Private-Sector News

Court Holds Credit Agency Responsible for Repeating Watch List Error (Security Management) The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania “has ruled that a credit reporting agency can be held responsible for correcting errors on credit reports that originated from government watch lists,” reports Security Management. It upheld a verdict against “TransUnion after it reported that” Sandra Cortez’s “name had appeared on a watch list compiled by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control … Cortez was erroneously listed” and “attempted to correct the report through TransUnion and through the Treasury Department.… A jury found in favor of Cortez, concluding that TransUnion willfully failed to investigate the claims of an inaccurate report or note that the issue was under dispute.” View article

Money Transfers Stripped of Names Get Funds to Prohibited Countries (Homeland Security Today) “Britain’s Barclays Bank” is “the latest foreign bank to be penalized … for allegedly helping” parties that are under U.S. sanctions “clandestinely move large sums of money through the American financial system,” reports Homeland Security Today. Barclays helped “clients in Iran, Cuba, Libya, Sudan and Burma … by removing any reference to the [prohibited] parties so that the US banks clearing the transactions did not know” they were “involved and therefore did not block or freeze the transaction.” Other banks fined in the past five years were “Dutch bank ABN AMRO,” “Lloyds TSB Bank,” and “Credit Suisse AG.” View article

Getting Corporate Leaders to Support an Emergency Management Program (Emergency Management) In this interview with Emergency Management, Annie Searle, formerly senior vice president for Washington Mutual Bank’s Enterprise Risk Services and chair of its Crisis Management Team, now a consultant, shares her thoughts about cyber-terrorism, pandemic planning, social media, and how best to influence senior decision makers to support an emergency management program. View interview

National Chambers of Commerce Survey Companies About the U.S.-Mexican Border The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce are conducting a joint survey to obtain feedback from U.S. and Mexican companies and organizations impacted by the security and efficiency of the U.S.-Mexico border. The survey responses will contribute to a border report with recommendations to increase border security while facilitating trade and travel. View DHS press release

State and Local News

Five More States Complete Disaster Planning for Children (Emergency Management) “A 2009 report by nonprofit Save the Children that examined the major disasters of the last 10 years and their impacts on children” found that “seven states met all four” of the group’s recommendations, reports Emergency Management. (See the July 23 newsletter.) “Since then, five additional states—Mississippi, California, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Washington—have incorporated the group’s recommendations into their emergency planning.” View article

FEMA Grants $1.8 Billion for New Orleans Schools (New Orleans Times-Picayune) The Federal Emergency Management Agency “has awarded $1.8 billion to New Orleans public schools for construction and renovation projects stemming from massive damages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” reports the Times-Picayune. “… About 130 schools were lost or damaged in the storms.” View article

Fusion Centers Must Share Locally, Says i2 (Homeland Security Today) “State and local fusion centers, encouraged by the federal government after 9/11, must now come of age and start pushing information laterally to local law enforcement agencies instead of merely receiving it from federal authorities, according to” a white paper, “Fusion Centers and the Sharing of Intelligence,” published by “an information-sharing software company,” i2, reports Homeland Security Today. View article

Alabama Exercises Test Emergency Health Care Response (WBRC-TV, Birmingham, AL) Two drills at the Homeland Security Department’s Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston focused “on disaster health care,” reports WBRC. “… health care workers from throughout the U.S. acted out an explosion at a battery acid factory. Patients show up bleeding and in various states of shock and hysteria. More and more casualties pile up and workers have to set up a decon station outside the emergency room.… At one point a generator failure shuts down power at the hospital, also part of the drill.” The center “operates on the site of the old Fort McClellan Army base, and this exercise takes place at the Noble Training Center, which was once the base hospital.” View article

Mass. Institute of Technology Holds Drill for Missing Nuclear Material (Boston Globe) “US counterterrorism officials held an exercise at” the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on August 19 “to better prepare local authorities to respond to the potential theft of radioactive material,” reports the Globe. “… Led by the Department of Energy and the FBI, the exercise involved a fictitious scenario in which terrorists tried to steal cobalt, a highly radioactive substance that is used in hospitals to irradiate blood, but could also be used to make a so-called dirty bomb to spread deadly radiation.… MIT’s police force, the medical community, Cambridge police, Massachusetts State Police, and fire officials” participated. View article

DHS Tests Airflow in Boston Subway Tunnels Last week, a team of scientific researchers, led by the Homeland Security Department’s Science & Technology Directorate, released plumes of harmless gas and particle tracers in the rapid transit tunnels of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The gases can replicate how harmful airborne substances could spread through the tunnels and, ultimately, the city above. Last December, DHS conducted similar tests in Boston to gauge how the gases travel in cold air (see the Dec. 18, 2009, newsletter). DHS has carried out similar tests on the Washington, DC, Metro system. View DHS blog

