tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325682642011-10-19T14:18:02.520-07:00Homeland Security news with a local focusJohn Bowennoreply@blogger.comBlogger3311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-39043627502053787442008-12-12T08:36:00.000-08:002008-12-12T08:48:42.464-08:00

As a nice complement to the "Ready or Not?" report released earlier this week, the American College of Emergency Physicians has published its annual "National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine," which examines emergency medicine on a state-by-state basis and concludes that:The emergency care system in the United States remains in serious condition, with numerous states facing

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-7997025640952411812008-12-11T09:05:00.000-08:002008-12-11T09:22:32.287-08:00

There's some good food for thought in this occasional paper from RAND, which advocates a "hybrid" approach to prevention and mitigation:Instead of seeing an either/or choice between traditional prevention and mitigation or resiliency measures, it is more productive to consider them together in an integrated way—as two complementary elements of a strategy aimed at lessening the consequences of

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-29345691678582689092008-12-10T07:59:00.000-08:002008-12-10T08:17:29.247-08:00

Not good news:Tennessee is the only one of eight states in the Central United States Earthquake Consortium to finish its revision to the Catastrophic Event Annex of our state's emergency-management plan.Anyone in the Midwest who's unprepared for a major earthquake simply doesn't appreciate history. In 1811 and 1812, three enormous quakes in the New Madrid seismic zone devastated a wide area.

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-66161592110436808632008-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:22:42.643-08:00

Good practice in Poughkeepsie:When different police departments talk to each other, it's bad news for the bad guys.The Field Intelligence Group is an unofficial association of about two dozen police officers, probation and parole officers and other law enforcement officials from the various departments in Dutchess and Ulster counties.They meet weekly and stay in contact constantly, using text

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-41757407869159847612008-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:03:07.998-08:00

The Trust for America's Health has released its annual "Ready or Not?" report, analyzing the readiness of the U.S. public health system for a major biological disaster. The report includes state-by-state rankings and always makes for interesting, if somewhat depressing, reading.Here's the press release and summary of key findings. Here's the full report (pdf, 2.6MB).

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-34894725405739498082008-12-09T07:42:00.000-08:002008-12-09T07:51:25.605-08:00

It's probably a universal human trait: We're very adept at changing our ways based on what's in the rear-view mirror. But only our own, not someone else's.That's why it's so vital to share information and learn from others' experiences. For example:CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha County officials have changed an emergency response plan more than three months after a deadly explosion at the Bayer

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-77653292331576297732008-12-02T08:11:00.000-08:002008-12-02T08:20:30.234-08:00

The Mayor's office in Los Angeles has released a new emergency management initiative.This initiative ... involves several components to enhance the City’s planning and preparedness efforts, train city employees in disaster response, better prepare the community in disaster preparedness, and modernize the City’s antiquated emergency management structure.Here's one thing I find interesting. To

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-41117723872498834712008-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:002008-08-04T08:44:30.286-07:00

In direct contrast to the immediately previous blog entry, and a week after the NYT's Freakonomics blog asked, "Why do voters reward poor disaster preparedness?" a story comes out of Georgia about some local elected officials who haven't even shown up to the meeting to prepare for a pandemic flu:Jones County’s biggest problem with a pandemic flu occurrence may be the perceived apathy demonstrated

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-72769480523428058322008-07-11T08:10:00.000-07:002008-07-11T08:49:38.084-07:00

The threat of pandemic flu has gotten a lot less press lately, mostly because the incidence of avian flu seems to have plateaued somewhat (though Indonesia is still being really tight-lipped about what's going on there, so who really knows?)But even though the issue is getting less attention in the media, some communities are continuing to do the smart thing and developing plans to address a

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-54447558250590861442008-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:002008-07-10T09:54:24.385-07:00

An update on this story:Prosecutors have dropped the "weapons of mass destruction" charge in the case of the South Carolina teenager who allegedly planned to bomb his school.The teenager who allegedly planned to destroy his high school with explosives will not face a WMD charge at his anticipated trial, the Associated Press reported yesterday.Ryan Schallenberger, 18, had been charged with

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-57381386749385219252008-07-10T09:06:00.000-07:002008-07-10T09:23:52.656-07:00

One time I recall hearing someone quip that to understand what's meant by the word "expert," you just have to analyze its two syllables. When you do this, you realize that an "ex" is a has-been and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure.So then.A group of homeland security experts have spoken:Book Hill Partners and the Homeland Defense Journal released the results of a survey of 122 homeland security

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-83102471696019123052008-07-10T08:34:00.000-07:002008-07-10T08:43:10.573-07:00

In a brief paper published under the auspices of the Naval Postgraduate School, Dr. Michael Mihalka and Dr. David Anderson analyze the risk of catastrophic terrorism targeting the energy infrastructure. They argue that the risk is relatively slight when compared to other threats:The threat from and effect of transnational terrorism [to the energy sector] is much less than many pundits have argued

