|
Promoting Dual-Benefit Solutions
The Homeland Security Institute pursues a research
agenda that focuses on “dual-benefit solutions”—those
that enhance the security of our nation while advancing some
other public good. As part of our effort to build the intellectual
framework for homeland security in the global community, the
Institute has a weekly section of the newsletter to highlight
solutions that promote the idea of dual benefit. We invite
readers to email the Homeland Security Institute with news
about dual-benefit solutions. If you or your organization
are working on dual-benefit security issues, send us an email
and we may include them in an upcoming issue. [Email the Institute]
Company
Tests Radioactivity Detection System Along I-40 (WATE-TV,
Knoxville, TN) “The I-40 interchange
at Watt Road is one of the busiest stretches of interstate
in the country. That makes it a perfect place to test a special
system for” radioactivity detection developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to WATE. “… ORNL’s SensorNet project manager Randy
Walker explains further. ‘We can look for the bad
guys from the standpoint of homeland security and we can look
for the unsafe vehicles, unsafe drivers from the standpoint
of the Department of Transportation.’ … The
SensorNet itself maps winds for any sign of chemical or biological
weapons as part of a terrorist attack. Also, several new pieces
of equipment have recently been added, such as a thermal camera
traditionally used to check the brakes on semis for safety
violations.” [View article]
Civilian Adoption of Detection Systems Requires More User-friendly Equipment (Yahoo! Finance) Moving out of the battlefield, detection equipment is rapidly being deployed into civilian routines and applications such as mass transit systems, government buildings, and public events in North America. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense “are funding the large-scale development of chemical and biological detection technologies that will allow first responders such as fire fighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and hazardous material teams … to detect unseen threats,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Michael Valenti.
These technically superior devices need to be adapted for easy maneuverability by non-scientist frontline users.
Equipment’s capability to minimize false positives is another priority since false alarms can lead to complacency among civilians who may not pay attention to a real alert or could cause panic.
[View press release]
Class Prepares California Residents for Disaster (Walnut Creek, CA, Contra Costa Times) In Antioch, CA, a new, free six-week course in disaster preparedness was offered to a dozen residents. They “received 20 hours of classroom and hands-on training so they can supplement the efforts of emergency personnel in the event of a catastrophe,” reports the Contra Costa Times.
“The purpose of Community Emergency Response Training or CERT is to teach lay people how to respond to an earthquake, chemical spill, terrorist attack or some other large-scale crisis without contributing to the chaos, said Kathy Woofter, a Contra Costa Fire Protection District employee and one of eight instructors.” [View article]
Smiths Detection Installs Hi-Tech Security Scanners for President’s
EU Visit (Yahoo! Finance) Security measures for the first visit
by a US President to the European Union in Brussels will be
enhanced by the use of the latest explosives detection equipment
used in aviation security. Delegates and visitors entering
the Council’s Justus Lipsius building, ahead of the February
22 meeting with President Bush, will pass through a non-invasive
scanner that puffs air gently over the body to release particles
from clothing for instant analysis. More than 400 people an
hour can be screened through each machine. [View
press release]
Compliance Software Can Check Lists, Screen for Terrorists (Pittsburgh Business Times)
Innovative Systems provides a software product called “i/Lytics Secure” that “standardizes the data and automatically runs the necessary checks” of various companies’ “customers against lists of individuals, organizations and nations that are sanctioned by federal authorities,” reports the Pittsburgh Business Times.
“Innovative said it offers a low rate of false positives, while also keeping true positives from falling through the cracks. The software helps clients save time and money on false positives by allowing them to create a ‘safe list’ of names that have already been investigated and that the system will ignore in future searches.” [View article]
Return
to Newsletter
| |