New in the Journal of Homeland Security In Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? What History Teaches Us About Strategic Barriers and International Security, Brent L. Sterling “examines case studies of instances in which a nation, facing a menu of prospective choices for securing a frontier, chose to build a strategic barrier,” says reviewer Scott Savitz, Ph.D., senior analyst, HOMELAND SECURITY STUDIES AND ANALYSIS INSTITUTE. Sterling “then examines the subsequent implementation of this decision and its impact.” In Transportation Systems Security, Allan McDougall and Robert Radvanovsky attempt to present the “strategic, operational, and practical considerations involved in the implementation of physical, procedural, and managerial safeguards required to keep all modes of transportation up and running during an actual or potential disaster.” Analytic Services senior editor Steve Dunham reviews the book.

DHS News

TSA Begins ‘Enhanced Patdown’ at Boston and Las Vegas Airports (Boston Herald) Federal airport security “screeners [have] launched a more aggressive palms-first, slide-down body search technique”—“what the agency calls an ‘enhanced patdown’”—at the Boston and Las Vegas airports “before a planned national rollout,” reports the Herald. “… The body searches are conducted by same-gender TSA officers, and passengers can request private screenings at any time. Previously, TSA screeners used patdown motions of their hands to search passengers over their clothes, switching to the backs of their hands over certain ‘sensitive’ body areas, such as the torso.… Passengers who opt not to walk through the full-body scanners … must instead walk through a metal detector and submit to a body search. If the full-body scanners detect an image on a person’s body that screeners can’t decipher, those passengers also are subjected to body searches. If there is no full-body scanner at a security checkpoint, passengers go through a metal detector and are subjected to a body search if the alarm sounds. The TSA also subjects random passengers to body searches.” View article

Obama Orders Uniform Handling of DHS Classified Information (Homeland Security Today) In an executive order issued August 18, President Obama “ordered the secretary of homeland security to issue guidance for the uniform handling of classified information shared by the federal government to state and local governments,” reports Homeland Security Today. DHS has 180 days to come up with simplified rules. “The order applies to state, local, tribal, and private sector entities that receive federal classified information.” View article • View order

Napolitano Orders Review of National Exercise Program (Homeland Security Today) On August 17, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano gave the Federal Emergency Management Agency three months to come up with a revised National Exercise Program, reports Homeland Security Today. The program, she said, “should consist of a series of much more frequent, smaller-scale drills, tabletops, and functional exercises, culminate in a single national level full-scale exercise, and meet objectives established by principals as well as partners, operational elements, and legal requirements.” View article

Coast Guard Accepts Rescue 21 The Coast Guard on August 20 formally accepted the Rescue 21 advanced command, control, and communications system created to improve the service’s ability to assist mariners in distress and save lives and property at sea. Rescue 21 already covers more than 35,000 miles of coastline in the United States, including the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, and the upper Chesapeake Bay. It will continue to be installed throughout the country. View press release • View Focus on Deepwater

Other Federal News

HHS Allocates $2 Billion to Overhaul Pandemic Response (In-Pharma) “Shortcomings in the response to H1N1 prompted the US Department of Health and Human Services” to allocate $2 billion “to overhaul pandemic and bioterrorism capabilities through improvements to regulatory, developmental and manufacturing processes,” reports In-Pharma. “… The funding will be used to address ‘major barriers’ to development of countermeasures.” View article

International News

Illiteracy Is High in Afghan Security Forces (Wired) “Only 18 percent of [Afghanistan’s] 243,000 cops and grunts have more than a Kindergarten-level ability to read.…” writes Wired “Danger Room” blogger Noah Shachtman. “‘Unless we take on literacy, we truly will never professionalize this force,’ [said] Lt. Gen. William Caldwell,” commander of NATO Training Mission–Afghanistan. Other problems he faces, writes Shachtman, are “rampant corruption [within] the ranks, a culture that tolerates getting high on the job, and a king-sized attrition rate.” View blog

Somalian Suicide Bombing Kills Six Members of Parliament (Christian Science Monitor) On Tuesday, “a suicide bombing in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, left at least 32 people dead,” reports the Monitor. “Six of the victims were members of the embattled Somali parliament.” View article

Wave of Attacks Targets Iraqi Security Forces (CNN) “Just after the United States completed its drawdown of combat brigades in Iraq, militants Wednesday launched a wave of bombings across the country mostly targeting security forces,” reports CNN. “At least 48 people died and at least 286 others were wounded in 13 cities.… The only region that appeared to be spared the onslaught was the three-province Kurdish autonomous region in the north.… a similar series of strikes that occurred in May bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq. On that day, 85 people died and more than 300 others were wounded in coordinated shootings and bombings across six provinces.… The U.S.-led combat mission formally ends August 31, and the remainder of American troops will train, assist and advise the Iraqis.” View article