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-25838170229094978452008-07-09T09:38:00.000-07:002008-07-09T09:40:51.084-07:00

Healthmap(h/t Effect Measure)

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-50504244774298530762008-07-03T09:07:00.000-07:002008-07-03T09:16:34.764-07:00

State, local, and tribal governments will soon be able to leverage the federal government's buying power to purchase homeland-security related items:The U.S. General Services Administration received new authority to help state and local governments in purchasing homeland security equipment and services under the Local Preparedness Acquisitions Act (HB 3179) signed by President Bush last week. The

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-27319787729782068492008-07-02T09:27:00.000-07:002008-07-02T09:32:31.703-07:00

The Florida legislature recently passed a law that makes sense. It will allow people to refill prescriptions in an emergency, even if their insurer says they're not yet due for a refill:Recently, the Legislature passed the Emergency Prescription Refill bill (Florida Statute 252.358 and 462.0275). This law requires all insurers and managed-care organizations to suspend refill-too-soon restrictions

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-86731553167765982262008-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:002008-07-01T08:59:27.367-07:00

Catching up on this one:FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison said in April his agency will only distribute ice for medical emergencies or life-threatening situations following a disaster. Since its inception, FEMA has provided ice to disaster victims, especially in areas where power outages occur.“We’re not in the ice business anymore,” Paulison said, and that it is not a “life-saving commodity”

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-4545347927150545502008-06-27T09:13:00.000-07:002008-06-27T09:20:18.430-07:00

Forgive me, it's Friday and I couldn't resist posting this:Delivery boys across America, beware: Zach Phillips was arrested by Homeland Security Thursday afternoon in Kansas City—for delivering a pizza. Phillips parked his car in front of the KCMO Federal Courthouse to deliver lunch to a few judges and on his way out, he was approached by several Homeland Security officers. When questioned,

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-58738454823475438332008-06-26T08:37:00.000-07:002008-06-26T08:41:20.323-07:00

There still isn't one.A new joint security alert from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI warns that terrorists are increasingly turning to women and teenagers to carry out suicide bombings.The bulletin, obtained by CBS News, says “Female suicide bombers conducted more than twice as many attacks in Iraq in the first six months of 2008 than in all of 2007”.US intelligence analysts also

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-62875513500870003332008-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:002008-06-25T10:37:13.146-07:00

DHS has set its sights on U.S. businesses that manufacture, process, and store large amounts of chemicals, pointing out that such operations could be targets for terrorists (not to mention accidents):The federal government will tell 7,000 businesses next week that they are considered high risk-terrorist targets because they house large amounts of chemicals.The sites — which range from major

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-47818310811356756602008-06-20T09:26:00.000-07:002008-06-20T09:36:41.199-07:00

Shameless linking:HSToday does a good job summarizing a number of recent reviews of the federal disaster preparedness system.Shameless quoting of a few key points:DHS “needs to better integrate stakeholders in its revision of key policy documents, particularly the National Response Framework,” stated William O. Jenkins, Jr., director of GAO homeland security and justice issues.[In] the National

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-42782758487119856132008-06-12T08:55:00.001-07:002008-06-12T09:10:20.588-07:00

Rich Cooper at Security Debrief points out that the flooding in the Midwest provides a good example of resilience:If you are looking for real-life resiliency happening today, pay close attention to what is happening right now in the heartland of America. Over the past several days, the citizens of Cedar Falls, Iowa, have filled hundreds of thousands of sandbags to save their City from the rising

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-86675432128118413742008-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:002008-06-12T08:51:16.034-07:00

Santa Rosa, California, will spend some of its Homeland Security money on surveillance cameras, in part to prevent vandalism:Sonoma County transit agencies will buy surveillance cameras with the first installment of voter-approved state Homeland Security funds announced Wednesday.The county and the city of Santa Rosa will get a combined $57,000 of the $21 million that went to 14 Bay Area bus,

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-7646426312616336022008-06-11T10:45:00.000-07:002008-06-11T11:23:35.111-07:00

The risk of Islamist "lone wolf" terrorism may be on the rise:A newly declassified Canadian intelligence report is warning about the emerging threat posed by "lone wolf" Islamist terrorists who operate completely on their own.Terrorists inspired by al-Qaeda have, in the past, tended to work in cells, but the report says they are beginning to use the solo strategy once associated with the militant

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-92038125604862000522008-05-30T10:45:00.001-07:002008-05-30T10:56:30.518-07:00

The Federal Times takes a look at FEMA's revised logistics operation:“Katrina showed we did not have the capability in place to replenish what we had,” said Eric Smith, FEMA’s national logistics coordinator. “Our reliance was too much on what we had in stock.”FEMA has developed several new approaches to disaster preparation. One is transparency: making visible to everyone concerned what FEMA has

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-78976888898280871472008-05-28T08:27:00.000-07:002008-05-28T08:43:31.741-07:00

