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State to pass $53M in Homeland Security funds to local level
The state has earmarked about $53 million dollars in homeland security funding for local governmental entities. Most of the money will be distributed through the 11 Homeland Security District Councils to develop mutually supporting plans and projects among the cities and counties within those districts. In addition, all 95 counties will receive cash to sustain previously established homeland security efforts. Local jurisdictions and state agencies will soon receive authorization to plan projects and programs for the funds "Local police, sheriffs, firefighters, and emergency services personnel are the front line in our homeland security efforts," says Gov. Phil Bredesen. "We will continue to support them to the best of our abilities and encourage cities, counties, communities and citizens to work together to enhance our security and preparedness."
nashville.bizjournals.com
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Group enlists seniors for homeland security
Julie Hile, a 63-year-old retired nurse, remembers taking a course a few years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. "It was an excellent course," she recalled. "And," she said, "it scared me." The course she's talking about was about terrorism. It was offered at Fort Detrick, where she used to work. Now, as the third anniversary of the attacks approaches, Hile is one of more than 100 volunteers in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, run by Volunteer Frederick. You don't have to be a trained firefighter or EMS technician to help in the homeland security fight. You don't even have to be young and fit; just willing and able. That's the message RSVP is trying to put out to local seniors and others interested in helping out when a disaster strikes, be it a terrorist attack or a natural calamity. On March 30, Marilyn Herbert and Carol Haag of Volunteer Frederick got together with other volunteers to brief residents about what they can do in case of an emergency. They held two sessions at the Monocacy Valley Church in Ijamsville, one of several sites in the area they hope will be used as a "volunteer mobilization center" when disaster strikes. First responders such as fire, police and rescue personnel "can't do this by themselves," RSVP director Haag said about dealing with every aspect of a major emergency. "They need volunteers." Senior citizens, Haag explained, are often looking for a "balanced retirement" that can include volunteering as well as travel and spending time with grandkids. Seniors' extra time also works to volunteer organizations' advantages, Haag explained. "Seniors are the largest untapped and growing national resource in this country," she said. "These are people who really have life experiences to give." Hile agreed. Seniors "have been around a long time, they've seen a lot of things. Sometimes they know the right thing to say or do."
www.gazette.net
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Department of Homeland Security Announces Exercise Participants
U. S. Department of Homeland Security today (April 5, 2004) announced that the next Congressionally-mandated Top Officials (TOPOFF) exercise will take place in April 2005. Scenarios in the exercise will take place in Connecticut and New Jersey. Additional TOPOFF activities will be conducted within the United Kingdom as part of a partnership to strengthen security in both nations. "The TOPOFF exercises are an important part of our national preparedness strategy. To make our response system stronger, we have to identify our strengths and weaknesses through challenging scenarios. Those scenarios are an integral part of the TOPOFF exercise and they force us to gauge our readiness, test our internal communications and develop and reinforce relationships across all levels of government and the private sector," Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge said. TOPOFF 3 is the third of the congressionally directed, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) national exercise series. The first was conducted in May, 2000, and TOPOFF 2 was conducted in May, 2003 with exercises taking place in Seattle and Chicago.
www.dhs.gov
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FBI, Homeland Security warn of summer bus, train plots in U.S. cities
Trains and buses in major U.S cities may be targeted this summer by terrorists using bombs hidden in bags or luggage, federal counterterrorism officials have told law enforcement and transportation officials in a nationwide bulletin. FBI and Homeland Security Department officials said they had received uncorroborated intelligence reports about a plot by terrorists to target commercial transportation systems. The bulletin, issued late Thursday, mentioned no specific cities or dates and did not elaborate on the source of the information. A senior federal law enforcement official, speaking Friday on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence, coupled with the deadly March 11 commuter train attacks in Madrid in which bombs went off inside backpacks, has increased the level of wariness about a similar attack in the United States. Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said the company stepped up security after the Madrid bombings, including use of bomb-sniffing dogs, although the company's trains have received no specific or credible threats. "It should not be considered unusual that the FBI should issue this kind of a bulletin in the wake of what occurred in Madrid last month," Amtrak said in a statement. Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said information in the bulletin was being shared via the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to ensure proper security measures are implemented around the country. Officials said the message was sent mainly out of an abundance of caution, and the threat ? deemed "somewhat credible" by one official ? was not causing undue alarm throughout the government. The nation's color-coded terror alert level remains at yellow, or elevated. It was last raised to orange, or high, on Dec. 21 amid suspicions about terror attacks using commercial aircraft. The level returned to yellow on Jan. 10. Passengers could see changes because of the bulletin. Federal officials are encouraging local transit authorities to conduct random passenger inspections and security sweeps of stations and to increase public announcements encouraging people to report unattended baggage or suspicious behavior.
www.signonsandiego.com
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Working group releases cybersecurity recommendations
A corporate working group spearheaded by a House lawmaker on Tuesday released recommendations to increase the nation's cybersecurity efforts. The Corporate Information Security Working Group, led by Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., suggested various security initiatives, such as legislation to ensure that federal departments incorporate information security into technology investments and market-based incentives for corporations to adopt cyber-security guidelines. The recommendations "contain innovative and creative approaches, utilizing a variety of tools to achieve a private-sector-driven, market-based approach to addressing corporate information security in every sector," Putnam said in a statement.