Al-Shabab Ascendant in a Somali Neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya (Washington Post) “Schools and mosques where extremist views are taught are reshaping” the “Eastleigh neighborhood”—a “Somali immigrant community that for years has lived peacefully in the capital of” Kenya, reports the Post. “… Al-Shabab has long threatened to attack Kenya,” and “Kenyan police have long harassed Somalis, demanding bribes under threat of arrest or deportation, generating resentment.” The “police have rounded up hundreds of people … ‘The community is suffering,’ said Abdufatah Ali, an Eastleigh representative on the Nairobi City Council. ‘The police stop you and take your phone, and say “You are al-Shabab.” They enter your house and rape you, and say “You are al-Shabab.”’ Radical preachers are filling the void.” View article

U.S. Assists Mongolia With Nuclear Security Training (Global Security Newswire) The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration has “provided training to Mongolian authorities on the response to a potential terrorist strike against a site that holds nuclear or radiological materials,” reports Global Security Newswire. “… Mongolian personnel from the law enforcement, regulatory and other sectors dealt with three distinct terrorist strike schemes in a four-day exercise at the Asian state’s Nuclear Energy Agency headquarters in Ulaanbaatar.” View article

United Nations News

UN ‘Trains Trainers’ to Curb Disaster Risk (AllAfrica) A United Nations workshop to “train trainers” in disaster risk reduction kicked off Wednesday in Kenya with the hope that participants will take the lessons learned and apply them elsewhere in Africa. The two-day training heldin Rift Valley Province by the African regional office of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction drew dozens of participants from several African nations. View UN press release

Indonesian Schools and Hospitals Join UN Disaster Risk Reduction Program Thousands of Indonesian schools and hospitals have joined the United Nations Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, a campaign to encourage authorities to better protect such structures in vulnerable areas from the impact of future natural disasters. Participants commit to take disaster risk reduction measures, better prepare for potential disasters, or raise public awareness about the issue. Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, having experienced the devastating effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and numerous earthquakes. View UN press release

National News

CIA Says U.S. Is a Source of Terrorists (Washington Post) “The United States has long been an exporter of terrorism, according to a secret CIA analysis released Wednesday by the Web site WikiLeaks,” reports the Post. That perception “could damage relations with foreign allies and dampen their willingness to cooperate in ‘extrajudicial’ activities, such as the rendition and interrogation of terrorism suspects.… the three-page classified paper”—“What If Foreigners See the United States as an ‘Exporter of Terrorism’?”—was “produced in February by the CIA’s Red Cell, a think tank set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.” View article

Dual-Benefit Solutions

Dual-benefit news archive

Security Designed Into a McKinney, TX, Building Protected Occupants (Dallas Morning News) Design that merges “safety, sustainability and humanity” protected the occupants of the McKinney public safety building “when Patrick Gray Sharp fired more than 100 rounds at” the structure on August 17, reports the Morning News. “Secure access points and the arrangement of rooms create a buffer between McKinney law enforcement officials and the public. Windows sit just above eye level to prevent direct attack. They slope to limit ledges for explosive devices. Bulletproof glass protects the lobby, and bullet-resistant liner lies inside the masonry walls. Outside, concrete structures called bollards block cars from smashing through the entrance. Manicured trees make climbing or concealment difficult. Thorny bushes [are] near the building’s sides. Transformers and utilities sit several meters away from the 84,100-square-foot structure.” View article