One way to get to know people is simply by being around them.In Edison, New Jersey, they're putting that principle into practice by building a new "public safety center" which will house police, fire, EMS, and training facilities:The facility, which Mayor Jun Choi expects to be open by early next year, will house police, fire and EMS personnel all under one roof. It is intended to be a

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-16167679103834137432008-05-28T08:12:00.001-07:002008-05-28T08:17:16.086-07:00

Good idea: In conjunction with Florida's Hurricane Preparedness Week, retailers have lowered the prices on items that can help citizens become better prepared:Governor Charlie Crist today joined state and local emergency managers and the Florida Retail Federation to promote Florida Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 25-31, 2008. He announced that some Florida retailers will be hosting special

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-62089857250493568932008-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:002008-05-27T12:10:56.404-07:00

Evidence that 9/11 is receding into memory: an article in today's New York Times, describing state and local resistance to DHS' priorities for homeland security funding:More openly than at any time since the Sept. 11 attacks, state and local authorities have begun to complain that the federal financing for domestic security is being too closely tied to combating potential terrorist threats, at a

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-1819474564008247772008-05-20T10:54:00.000-07:002008-05-20T11:16:39.214-07:00

Alabama has created a geo-spatial tool, Virtual Alabama, that accumulates public data about homes, schools, businesses, and other locations within the state. Police, fire departments, health care providers and other users can use the tool for preparedness and response. (Also see this post from last July.)Government Computer News offered an inside look at how the state's Department of Homeland

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-17502581375292424102008-05-20T10:25:00.001-07:002008-05-20T10:32:27.532-07:00

A good post from Douglas Farah, discussing the U.S. first drug conviction with a connection to fund-raising by a radical Islamist terrorist group - in this case, the Taliban. Key points:As money from donations and charities becomes harder to acquire and move safely, the easy alternative is the drug trade.I believe this is the future. Religious/ideological radicalism and organized criminal groups

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-9307995769424121922008-05-16T07:43:00.001-07:002008-05-16T07:49:30.980-07:00

I don't have much to add to this story from In Homeland Security, except to say I think it's spot-on:Israel places a high value on Human Intelligence and weaves HUMINT into all aspects of their law enforcement activities. A prevalent saying in their intelligence community guides their efforts: “the small bring in the big”. Israeli law enforcement and intelligence collection agents build long term

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-82781904126971184072008-05-15T10:10:00.000-07:002008-05-15T10:56:38.532-07:00

Does your community have one? It's a good idea. Local networks with common interests can accomplish a lot. For instance, here's what they're doing in San Francisco:Leaders from more than a hundred San Francisco-based churches, synagogues and other places of worship are expected to gather today at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco to learn how to make their spiritual sanctuaries into places of

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-55749323509331024942008-05-14T10:34:00.000-07:002008-05-14T10:58:49.875-07:00

A pair of simultaneous reports has me scratching my head. First, from Syracuse, New York, we learn:[Radiation] detectors are now in the hands of two local police agencies, as well as state police, as the Office of Homeland Security expands its radiological security program into Central New York.The hope is if a terrorist is transporting radioactive material to make a dirty bomb, police will be

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-84162196948518665632008-05-14T10:07:00.000-07:002008-05-14T10:18:43.332-07:00

The Partnership for Public Service has published this brief paper, entitled "Collaboration in Times of Crisis," which captured the lessons learned from a series of roundtable discussions. My favorite takeaway:Following the panel discussion, our experts and audience discussed ways to improve coordination across other agencies and advance the collaborative capacity of the federal workforce. Their

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-10004074240467124132008-05-12T13:27:00.001-07:002008-05-12T13:49:41.980-07:00

I found a couple of thought-provoking comments in this opinion piece by Erik Iverson in the Harvard International Review. Although the main focus of the article is on the national counterterrorism strategy, I thought a few points were fit for consideration by state and local "first preventers." First, this is an excellent encapsulation of counterterrorism strategy:The objective of

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-3301978861489050422008-05-09T11:57:00.001-07:002008-05-09T12:30:45.804-07:00

I don't really have much to say about the new Senate report on homegrown terrorism and Internet recruiting, because it covers ground that I've covered before.But after 10 pages - more than half the report - describing al Qaeda's sophisticated media, communications and marketing campaigns, this stuck out like a sore thumb:[T]he U.S. government has not developed nor implemented a coordinated

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-62910854070619442832008-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:002008-05-08T09:28:57.363-07:00

Matthew Levitt and Michael Jacobson write in PolicyWatch that the U.S. counterterrorism strategy has recently undergone a shift.Where, previously, the emphasis was on selling the U.S. as "the good guys" (Remember Charlotte Beers? Remember Karen Hughes?), the emphasis now is on demonstrating the degree to which al Qaeda and its fellow travelers are "the bad guys":Today contesting al-Qaeda's

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-17088303603816571632008-05-07T13:47:00.000-07:002008-05-07T13:50:19.870-07:00

