News / Analysis
America’s quest for homeland security includes the development of federal programs to protect our aviation, maritime and ground transportation sectors, efforts to detect a “dirty bomb” before it can emit deadly radiation, the search by the FBI for Muslim terrorists and the hunt for Osama bin Laden, his Al Qaeda followers and Islamic extremists pursuing jihad.
Coast Guard wants to safeguard info in new MAGNET database
May 21st, 2008
The Coast Guard is seeking exemption from the Privacy Act for information about ship positions and registries, crew backgrounds, passenger lists, known criminal vessels and suspect lists which it gathers as part of a new maritime domain awareness program called MAGNET.
FCC probes phony 911 calls, eyes cell phone culprits
May 21st, 2008
The Federal Communications Commission is planning to examine the problem of individuals making fraudulent 911 calls from cell phones that are connected to any telecommunications carrier’s wireless service plan, known in the industry as "non-service initialized" handsets.
SpaceHab wins DHS testing designation
May 20th, 2008
SpaceHab Inc. of Houston announced it has been given formal Developmental Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) designation from the Department of Homeland Security for the company’s new in house developed Miniature Mass Spectrometer (MMS) technology named "1st Detect."
Security risks seen in handheld computer devices
May 20th, 2008
New research commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) reveals that security challenges tied to the use of handheld devices and mobile and remote computing are growing at a rapid pace.
GAO: Unmanned aircraft require new security regulations
May 19th, 2008
A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that growing government and private sector interest in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is posing unique challenges to the nation’s aviation security posture. The agency urged the Federal Aviation Administration to develop new regulations to govern unmanned flights, which are now approved on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Homeland Security "has not addressed the national security implications of routine UAS access to the airspace," the GAO reported, adding that with a growing number of government agency and private sector players, the need for effective UAS regulation is becoming urgent. FAA estimates that completing UAS safety regulations will take 10 or more years, but has not yet issued its program plan to communicate the steps and time frames required to provide routine UAS access.
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People: Hoyer wins law enforcement officers award
May 19th, 2008
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a long-time champion of law enforcement, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). Hoyer is the 13th recipient of the prestigious award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that have made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the law enforcement profession. In announcing the award, the fund cited Hoyer’s advocacy of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) initiative, which has helped to put tens of thousands of new law enforcement officers on the streets, along with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Previous recipients of the NLEOMF Award include former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Motorola and former Congressman Mario Biaggi.
Video surveillance or "Community Safety Cameras"?
May 19th, 2008
Chris Fox knows a thing or two about police work, and how police can use video surveillance to fight crime.
In fact, his police work in the United Kingdom, during the course of his 34-year career in law enforcement, was impressive enough to earn him the Queen’s Police Medal in 1996 and the title of "Sir," when he was knighted in the New Years Honors list 10 years later.
Video surveillance in a different "City by the Bay"
May 19th, 2008
One by one, large and small cities across the United States are installing lots of video cameras to watch their citizens in public spaces, connecting those cameras to monitoring centers by fiber optic cable or wireless "mesh" networks; thereby attempting to decrease crime.
