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DISCLAIMERTHE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES AND IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT IS PROVIDED AS RECEIVED AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE US SECURITY NETWORK, ANY MEMBER COMPANY, OR PARTICIPATING PUBLIC AGENCIES. INFORMATION MAY BE REPEATED, AS IT IS EXTRACTED EXACTLY AS PRESENTED BY THE ORIGINAL SOURCE xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
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Tennessee's top homeland security officials yesterday encouraged people to look for possible terrorist activity in their own back yards. The program, called ''Operation Bold Tiger,'' allows local, state and federal agencies to partner with volunteers to detect and prevent possible terrorist threats. ''Operation Bold Tiger'' is using redesigned neighborhood watch programs and a public awareness campaign through TV announcements. The commercials show people reporting others in their neighborhood to authorities for suspicious acts that may be terrorist-related. ''We don't want terrorists. We want terrorists to get out of here,'' said Maj. Gen. Jerry Humble, director of the Office of Homeland Security in Tennessee. ''That way, we can live a good, comfortable life where we can earn our wages and have a good economy and a safe state.'' The name of the operation came from a saying attributed to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden: ''Why attack a tiger when there are plenty of lambs around?'' Humble said at a briefing held at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. ''We're turning Tennessee into a tiger.'' xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThree Cities Get Access To Homeland Security Funds For Tech Integration The Homeland Security Department continues to examine technology being developed by cities nationwide to help first responders in times of crisis as part of the department's Regional Technology Integration Initiative. The department has chosen Anaheim, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Cincinnati as the first three cities to share in the initiative's $10 million funding. The initiative's purpose is to help these cities, as well as an unnamed fourth city, investigate private-sector technology that can quickly make an impact on efforts to combat terrorism and neutralize biological or chemical attacks.Anaheim, home to Disneyland and Angel Stadium, joined the initiative in June. A month later, the city and EDS together launched the Enterprise Virtual Operations Center, or EVOC. EVOC is a portal that provides first responders and city officials with information from geographic-information-systems maps, global-positioning-system tracking applications, and live video from traffic cameras all in one place. Anaheim's next step is to create a PDA interface to EVOC. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFirst responder training is key to homeland security Every year at this time we will be reminded about that terrible day — Sept. 11 — when terrorists killed over 3,000 people in New York City, the Pentagon and in that farm field in Pennsylvania, using airliners as suicide weapons. I wish I never had to think about it, but you can't escape it; we are at war with terrorists, and they will do anything to disrupt our ways of life. Today people go to the airports, bus stations, and train stations and get frustrated with the long lines and security hassles, all in the name of homeland security. We are so insulated by all that is happening around us, you would never even know what safety measures are in place regarding homeland security. When innocent people were fleeing the World Trade Center twin towers in New York City, many first responders, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and law enforcement people were rushing into those buildings to try and do their jobs without regard to their own lives. More than 350 of these people died trying to do their job as first responders. Today, our first responders, whether they are in New York City or Cass County are getting help from the Homeland Security Department in the form of training and equipment with greater emphasis given to heavily populated areas. In our area, training is key, just being aware of our surroundings, people, commercial trucks and vans that move through our area heading to metropolitan areas. This fall all first responders in our area have an opportunity to attend free training provided by Central Minnesota Emergency Medical Services, in cooperation with United States Homeland Security. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Homeland Security bill includes drought funding Drought funding passed by the U.S. Senate as part of a $36 billion homeland security bill is ready to be reviewed by a conference committee and should fare well in negotiations, Sen. Tom Daschle said Wednesday. "I would say our chances are pretty good," Daschle, D-S.D., told South Dakota reporters during a conference call about prospects for the legislation to remain in tact. The homeland security bill passed Tuesday night includes $2.9 billion for drought-stricken ranchers and farmers. The bill now goes to a House and Senate conference committee where members will discuss differences between the two versions of the bill. Daschle said the U.S. House bill did not include disaster aid for agriculture. But he said strong support from a number of Senate Republicans, improves its changes of surviving conference committee talks. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx House lawmakers target billions for public transportation security House lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would pump billions into public transportation security and require greater cooperation between the Homeland Security and Transportation departments. The Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention and Response Act of 2004 would provide $3.5 billion in federal grants over three years to public transportation agencies and bus operators for security improvements. The bill was introduced by members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, including Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, and ranking member James Oberstar, D-Minn. "We cannot allow ourselves to be less than prepared for future terrorist attacks on systems that carry millions of Americans each day," lawmakers said in a statement. The Senate Banking Committee approved its version of the bill in May. The legislation would require DHS and Transportation to define and clarify their respective public transportation security roles. "There is not an effective working relationship between DHS, [Transportation] and the transit community," the lawmakers said. "DHS does not understand how transit systems are managed or funded, and has not worked with the transit industry in setting security standards or administering grants." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxESRI Provides Support for Hurricane Response in the Southeast Government agencies and private organizations that need assistance in responding to Hurricane Ivan or other recent severe weather events can contact ESRI. Temporary key codes, on-site support, and other assistance will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This assistance is available to any organization with geographic information system (GIS) needs regardless of its GIS platform. These efforts are being coordinated through an e-mail alias. Send requests for assistance to hurricane_help@xxxxxxxx. Mapping is important for response and recovery efforts, and ESRI stands ready to help with these efforts. ESRI is currently supporting local, state, and federal government agencies responding to Hurricane Ivan as well as private organizations impacted by the devastating storm. ESRI is providing software, technical expertise, and other resources as part of its ongoing multihurricane preparation, response, and recovery work. ESRI software and support are being used by multiple agencies for applications such as tracking hurricane movement, assisting with evacuation planning, allocating resources and equipment, deploying first responders and emergency personnel, identifying emergency centers and shelters, and assisting in postevent damage assessment and infrastructure restoration. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Of Mice and Biometrics For many people, the Microsoft Optical Desktop with Fingerprint Reader may be their first brush with biometrics. Microsoft last week announced a keyboard and mouse set that comes with a fingerprint reader -- a gizmo that's meant to eliminate the hassles of remembering and typing user names and passwords. The premise is, users put their finger on a pad and the keyboard takes care of the rest. As wireless mice and keyboards go, the products were competent enough in my trial, but the main gimmick, the fingerprint reader, has some serious restrictions. To be sure, Microsoft isn't the first to introduce a keyboard with a fingerprint reader, but the other products on the market are mainly expensive specialty products. Microsoft's consumer-friendly push could kick-start demand for more biometrics. To the far left of the keyboard is a built-in fingerprint reader window, which could double as a tiny porthole to a parallel dimension. It lights up and flashes red when you press your finger onto it. Another ring of light around the elongated, quarter-sized reader flashes approvingly following the successful save of your fingerprint. Subtle, congratulatory tones seem to jingle, "Welcome to the future, friend." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Japanese bank taps RFID for document security NEC Corp. has signed a contract with a Japanese bank for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) -based document management system, the company said Tuesday in a statement. The system, which NEC claims is the world's first system to use RFID for this function, will be introduced by the Bank of Nagoya Ltd. in April 2005, NEC said. Bank of Nagoya is a regional bank in central Japan. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Yamamuro said the system, which NEC is targeting at banks, financial institutions, libraries, hospitals and other institutions that store sensitive documents, is designed to be combined with other security systems to provide comprehensive and detailed document protection. When combined with employee identification systems using cards or fingerprint sensors or tags, the RFID system could help enable real-time recording of which employees are removing or replacing which documents, whether authorized or not, from a filing cabinet or room. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Coats Will Be Screened by U.S. Airport Security All passengers at U.S. airports will have to take off their coats during security screening and more travelers will be subject to pat-down searches as part of new procedures to check for explosives, security officials said on Thursday. The latest actions take effect next week and were prompted partly by recommendations of the special commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, hijack attacks and warned of loopholes in airport screening. The suspected bombings of two Russian airliners last month also has brought the potential threat into sharper focus for homeland security officials, who have been testing new bomb-detection equipment this summer and are accelerating the pace of these programs. Members of Congress who oversee aviation matters have also urged swifter action on screening passengers and their carry-on bags for bombs. All checked luggage is already screened for explosives. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Policy leaders offer advice for tackling security clearance backlog Public policy experts on Tuesday offered Congress recommendations for tackling the government's security clearance backlog, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal and contract employees in limbo for months, and in some cases years. Officials told the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management that a single database of clearance information is needed, and a security clearance granted by one agency should be accepted at all other agencies. Congress is considering overhauling security clearance procedures in response to proposals made by the 9/11 commission. The commission said a single federal agency should be responsible for providing and maintaining security clearances and for ensuring uniform clearance standards, including maintaining a single database of clearance information.
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