It's time for another book review. This one is James Miskel's Disaster Response and Homeland Security: What Works, What Doesn't (2006). In general, I found that the book accurately identified some of the problems with disaster response, but I'm somewhat skeptical about some of the proposed solutions. Let's dig in:Problems With The Current SystemIn discussing the problems with the disaster

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-58096708051914410632008-05-07T08:41:00.000-07:002008-05-07T09:02:13.118-07:00

HLS Watch has a nice recap of yesterday's hearing on resilience by the House Homeland Security Committee. A key takeaway from Jonas' post:DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy, Stewart Baker, represented the federal government and its views on resilience, as well as current efforts to invest in this capability. Much of A/S Baker’s prepared remarks focused on the ability to “bounce back” as the goal

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-69738683725382408882008-05-06T08:48:00.000-07:002008-05-07T08:36:59.392-07:00

Last week FBI Director Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee there have been al Qaeda cells in the U.S.:FBI Director Robert Mueller said last week that the FBI has uncovered small groups of Al Qaida terrorists in the United States, although he declined to provide details.“As to your first question as to whether we have found affiliates or, as you would call them, cells of Al Qaida in the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-36717394028307332952008-05-06T08:27:00.001-07:002008-05-09T11:06:07.783-07:00

Not surprising: Emergency rooms in major cities may not be sufficiently prepared for an influx of patients that would result from a major terrorist attack.There are certainly some politics being played here, but the basic fact that we've lost hospital capacity in general, and ER capacity in particular, is accurate:[T]he House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-52318898508059580422008-05-05T12:23:00.000-07:002008-05-05T14:01:12.635-07:00

Europol has released the 2008 version of its EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report. A few noteworthy highlights regarding terrorist recruiting, via Terrorism Monitor:The Europol report underscores several interesting trends in Islamist terrorism in Europe:First, “although the majority of all arrested suspects for Islamist terrorism continue to be North African citizens, the member states

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-33303946081790956572008-04-25T12:56:00.000-07:002008-04-25T13:18:51.197-07:00

Interesting comments in this article from the National Guard Bureau on the trip made by NG representatives to a disaster exercise in Israel. They accompanied the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) Home Front Command (HFC), which is Israel's version of a National Guard.For me, this was the key take-away:Guard leaders also observed how the HFC works with civilian authorities and shares civilian assets

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-22518854730359341462008-04-25T10:16:00.000-07:002008-05-09T10:28:37.430-07:00

When you start applying a term to cases where it ought not apply, you dilute its meaning:An 18-year-old straight-A student accused of planning to bomb his high school was charged Tuesday with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a possible life sentence.Authorities say his parents called police because he had ordered 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which they retrieved

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-7848450564138363572008-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:002008-04-25T10:08:40.040-07:00

Operation Torch:Part of New York City’s new effort to better defend against terrorism will include the introduction of machine-gun toting NYPD “Torch Teams” in the city’s subways.In addition to the automatic weapons, the teams will also be patrolling subways with bomb-sniffing dogs. They will be outfitted with body armor as well. Beginning Thursday they will board trains and patrol platforms in

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-61043909971393192512008-04-24T08:39:00.000-07:002008-04-24T09:01:41.390-07:00

The Port of Los Angeles is testing a new "small craft intrusion barrier" designed to prevent small boats from approaching cruise and cargo ships while they are docked:While the foam and steel cable obstacle might not look like much, port authorities say they hope it will serve as a deterrent to small boats that may pose a threat to cruise ships and cargo vessels passing through the port."The

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-38839252887254819712008-04-24T08:02:00.000-07:002008-04-24T08:23:56.172-07:00

And no, I'm not talking about the upcoming wedding season.I'm talking about the fact that Boston used this year's marathon as an opportunity to test elements of its disaster preparedness system. It only makes sense to do so, as the marathon brings in large numbers of people and creates an inherently complicated environment for a disaster response. Large gatherings also provide tempting targets

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-106671118807342982008-04-23T11:33:00.001-07:002008-04-23T12:04:10.021-07:00

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released a new technical report on last August's collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. It should be an inspiration for every jurisdiction to set dual goals:To the extent possible, prevent and mitigate the risk of disaster in the first place. (It's worth remembering that this was a thoroughly preventable disaster.)In the case that a disaster does

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-20043724354034774332008-04-18T14:35:00.000-07:002008-04-21T10:30:20.473-07:00

In May, the DOJ will release baseline standards for fusion centers' information-sharing capabilities, reports Federal Computer Week:The Justice Department next month will release baseline standards for the information-sharing capabilities of the more than 50 state and local intelligence fusion centers nationwide.John Cohen, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-4118554401210460042008-04-18T07:43:00.000-07:002008-04-18T07:46:48.295-07:00

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has released a draft document designed to help local officials plan for pandemic flu: "At-Risk Populations and Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidance for State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Health Departments."(h/t Effect Measure)

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-19684337104870233322008-04-17T10:18:00.000-07:002008-04-17T10:33:32.684-07:00

