicago.
HSGP grants enhance the ability of states, territories and urban areas to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks and other disasters. Including this funding, by the end of FY 2007, DHS will have invested $23 billion in local planning, organization, equipment, training and exercises for state and local governments since Sept. 11, 2001....
Security Checkpoints To Become Sites Of X-Ray Testing
Jul 12, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced it will begin testing advance technology (AT) X-ray machines, including multi-view and high definition X-rays, at security checkpoints. These new tools will provide enhanced explosive detection capabilities for carry-on baggage.
L3 Communications, Smiths Detection and Rapiscan Systems have received contract awards that call for each vendor to lease seven of their AT X-ray machines to TSA for testing in airports. The total cost of the initial contracts is $1.4 million with options to purchase additional units in the future....
Decline In Cross-Border Activity Decreases Apprehensions
Jul 12, 2007
A continued decline in illegal cross-border activity between ports of entry along the Southwest border has brought U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol apprehensions down 24 percent compared to the previous year.
Between Oct. 1-June 30, Border Patrol agents made 682,468 apprehensions along the nation's southern border compared to 894,496 apprehensions during the same period last year. The Yuma, Ariz., and Del Rio, Texas, sectors experienced the greatest declines, with a decrease of 68 percent and 51 percent with 34,140 and 18,286 apprehensions respectively. The number of alien apprehensions, not including Mexicans, dropped 48 percent along the southern border, which totaled 43,135 through the third quarter 2007....