www.govexec.com
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Rights Group Challenges US Security Policy on Airline Passenger Lists
A leading U.S. civil liberties group has filed a legal challenge to a government program that seeks to bar people with suspected links to terrorists from traveling on commercial airliners. At issue is what is called the government's "no-fly" list, a list of names compiled by the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for protecting airline travel. The list contains names of people who are barred from flying because they are considered a threat or have links with suspected terrorists. But now a group of people who say they have been wrongly put on the list are challenging the no-fly list in federal court. The suit is being filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of seven people who say they are innocent of any links to terrorists and pose no risk to fellow travelers. Among those filing suit are a retired minister, a college student, a member of the U.S. military and a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, David Fathi.
www.voanews.com
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Security scare for business laptops
Business travellers are unwittingly making company secrets available to rivals by ignoring the risks of local wireless networks, known as wi-fi hotspots, security experts warn. IT security experts who have carried out checks at hotels, railway stations and other public places equipped with wireless internet access technology have found the networks and users' computers are often insecure. "It's actually happening: there is competitive intelligence being gathered," said Richard Hollis, chief executive of Orthus, a security firm. Hackers - who need little specialist knowledge - can access contents of a rival's laptop because other users' files are visible to anybody using an unsecured wireless network. Hackers are also using wi-fi hotspots to store their files on other computers. "I'm walking into corporations and commercial hotspots that are finding things on their networks that they didn't put there and it's scaring the hell out of them. What if someone used such a network to store paedophile images or to attack a bank? The company would be liable," said Mr Hollis. Nevertheless, wi-fi is an "incredibly securable technology", Mr Hollis insists. Users need only disable file-sharing on their laptops and install a firewall to prevent them being hijacked. In the UK the Institute of Directors, which provides free wi-fi access to members from different companies using its premises, says it has not suffered any major incidents but is "aware of the major security issues." Broadreach Networks, which provides wi-fi hotspots, says its equipment has firewalls that prevent hackers seeing any other machines connected to the hotspot. But Magnus McEwen-King, chief executive, said: "Not all networks have done this to prevent hackers getting access."
news.ft.com
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Traveling sales crews alarm law enforcement agencies
There are an estimated 50,000 young men and women between 18 and 27 years old walking the streets across the United States, armed with magazine sales binders or pushing cleaning products. Some bite at the lure of an exciting party lifestyle. Others want the travel to places like sunny, wealthy Naples. And still others have criminal records including sex crimes, robbery and burglary. They're out looking for more targets. While only a few turn violent, across the nation groups like them, including the sellers who recently blanketed Southwest Florida, are alarming law enforcement agencies. Their appearances on the streets of neighborhoods such as Kings Lake or Vanderbilt Beach in Collier County bring deputies who check for county permits and then make arrests if they don't have them. One man stole $5,000 worth of jewelry from a Pelican Marsh home, Collier sheriff's deputies say. Earlene Williams, who runs a watchdog group based in New York City called Parent Watch, said these crews can be dangerous within themselves. There are instances of rape, alcohol abuse and even dangerous drivers who transport the groups cross-country, her group says.
www.naplesnews.com
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Officials Plan Tight Security Cordon for Coastal Georgia Summit Meeting
Law enforcement officials, worried about a possible terrorist attack during the Group of Eight summit of world leaders in June, are implementing extraordinary maritime security measures. Sea Island, where the leaders will spend the bulk of their three-day gathering, and the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, where they will hold a final news conference, will be transformed into fortresses impregnable from land, air or sea. But security planners are also paying keen attention to the potential for mayhem along the Savannah River, lined with storage facilities for oil, gas, ammonia, propane and other flammable and toxic substances. No-fly zones will be imposed over Sea Island and sectors of Savannah, including the skies above the liquefied natural gas facility on nearby Elba Island, the port and the trade center. Boat traffic will be curtailed in the "security zone" stretching from above the port to below Elba Island. The liquefied natural gas and anhydrous ammonia plants have agreed to halt deliveries during the summit. Commercial ships and shrimp boats will be kept three miles from Sea Island, except when heading to and from their berths. The Intracoastal Waterway will be closed to all boats on both sides of the Savannah River. "We're planning for the worst, so if anything happens we're ready for it," said Cmdr. Timothy Close, the Coast Guard's man in charge in Savannah.
www.miami.com
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Florida Airport Will Track Luggage With Radio ID Tags
Jacksonville International Airport will be one of the first in the country to track luggage with radio frequency identification tags, which officials believe will increase security and reduce the number of lost bags. The system is supposed to be installed by the fall, in time for February's Super Bowl in Jacksonville and the accompanying crush of travelers expected to use the airport, said Chip Snowden, chief operating officer of the Jacksonville Airport Authority. By knowing exactly where luggage is along conveyor belts behind the airport's walls, the Transportation Security Administration believes any dangerous bags could be quickly located. Airlines are confident the technology will help them reduce the hundreds of millions of dollars spent every year on rerouting wayward bags. The small, paper-thin devices known as RFIDs work by using electronic readers to record data stored within microchips. The chips are encased in plastic tags laced with metal bands that serve as antennas, which transmit signals to monitoring devices. Tests have shown that the chips can be read with an accuracy rate of about 99 percent, better than the 85 percent typical with bar-code scanners.
www.newsmax.com
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