In another installment from the "better late than never" file, the Washington Post reports on the efforts that DC-area Arlington County, Virginia, is making to enlist the support of the business community in emergency preparedness and response:Since the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Arlington County has taken steps to help residents prepare for disasters. Now, officials are

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-79072507120952175262008-04-15T11:43:00.000-07:002008-04-18T12:48:18.742-07:00

It's a step in the right direction, but I continue to be amazed at how long it takes to implement this kind of thing.The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a new reporting system aimed to help connect dots that could uncover local terror plots...During the course of police officer's day, the officer could run across suspicious packages, people taking pictures of bridges or a car that

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-90762788343561598482008-04-14T08:54:00.001-07:002008-04-15T10:05:01.551-07:00

One of the risks of talking about fighting terrorism - especially in the public and political spheres - is the temptation to link everything to terrorism. Terrorism is recognized almost universally as an evil, so you can always pick up political and PR points by tying whatever you're doing to "counter-terrorism."For instance, over the weekend, the Shelby County (TN) Sheriff's Office coordinated a

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-80186301719957681122008-04-14T08:25:00.000-07:002008-04-14T08:30:23.498-07:00

Useful: USGS' WaterWatch, providing real-time flood data for 7400 rivers and streams.Click your state for information on rivers and streams in your area.

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-31512931728826371882008-04-11T07:54:00.000-07:002008-04-11T08:49:09.020-07:00

Not sure what to think about this: Federal emergency management grants will require state and local agencies to spend more money on planning, and less on acquiring resources and attending exercises, said FEMA's preparedness coordinator for the Pacific Northwest.The agency believes states and localities have reached a point of exercise overload, according to Patrick Massey, division director and

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-63775281241196560622008-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:002008-04-10T13:02:26.286-07:00

I've decided to incorporate a new element of the blog: reviews of books on homeland security topics. I've done this on a couple of occasions before, but I'm going to try to do a more systematic job of it.I'll start with a book that's about a year old, Stephen Flynn's The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (2007). I consider Flynn to be one of the stronger voices in the homeland

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-70461604604226061592008-04-10T10:19:00.001-07:002008-04-10T10:26:41.919-07:00

It's a good thing to hear DHS folks say this, but I certainly hope they're not realizing it for the first time:Forming relationships ahead of time is key to cooperation during a cyber attack, said Greg Garcia, assistant secretary for cyber security and communications at the Department of Homeland Security, during a town hall meeting at the RSA Security Conference on Cyber Storm II. Cyber Storm II

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-92118655032996271832008-04-09T10:28:00.000-07:002008-04-09T10:43:02.837-07:00

Just a short note on this system the EPA developed to detect contaminants in municipal water supplies.The system determines the best places to put sensors and then provides real-time data on potential contamination events:TEVA sensor placement optimization tool (SPOT) enables water utilities to determine and evaluate sensor placement. TEVA-SPOT requires specific information from the utility and

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-51236995603642518692008-04-09T09:01:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:46:19.695-07:00

In a speech yesterday before the annual conference of the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) and Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU), DHS Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) Charlie Allen once again took up the task of explaining how federal, state, and local agencies will share information.Allen has been in the news recently, taking

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-36701570850279001732008-04-08T08:07:00.000-07:002008-12-09T18:40:03.384-08:00

To camera or not to camera?Cities everywhere have addressed this question, with varying answers. London has opted for near-saturation coverage. New York has broad coverage in certain parts of the city. But in other cities, such as San Francisco, the question has been contentious.The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported on the efficacy of that city's 68 cameras. Researchers discovered little

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-87946492282349799092008-04-07T12:25:00.001-07:002008-04-07T12:45:28.373-07:00

So much of the time, prevention is mundane, ordinary stuff on the local - and even personal - level. Secure your belongings. Be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to people acting strangely.But when people collaborate on these sorts of efforts, the benefits multiply:[O]ver the past few years, the Wilmington Boat Owners Association (WBOA) has successfully launched a formalized Marina Watch

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-21549990831800138602008-04-04T10:53:00.000-07:002008-04-04T14:01:00.403-07:00

The spies have spoken. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has published a new Intelligence Community Information Sharing Strategy.Overall my impression is that the ideas are all in line - everyone is saying the right things - but the road map is rather nebulous. And time consuming. While the introduction sensibly argues that 9/11 imbued a sense of urgency into the effort

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-71660192440374565172008-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:002008-04-07T11:48:55.846-07:00

The text of the new DHS Inspector General's report on FEMA is not publicly available, but GovExec provides a brief summary:FEMA has made moderate to modest progress in eight of nine of the most important preparedness areas, according to the report...FEMA has made moderate progress in five areas: overall planning, coordination and support, interoperable communications, logistics and acquisition

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-27243069730307994892008-04-03T09:34:00.000-07:002008-04-03T12:17:29.398-07:00

