US Rail Safety Suggestions Come From Penn State
Jul 12, 2007
Two Penn State faculty members have conducted a study that highlights the potential threats to America's railroad system, examines the response of government and the rail industry to the post-9/11 security responsibilities and suggests ways in which public policy and rail operations can be better directed to meet the challenges of security in an age of terrorist activity.
"Efforts to secure the nation's rail system have been undertaken by federal, state and local government agencies and by private rail operators," say Jeremy Plant, professor of public administration and public policy, and Richard Young, professor of supply chain management at Penn State's Harrisburg Campus....
The Key To Security: Sharing?
Jul 12, 2007
Two top-ranking antiterrorism officials have said that the U.S. government is getting better at sharing information among various agencies tasked with protecting the nation against terrorism, but IT can help drive more improvements.
Two federal officials told a crowd of about 450 people consisting of federal, state and local workers who deal with domestic security issues that the U.S. government has improved its information-sharing capabilities since Sept. 11. "We're not there yet; we're getting there," said Donna Bucella, director of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, as reported by InterGovWorld.com. "I want to prove the naysayers wrong. I want to prove government can work together."...
ROA 2007 National Convention This Week
Jun 28, 2007
The Reserve Officers Association (ROA) 2007 National Convention brings together ROA delegates and members in San Francisco this week. The Reserve Officers Association is a 70,000-member professional association that represents millions of officers, former officers and families of all the uniformed services of the United States, primarily the Reserve and National Guard. The ROA fulfills the mandate of its congressional charter by providing the Congress and the president with nonpartisan advice on issues of national security on behalf of all members of the Reserve Component. ...
Post-9/11 State Grants Going Unspent
Jun 28, 2007
Nearly a third of the anti-terrorism money the federal government has doled out to states and cities since Sept. 11 hasn't been spent by police and emergency workers who would respond to attacks and natural disasters, according to USA Today.
Almost $5 billion of $16.04 billion in grants approved by Congress for states and Washington, D.C., from fiscal 2002 to 2007 remains in federal coffers, according to Homeland Security Department budget figures. The situation has fueled concerns in the Bush administration and Congress that the government has been dishing out money faster than local governments can spend it....
Criticism For DHS Fingerprinting Effort
Jun 28, 2007
A House Democrat has criticized the Department of Homeland Security for not working aggressively enough to gather fingerprints of foreigners as they leave the country.
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, questioned whether the department will meet its goal of having a system in place by yearend to collect the fingerprints. He said the department has not requested any money for the system for fiscal 2008.
"The department is not taking this effort seriously and is not following Congress's direction," Thompson said in an interview with the Washington Post. ...
CBP Border Patrol To Hire More Women, Minorities
Jun 28, 2007
The CBP Border Patrol is continuing its efforts to attract women and minorities as part of a new phase of its recruitment efforts to increase the number of Border Patrol agents to guard the nation's borders. This effort coincides with the goal to hire more than 6,000 new Border Patrol agents by the end of 2008.
The Border Patrol is a part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws....
Cell Phones As A Mass Emergency Notification Device
Jun 14, 2007
Technology companies are combining forces to create personal environmental threat detectors out of cell phones and PDAs. Combined with a nationwide sensor network and GPS, cell-phone-detector systems could save millions of lives by identifying major threats quickly, even before they occur. Deployment is close to fruition because many of the sensors are already in place.
Gentag Inc. and eV Products are working together to develop and deploy low-cost threat-detection cell phones that could form the basis of a low-cost nationwide network of defense mechanisms against terrorist strikes and/or accidental biohazard events.
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"Puffer" Bomb Screeners Offer Questionable Effectiveness
Jun 14, 2007
Three years ago, federal officials unveiled the "puff portal," a machine designed to detect explosives at airport checkpoints with unprecedented precision. When a passenger stepped inside the puff portal, the machine was said to send sharp bursts of air to dislodge particles from the body, hair and clothing, and analyze them for microscopic traces of explosives.
But the expensive devices -- each costs about $160,000 -- have been largely ineffectual and the much ballyhooed $30 million program is facing tough scrutiny from critics.
Less than 25 percent of an anticipated 434 devices have been deployed nationwide, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which listed the cause as "performance and maintenance issues."
