Dogs step up to patrol airports, rails
Feb 22, 2007
More bomb-sniffing dogs than ever are patrolling the nation's airports and rail stations, and more are likely on the way as the federal government tries to blanket the nation's transportation hubs with highly visible security, according to USA Today.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to add 45 dogs next year, primarily to patrol subway and rail systems as well as a few large airports that currently do not use them....
US-VISIT abandons use of RFID tags to track foreign visitors
Feb 22, 2007
The Homeland Security Department is abandoning the idea of using radio frequency identification tags to track foreign visitors leaving the country because the technology has not proven successful in testing, according to DHS secretary Michael Chertoff....
More Money, Stronger Technology
By Michael Fickes
The Bush administration's budget request for fiscal year 2008, which begins October 1, 2007, appears to shift the administration's approach to securing...
Procurement Close-up: Lockheed Martin wins TWIC contract
Jan 25, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration has awarded a contract for new, secure identification cards for port workers to Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md....
Homeland security innovators compete in "Defend America Challenge"
Jan 25, 2007
The Chesapeake Innovation Center, America's first business accelerator for Homeland and national security, recently hosted the finalists for its first "Defend America Challenge," a competition to expedite the transfer of innovation into the marketplace.
The center received 50 applications for the challenge, ranging from three-page outlines to ...
Chertoff defends risk-based approach to anti-terror grants
Jan 11, 2007
Seaports, rail and bus systems, trucking companies and other private industries at risk of terrorist attack will share nearly a half-billion dollars in anti-terrorism grants this year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says.
"We're investing resources where risk is greatest and where the funds will have the most significant impact," said Chertoff, responding to critics who complained that the highest-risk cities did not get a big enough share of federal Homeland security money last year...
TWIC program for port security nears implementation
Jan 11, 2007
The Department of Homeland Security has issued the final rule for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, which enhances port security by checking the backgrounds of workers before they are granted unescorted access to secure areas of vessels and maritime facilities.
The rule lays out the enrollment process, disqualifying crimes, usage procedures, fees and other requirements for workers, port owners and operators....
US-VISIT faces land border challenges
Dec 27, 2006
The US-VISIT program to collect, maintain, and share data on selected foreign nationals entering and exiting the United States at air, sea and land ports of entry has insufficient management controls to identify problems and evaluate operations, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report....
Investigators to target airport security
Dec 27, 2006
Teams of federal agents could be prowling airport perimeters next year as congressional investigators scrutinize federal efforts to safeguard planes, tarmacs and runways.
The federal investigation will focus on perimeter security technology, background checks, training and planning -- all topics in a 2004 report critical of the Transportation Security Administration....
DHS traveler assessments may violate Congressional ban
Dec 14, 2006
Officials are debating whether the Department of Homeland Security's computerized risk assessments of international travelers violate a specific ban that Congress imposed on the agency's spending for the past three years...
U.S. to begin testing inbound cargo for nuclear materials
Dec 14, 2006
Beginning early next year, cargo containers bound for the United States from six foreign seaports will be screened for dangerous nuclear materials. The screening effort will be the first phase in a program intended to expand the scrutiny of shipments before they reach American ports...
Securing Freight
Dec 1, 2006
The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Energy (DOE) have announced the first phase of the Secure Freight Initiative, an effort to build upon existing...
Congressional Democrats lining up security issues
Nov 30, 2006
Better communication systems, improved rail security and more rigorous oversight are high on the list of Homeland security issues Democrats plan to examine when they assume control of Congress in January.
"You'll see a committee that is not afraid to take on tough issues," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told The Associated Press in an interview....
Cargo screening tests to begin in Seattle
Nov 16, 2006
The Department of Homeland Security will begin testing air cargo screening technologies this fall at the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport as part of its previously announced $30 million Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program (ACEDPP). The purpose of the Sea-Tac testing is to better understand the technological and operational issues associated with detecting hidden persons or explosives that could be in air cargo....
Washington rail corridor to include high-tech surveillance
Nov 16, 2006
Scores of surveillance cameras and sensors will be installed along a key eight-mile rail corridor in Washington D.C., to help protect passenger trains and rail cars carrying hazardous materials.
The National Capital Planning Commission signed off on the $10 million pilot project this month, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to begin installation.
If the project works out, says William Flynn, the DHS director of risk management, it might be replicated in other parts of the country....
Maryland transit deploys intelligent video
Nov 2, 2006
TWIC program may run into further delays
Nov 2, 2006
DHS proposes use of vicinity RFID for security at ports of entry
Oct 19, 2006
On the heels of President Bush's signing of the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act, authorizing $3.4 billion over five years for security measures, the Department of Homeland Security is proposing the use of vicinity RFID technology for further security at U.S. ports.
The vicinity RFID technology, to be compatible with the U.S. Department of State's new PASSport card, would allow a travel document to be read from several feet as a vehicle approaches inspection....
TSA may use 3-D X-ray technology for carry-on bags
Oct 19, 2006
The Transportation Security Administration may screen carry-on bags with new three-dimensional X-ray machines that are better at spotting liquid explosives, guns and other weapons...
DHS directs funding to radiation detection
Oct 5, 2006
Congress passes port security legislation
Oct 5, 2006
Transportation systems receive large grants
Oct 5, 2006
TWIC ID cards will be ready; readers will not
Sep 21, 2006
Special Report: Airline Terror Plot Foiled
Sep 7, 2006
Click here for our breaking news coverage of the terrorist plot against U.S. airlines....