DHS has published guidelines for cleaning up radiation following a dirty bomb attack, but not without criticism:The guidelines issued Tuesday by the Homeland Security Department would allow cleanup standards that in some cases would be far less stringent than what is required for Superfund sites, commercial nuclear power plants and nuclear waste dumps.The guidelines, which have been several years

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-16031787981295678102008-04-02T10:27:00.000-07:002008-04-03T09:22:07.726-07:00

Just a short item duly noting the article in USA Today about today's hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Not much new here:"The prospect of terrorists detonating a nuclear device on American soil sometime within the next quarter-century is real and growing," according to prepared testimony from Gary Anthony Ackerman, research director of the Homeland Security

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-19238363379981213212008-04-02T08:39:00.000-07:002008-04-02T09:36:30.229-07:00

I found this post in Effect Measure to be thought-provoking. The question at hand is whether states are well-served by legislating penalties against healthcare workers (HCWs) who refuse to show up for work during a pandemic:In at least two states, Maryland and South Carolina, those HCWs can be ordered to work. The two states in question took as their starting point a Model State Emergency Health

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-5804594168253954592008-04-01T12:10:00.001-07:002008-04-01T12:22:15.041-07:00

The city of San Ramon, California, sits along the Hayward Fault, so the town would be well-served by having a closely coordinated community plan for disaster response.Up to now, they haven't. But they're working on it:San Ramon got on the disaster bandwagon after Hurricane Katrina, at the same time many public agencies in the Bay Area realized they would be ill-equipped to handle a calamity of

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-41308511283919377902008-04-01T10:17:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:47:47.754-07:00

This morning's USA Today reports on the increasing value of open-source intelligence in the fight against terrorism.[T]he President's Daily Brief and other crucial intelligence reports often rely less on secrets from risky espionage missions than on material that's available to just about anyone.Intelligence officers have gleaned insights on Iran's nuclear capabilities from photos on the Internet

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-42621086368031692882008-03-31T09:37:00.000-07:002008-03-31T09:44:51.661-07:00

I like what they're doing in New Zealand:Scientists are to work directly with civil defence authorities under a new memorandum designed to improve national emergency management.The agreement means emergency response agencies will get direct access to scientific data relevant to planning civil defence strategies.And scientists will have access to emergency scenes to improve their understanding of

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-81943773689695860492008-03-28T13:53:00.000-07:002008-03-28T14:16:18.824-07:00

Here's an interesting survey, cited by MRT, of 200 public safety communications officials and responders, conducted by Motorola and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), indicating that some common assumptions about disaster preparedness and communications may be wrong. For one thing, first responders are far more concerned with responding to natural disasters than to

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-88389518941087822482008-03-26T09:04:00.000-07:002008-03-26T09:20:02.633-07:00

Two communications systems have improved southern California's preparedness for wildfires and other emergencies. The system made for a safer, more prompt evacuation from the 2007 wildfires, compared to the 2003 fires.It's an excellent example of using technology to communicate with the public and to foster better collaboration and information-sharing among responding agencies:[In October 2007]

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-15714551390903991642008-03-26T08:43:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:51:02.696-07:00

Breaking the rules of Journalism 101 - simply noting that "a meeting was held":More than 900 federal, state, and local law enforcement and homeland security officials attended this week the National Fusion Center Conference here to further the U.S. government's plans to create a seamless network of these centers.Participants discussed how to best incorporate fusion centers at the state level and

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-14086849529936383412008-03-25T12:30:00.000-07:002008-03-26T08:41:46.420-07:00

The Massachusetts state auditor's office recently completed a study of how the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) distributed federal grant money in 2004-05 - money that was intended to be used in preparation for bioterrorism or mass casualty incidents (MCIs). Much of the funding went toward the purchase of trailers that could be used in response to an MCI.The study underlines the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-44443603455201991422008-03-25T08:38:00.000-07:002008-03-25T11:16:45.588-07:00

One of the most productive ways to harm any organization is to drain its funding. Terrorist organizations are no different; they require significant funding to accomplish their aims. And the more ambitious their goals, the greater their need for money.The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published a recent study examining how terrorist organizations raise, use, and move money through financial

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-34762555793952468462008-03-24T11:29:00.001-07:002008-03-24T11:53:25.562-07:00

Two stories on the detection of harmful agents. First, good news from the Deseret Morning News, on the steady advance of detection equipment. A scientist from BYU has created a small, lightweight chemical detector. The project is in the pre-production stage:The Guardion-7 chemical detector is a 28-pound portable device that can detect, without false positives and with exact specificity, a wide

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-77382992738132029932008-03-24T08:13:00.000-07:002008-03-24T08:56:02.015-07:00

Michael Jacobson writes an important column in the Washington Post about terrorist dropouts - guys who sign up for al Qaeda or other groups, train, and in some cases, receive operational orders and weapons - only to back out and abandon the plot and/or group. Even one of the 9/11 hijackers, Ziad Jarrah, had to be cajoled not to abandon the plot.Think of this as the flip-side to recruiting. If you