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Border Security Equipment Seldom Used
Jun 14, 2007
The face- and fingerprint-matching technology that has been touted over the past decade as a sophisticated new way to stop terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering the country through Mexico has one major drawback: U.S. border inspectors almost never use it.
In fact, the necessary equipment is not even installed in vehicle lanes along the border. Government officials told the Associated Press that checking more people would create too big a backup at the border, where hours-long traffic jams are already common. Some members of Congress who voted for the system in 1996 are complaining they were misled. They said the intent was to use biometrics -- or a person's unique physical traits -- to screen everyone.
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"Back Door" Security A Concern At Airports
Jun 14, 2007
The foiled plot to blow up fuel tanks at JFK International Airport has highlighted the vulnerability of the U.S. aviation system's infrastructure, including "back door" risks.
Authorities say that the plot was broken up long before it was operational and insist that the fuel tanks at JFK are secure. However, aviation security experts say such infrastructure represents a vulnerable "back door" to the nation's airports.
"The back door to airports has always been an issue," John Raidt, an aviation security specialist for the 9/11 Commission, told United Press International. "You have trucks coming and going ... you have aviation fuel."
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DHS Seeks To Secure Chemicals From Terrorists
Jun 14, 2007
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has urged operators of water and waste treatment plants to secure chemicals such as chlorine from terrorists, although they are not required to do so.
"For those of you who are not subject to the [new chemical security] regulations, I don't want you to breathe a sigh of relief that you're off the hook," Chertoff told industry leaders in a briefing about the nation's first-ever national chemical security rules.
Referring to water treatment plants' use of chlorine -- an ingredient used in an increasing number of truck bombs in Iraq -- Chertoff warned that the consequences of ignoring terror threats are "quite severe" in potential liability as well as lives.
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Study Shows Fed Workers In Dark About Security
May 31, 2007
SecureInfo, McLean, Va., a security firm that specializes in federal government services, has published a study (available on request for download here.) showing that although more than 90 percent of agency workers have completed a security awareness training course in the last 12 months, some 65 percent of them say they have never heard of FISMA, the federal IT security standard.
The Federal Information Security Management Act defines the U.S. government's requirements for information security, both in IT and among workers and contractors, according to Forbes.
Under FISMA, agency employees are required to complete a "security awareness" course every year, and both the SecureInfo study and the FISMA report to Congress indicate that more than 90 percent of workers have completed that course....
Security Firms At Higher Risk For Attack In Iraq
May 31, 2007
Private security contractors became notorious for making money from the invasion of Iraq. But without them, the number of coalition troops in the country would have been significantly higher. And since the peak of the market in 2004, they have faced greater dangers than ever and reduced financial returns, according to the Financial Times.
"It's certainly more dangerous. The number and the sophistication of attacks have risen, as has the level of information the terrorists have regarding our activities," says Jonathan Garratt, managing director of Erinys, London, which has about 1,000 security personnel in Iraq mainly on U.S. government contracts....
Homeland Security Looks To Sci-fi Authors
May 31, 2007
Looking to prevent the next terrorist attack, the Homeland Security Department is tapping into the wild imaginations of a group of self-described "deviant" thinkers: science-fiction writers.
"We spend our entire careers living in the future," says author Arlan Andrews, one of a handful of writers the government brought to Washington to attend a Homeland Security conference on science and technology, according to USA Today.
Those responsible for keeping the nation safe from devastating attacks realize that in addition to border agents, police and airport screeners, they "need people to think of crazy ideas," Andrews says....
DHS Completes Plans For Critical Infrastructure Protection
May 31, 2007
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced the completion of 17 Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) in support of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). The plan outlines a comprehensive risk management framework that defines critical infrastructure protection roles and responsibilities for all levels of government and private industry. Each SSP is tailored to the risk characteristics of that sector to promote greater consistency of protective programs and resources within the sectors.
"The consequences of an assault against America's vast network of critical infrastructure sites could be dire, both in loss of life and in economic impact," says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "At the same time, we must avoid imposing onerous security measures that would damage or make economically impractical the very systems that we're trying to protect. The security roadmap reflects unprecedented coordination among the public and private sectors. These plans are already significantly strengthening vital infrastructure and reducing vulnerability to all hazards -- terrorist attack and natural disaster alike."...
