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.
An intruder triggers a photo and an instantaneous e-mail
July 14th, 2008
EvidencePix, Inc., a young company, has announced that it has received a U.S. patent for an innovative system that can take a digital photo of an intruder or thief, and instantly e-mail that photo to the property owner’s cell phone or to a law enforcement agency.
Orange County man allegedly used laser beam against police helicopter
July 14th, 2008
A 36-year-old Orange County, CA, resident appeared in court last week for allegedly pointing a laser beam at the eyes of pilots flying three commercial aircraft and one police helicopter landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County last May.
Buttoning my lip at the United Nations
July 14th, 2008
I had the pleasure and privilege to address an IT Security conference held at United Nations headquarters in New York City last Thursday, but I can tell you it feels great to be writing this note in the Homeland Security Insider, where I’m free from the restrictive diplomatic ground rules that are required of all speakers at the United Nations.
I can write here what I could not say there.
Because the UN is a conclave of the world’s nations, it is imperative that speakers addressing open meetings not make political statements and not discuss specific member countries in ways that might make their representatives uncomfortable.
Of course, I was willing to play by the UN’s rules.
But that certainly put a cramp in my ability to make my central point to a roomful of IT professionals.
More...
Gerber foods exposed to "infestation" at FEMA warehouse in Fort Worth, TX
July 7th, 2008
FEMA issued a one-sentence solicitation notice last week indicating that it needed to dispose of 478 pallets of "contaminated food products" sitting in a warehouse in Fort Worth, TX.
But, when pressed by GSN for more details, FEMA eventually said its original description of the food as contaminated was "inaccurate" and that a large quantity of Gerber finger foods and snack packs originally intended for the children of Hurricane Katrina victims had been "exposed to infestation hazards" and would be "destroyed through our normal GSA disposal process."
FEMA said, "No one consumed the food."
DHS unveils four topics for next round of SBIR awards
July 1st, 2008
The Science and Technology Directorate of DHS has issued its latest round of topics for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for fiscal year 2008, which seeks faster ways to perform DNA sequencing to detect bio-threats, better ways to protect buildings from blast attacks, and more.
FDA to issue grants to enhance state and local "food defense"
July 1st, 2008
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a new grant program under which it plans to award up to $40,000 to each of six different state or local food regulatory agencies to develop innovative ways to integrate food defense strategies -- aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks on the food supply -- into more traditional food safety and inspection methodologies.
Air Force extends four base protection contracts
June 30th, 2008
The U.S. Air Force has decided to extend four existing security contracts by seven months each, without competitive bidding, to enable the four incumbent vendors to continue providing base security installations for Air Force personnel in Southwest Asia and around the world.
The four contractors, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, of Carson, CA; L-3 Communications, Government Services Inc., of Chantilly, VA; ECSI International, Inc. of Clifton, NJ; and Abacus Technology, of Chevy Chase, MD, have been providing sensors, radars, thermal imagers, integrated command and control equipment and various support services under the existing contract, which would have expired in August 2008, but will now be extended to April 2009.
GAO: Eliminating Visa Waiver Program could cost up to $5.7 billion
June 30th, 2008
A new report from the Government Accountability Office warns that the State Department must plan for potentially significant staffing and facilities shortfalls caused by changes in the Visa Waiver Program. Under the VWP, citizens from 27 countries can travel to the U.S. visa free. The report indicates the potential elimination or suspension of the VWP could cause dramatic increases in visa demand -- from around 500,000 (the average number of people from VWP countries who obtain a U.S. visa each year) to as many as 12.6 million (the average number of people who travel to the U.S. from VWP countries each year) -- that could overwhelm visa operations in the near term. To meet visa demand, State officials said they could need approximately 45 new facilities, which GAO estimates could cost $3.8 billion to $5.7 billion. GAO also estimates State would need substantially more staff, including around 540 new foreign service officers at a cost of about $185 million to $201 million per year.