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-32391848282875851592008-03-21T09:03:00.001-07:002008-04-09T11:51:02.697-07:00

Rep. Jane Harman, chairwoman of the Homeland Security Committee’s intelligence subcommittee, is criticizing DHS again, as she did a few weeks ago at a congressional hearing (my post here). The issue is sharing information among federal, state and local officials:The Homeland Security Department is at risk for losing support for funding because it is not doing a good enough job of sharing

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-48637086741994082512008-03-20T12:09:00.000-07:002008-03-20T12:17:54.198-07:00

A nice story out of Wrightsville Beach, NC, in the wake of a recent incident where authorities received a tip that a nuclear device was present at the Port of Wilmington. They determined it was a hoax. But the important thing is how they were prepared for it:“One of the things we had to do was start developing relationships with our counterparts in emergency services — law enforcement, fire, EMS,

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-14080903377366142942008-03-20T09:44:00.000-07:002008-03-20T09:57:16.851-07:00

Some sobering statistics from the Las Vegas Review Journal on the preparedness of businesses in Vegas:A recent survey of 461 companies done by the Las Vegas firm Urban Environmental Research found that ... 74.4 percent of businesses had never attended a meeting on disaster preparedness; 64.2 percent had never received written information on disaster preparation; and, almost half -- 48.2 percent -

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-30826335584861564642008-03-20T09:01:00.000-07:002008-03-20T09:10:57.695-07:00

It's great to see this kind of collaborative effort:Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda and Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, Director of Kansas Homeland Security and the adjutant general, announced the opening of a new homeland security education center in Topeka Wednesday. The Eisenhower Center for Homeland Security (HLS) Studies...is a collaborative public/private

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-43429561593905918392008-03-19T12:49:00.001-07:002008-03-19T12:49:48.586-07:00

I took a look at this recent GAO report, examining the efficacy of DHS' risk-based funding system:From fiscal years 2002 through 2007, DHS obligated about $19.6 billion in grants, the purpose of which was to strengthen the capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments and others to prepare for and respond to major disasters of any type or cause.Almost $20 billion...we should be able to get

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-66381092428585804092008-03-18T09:14:00.001-07:002008-04-09T11:51:02.698-07:00

Not exactly hard-hitting journalism here, but Government Technology runs a complimentary piece, examining the capabilities of Chicago's fusion center, the Crime Prevention Information Center (CPIC).Unlike many other fusion centers, Chicago's center eschews the all-hazards approach and focuses only on violent crime and terrorism. There's some collaboration with suburban police departments in the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-9673824011186939162008-03-12T10:18:00.000-07:002008-03-12T14:54:01.051-07:00

Over at In Case of Emergency, Jimmy Jazz - who knows his public health - examines the recent CDC report: Public Health Preparedness: Mobilizing State by State. His post is worth reading, but here are a few highlights.Jimmy summarizes thusly:So, what does the Public Health Preparedness: Mobilizing State by State report, released by the CDC, say? Basically that progress has been made, but we’ve

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-49671822802969757792008-03-12T09:05:00.000-07:002008-03-12T14:54:46.331-07:00

Residents of the West Coast and Hawaii should feel good about this news. According to Government Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched the last two tsunami-detection buoys to warn U.S. residents of approaching tsunamis:NOAA deployed the final two tsunami detection buoys in the South Pacific this week, completing the buoy network and bolstering the U.S

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-41972747583326626192008-03-10T14:31:00.000-07:002008-03-12T08:49:48.622-07:00

The GAO recently released a report on the changes FEMA has made to its mass-care delivery system under the new National Response Framework (NRF).Hurricane Katrina redefined "mass care." It resulted in a virtual diaspora of Gulf Coast residents, who scattered far and wide - many of them seeking shelter in places far from the Gulf, and some of them never returning home.The concept of serving

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-77161981817730420752008-03-10T12:30:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:51:02.700-07:00

The fur flew around the Cannon House Office Building on Feb. 26, when Charlie Allen, DHS Under Secretary - Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), testified before the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment.The subject that caused all the sniping was the Interagency Threat Assessment Coordination Group (ITACG), which is supposed to "coordinate the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-61175794708047357692008-02-14T09:28:00.000-08:002008-04-09T11:51:02.701-07:00

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released standards for sharing information about potential terorrist-related activity among local, state, and federal law enforcement. Federal Computer Week reports:John Cohen, a spokesman for PM-ISE, said the standards establish functional criteria to provide general categories of behavior that can be seen as suspicious and a map for

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-25551792794569498472008-02-14T09:18:00.000-08:002008-02-14T09:21:25.451-08:00

The Transportation Security Administration has established a blog, "Evolution of Security." So far the general theme seems to be "what we do and why we do it."