New Upcoming Events (Events are listed for four weeks; after that, they are still on the Upcoming Events page) NIST’s Role in Public Safety Communications (August 31; Washington, DC) The National Institute of Standards and Technology will present Dereck Orr, Program Manager for Public Safety Communications in NIST’s Office of Law Enforcement Standards, to discuss the institute’s role in improving public safety communications. View event website (September 9-10; Memphis, TN) This expo brings together over 100 companies to showcase thousands of products and services at one large public safety event. View event website Security Leadership: Reducing Costs Without Sacrificing Value (September 14; Washington, DC) This session will bring together senior experts in the security industry to share new concepts, best practices, and emerging trends highlighting effective strategies for reducing the costs of security without sacrificing effectiveness. The keynote talk will be by Governor Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security. Panelists include Bob Stephan, former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Protection, and Tracy Henke, former Assistant Secretary for the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Grants and Training. View event website San Diego Regional Security Conference (September 14-15) This conference will focus on command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; cybersecurity; robots; secure communications; and sensors. Topics will include information assurance and the relationship to cybersecurity; identity management; data integrity; intrusion detection and prevention; security testing and audit technologies; ensuring and fusing secure data at the level of command, control, communications, and computers; cyber-secure robotics; and promoting global security. View event website (September 14-15; London) This event brings together key stakeholders and industry leaders from aviation, the maritime industry, and the supply chain and features an exhibition, conferences, workshops, and networking receptions to review the latest information on current and future threats, debate best practices, gauge industry opinion, and review the latest technologies. View event website Biometric Consortium Conference (September 21-23; Tampa, FL) The conference focuses on biometric technologies for defense, homeland security, identity management, border crossing, and electronic commerce, with presentations, seminars, and panel discussions featuring internationally recognized experts in biometric technologies, system and application developers, information technology business strategists, and government and commercial officers. View event website Workshop TIEMS (September 28-29; Split, Croatia) The theme of this workshop of the International Emergency Management Society is “Operating Amid Chaos—Standard Operating Procedure and Post Disaster Recovery.” View event website Pittsburgh FireRescue & EMS Expo + Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Expo (October 2-3; Pittsburgh) This year the trade show for firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and other emergency services personnel combines with the law enforcement expo to provide one large public safety show with hundreds of companies exhibiting. View event website Border Management Summit (October 25-27; Arlington, VA) The summit brings together thought leaders and policy makers across local, state, and federal law enforcement; the Homeland Security Department; and international government organizations as a forum to discuss current and future border security initiatives. Three tracks focus on policy, procedure, and technology. View event website Southeast Counter-Terrorism and Emergency Response Conference and Expo (November 16-18; Charlotte, NC) This conference for senior counter-terrorism personnel, emergency management and disaster response personnel, and first responders will cover regionally relevant and timely topics on counter-terrorism measures, threat assessment, crisis training, trends in terrorism threats, methodology for tracking, medical center preparedness, and more. It will provide information on current terrorist threats, current mitigation and prevention systems, and plans and information on how best to prepare. An expo hall will showcase counter-terrorism equipment, training, communication equipment, emergency and temporary housing, emergency vehicles, weapons, tactical equipment, protective clothing, medical emergency equipment, and more. View event website Modeling for Public Health Action: From Epidemiology to Operations (December 9-10; Atlanta) This conference will promote the exchange of information and ideas about modeling uses to shape public health action. It is intended for public health practitioners and policy makers in state and local health departments; state and local health policy makers; scientists and modelers working at the Centers for Disease Control and their federal partners in public health; academic researchers; nongovernment organizations; and international practitioners, modelers, and policy makers. The conference will discuss effective and practical modeling applications to public health; provide sessions, training, and networking opportunities; address issues and opportunities in public health modeling; and foster interest in applying analytical tools for public health policy and operational decision making. View event website 5th Annual Border Security Expo (February 15-16; Phoenix) The largest conference and exhibition in the United States on border security will cover political, regulatory, operational, and tactical issues; the new state immigration laws; drug cartels; kidnapping and ransom; gangs of the Southwest; border violence; money laundering; guns going over the border; and new border security technology. In addition, there will be some closed-door sessions for law enforcement. Over 100 exhibitors will present the latest technology, products, and services. View event website

Calls for Papers (Calls for papers are listed for four weeks; after that, they are still on the Calls for Papers page) Modeling for Public Health Action: From Epidemiology to Operations (December 9-10; Atlanta) The Centers for Disease Control Preparedness Modeling Unit invites abstracts for 20-minute conference presentations that illustrate the application of modeling to plan, implement, or evaluate public health action. Preference will be given to presentations that (1) illustrate the use of modeling to guide public health policy, program development, economic, or resource allocation decisions or (2) describe user-friendly model interfaces that permit non-modelers to use the models effectively. The perspectives of policy and decision makers, as well as those of model developers and analysts, are welcome. International modelers are encouraged to participate. The abstract submission deadline is September 15. View call for papers TIEMS Conference (June 7-10, 2011; Bucharest, Romania) This annual conference of the International Emergency Management Society is seeking presentations on topics such as risk assessment professional practice, critical infrastructure protection, natural disaster and response, accident calamity and response, health emergencies and response, terrorism and security, geographic information systems in emergency management, global cooperation in emergency management, information and communication technologies, psychological aspects of disasters, training and education, and case studies. Abstracts are due by November 1. View call for papers Workshop TIEMS (June 22-23, 2011; Alès, France) This workshop organized by the International Emergency Management Society will have a special focus on risk management as a tool for emergency and disaster management, climate change and emergency and disaster management, emergency and disaster management in the energy sector, information and communication technology in emergency and disaster management, earthquake-related emergency and disaster management, and forest fires and bush fires emergency and disaster management. Abstracts are due by November 15. View call for papers ASIS International Asia-Pacific Conference (December 5-7, 2011; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Abstracts on all security-related topics are welcome. Particular topics of interest include supply chain security, maritime piracy, and terrorism. The deadline for submitting presentations is April 22, 2011. View call for papers