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-53955210129331752452008-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:002008-02-12T09:24:17.006-08:00

It's a few weeks old, but worth noting...this article in the Washington post discusses some of the ways terrorists have adapted to the attempts by law enforcement to sniff them out. They've become adept at evading some types of electronic surveillance, for example.In an age of spy satellites, security cameras and an Internet that stores every keystroke, terrorism suspects are using simple,

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-2926843218904724552008-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:002008-02-11T13:19:11.239-08:00

Here's an interesting paper out of Australia, arguing that terrorism has, in essence, reached the viral stage:[W]e are not now dealing with some kind of well drilled, structured organisation where people are recruited into a hierarchy and they are trained and given high-level skills that allow them to pull off spectacular acts of terrorism. More and more, terrorists are amateurs. They may be

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-41566027365096037922008-02-11T08:37:00.000-08:002008-02-11T09:52:08.938-08:00

Missouri does well in a recent review of its preparedness for a health-related disaster.[A] recent review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that Missouri is well prepared to provide drugs and medical supplies from a federal stockpile in the event of a public health emergency.Missouri scored 96 of 100 percent for its overall readiness to quickly distribute the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-36913380335734186212008-01-23T08:09:00.000-08:002008-01-23T08:12:50.042-08:00

I don't have time to review it at the moment, but Jonah has the scoop.FEMA has the official doc (pdf).

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-84616187169728892162008-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:02:17.323-08:00

I've never advocated the idea of passive detection as the key to prevention, but the little corner of my brain that aspires to tech-geekdom thinks this is pretty cool:A tiny sensor being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could be used for rapid detection of chemical weapons agents, the university said last week.The gas chromatography and mass spectrometry device is now the

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-19304153306107771032008-01-11T12:55:00.000-08:002008-01-11T13:51:57.555-08:00

Good stuff from Bob Baylor in Losantiville, whose wide-ranging post deals with risk assessment, soft targets, and the efficacy of interdiction efforts (including "see something..." programs discussed a couple of days ago at HLS Watch and right here.)Using the example of a fictional county commissioner who must prioritize projects, Bob writes:Often as the saying goes it’s the squeakiest wheel that

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-84004362360110725612008-01-10T10:41:00.000-08:002008-01-10T11:39:12.873-08:00

A brief note on the new GAO report on maritime security, focusing on the potential for disasters affecting the maritime energy infrastructure - particularly terrorist attacks against oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers.Much of the effort is focused, appropriately, on prevention. Much of this work is the responsibility of agencies such as DHS, the Coast Guard, and port authorities.But an

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-83381524647828959302008-01-09T10:07:00.000-08:002008-12-09T18:40:04.300-08:00

A very good post from Jonah at HLS Watch today, arguing that all too often our counterterrorism strategy is based on this kind of thinking:Jonah argues that:we should beware the tendency to shape our strategy based on the theory that “it could happen.”Agreed. Although almost anything can happen you simply can't be prepared for everything all at once. (I should point out that DHS Secretary

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-86308028535460938752008-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:002008-01-09T10:03:01.450-08:00

Just a quick note with less content than I'd like. I couldn't find a copy of the actual document, but the cities and counties in the Bay Area have released a coordinated, regional disaster plan, the first in California:In recognition of the need for a regional response to natural and human-caused emergencies Mayor Gavin Newsom, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed were joined

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-42014693748261122712008-01-07T09:49:00.001-08:002008-01-07T10:41:01.993-08:00

This week's Sunday LA Times ran a story about the multi-agency effort to hunt nuclear materials and interdict a potential nuclear terrorist attack before it happens.About every three days, unknown to most Americans, an elite team of federal scientists hits the streets in the fight against nuclear terrorism.More than two dozen specialized teams have been positioned across the nation to respond to

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-13926597200479057762008-01-07T08:31:00.000-08:002008-01-07T09:36:58.770-08:00

In the interest of sharing information, this is just a quick note on the new OSHA guidelines for the protection of security personnel in emergencies. First responders ought to know what their private security counterparts are trained to do in case of emergency. Don't exchange business cards at the site of a disaster.The OSHA doc focuses on HAZMAT releases, indicating that security employees may

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-12814019666579077332008-01-04T09:45:00.000-08:002008-01-10T12:00:04.520-08:00

Updated 2008-01-10: Jimmy Jazz at In Case of Emergency - who understands public health issues much better than I do - examines this story in detail and discovers it's not as bad as I'd thought. To wit:The average time it took to connect to an action officer was 63 minutes (range = 0 - 1,003). While this seems like a terribly long time (and it is) this average time was extremely skewed by

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32568264.post-65897096627240691622008-01-03T11:17:00.000-08:002008-01-03T11:36:24.074-08:00

A quick link to these two posts by Dennis Lormel at the Counterterrorism Blog. I wanted to highlight these two paragraphs at the bottom of Lormel's first post:Intelligence sharing by law enforcement with the banking industry has long been an issue with industry experts. This is particularly true in dealing with terrorist financing. Law enforcement, intelligence agencies and FinCEN have been

John Bowennoreply@blogger.com0