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DHS News
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GAO Finds DHS Falling Short (Forbes) “In a stinging assessment,” Government Accountability Office “auditors say the Homeland Security Department has fallen far short of meeting its performance expectations in the first four years of its existence,” reports the Associated Press. “… maritime security is the only area in which significant improvements have been made.” The report “measured progress in 14 mission and management areas. Auditors identified 171 performance expectations and found that the department had achieved fewer than half of them.… The department disagreed with the GAO findings, particularly with the way auditors defined and measured progress.” [View article] [View GAO abstract]
Chertoff Won’t Tolerate ‘Sanctuary Cities’ (Washington Times) “Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff [on Wednesday] told” the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee “that his agency will not tolerate interference by so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ when it comes to hiring illegal aliens,” reports the Washington Times. “Mr. Chertoff said his agency will enforce the Basic Pilot Program that requires businesses to check the legal status of new employees by matching Social Security numbers and information in Homeland Security Department databases.… Sanctuary cities are those that have adopted policies banning police officers or other city employees from asking about immigration status.” (See the March 9 newsletter.) [View article]
DHS Drops ‘Advise’ Data-Mining Program (Government Executive) “The Homeland Security Department has given up on one of its broadest anti-terrorism data-mining tools after investigators found it was tested with information about real people without the required privacy safeguards,” reports Government Executive. (See the March 30 newsletter.) “Known as ADVISE and begun in 2003, the Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement program was developed by the department and the Lawrence Livermore and Pacific Northwest national laboratories for use by many DHS components, including immigration, customs, border protection, biological defense and its intelligence office. Testing of the program had been quietly suspended in March after questions arose over its compliance with privacy rules. Since then two internal Homeland Security reports found that tests had used live data about real people rather than made-up data for one to two years without meeting privacy requirements; one report also found that department analysts found the system time-consuming to use.” [View article]
US-VISIT Lacks Strategic Direction and Management Controls, Says GAO Homeland Security Department “data show that the US-VISIT prime contract is being executed according to cost and schedule expectations,” according to the Government Accountability Office. “However, DHS continues to propose disproportionately heavy investment in US-VISIT program management-related activities without adequate justification or full disclosure. Further, DHS continues to propose spending tens of millions of dollars on US-VISIT exit projects that are not well-defined, planned, or justified on the basis of costs, benefits, and risks.” [View GAO abstract] [View Focus on US-VISIT]
Fewer Safety Act Awards in 2007 (Federal Computer Week) “The pace of Support for Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act (Safety Act) designations and certifications by the Homeland Security Department is fairly brisk this year, but not as rapid as in 2006,” reports Federal Computer Week. “DHS has made 32 awards under the Safety Act so far in 2007, compared to 57 in the first eight months of 2006.” Under the 2002 law, “approved products and services receiving Safety Act certification would face little or no liability if the technologies failed in connection with a terrorist attack.” (See Wendy Howe’s article “Getting Anti-Terrorism Technologies Out for Homeland Use--That’s Why It’s Called the SAFETY Act” in the Journal of Homeland Security, May 2004.) [View article]
DHS to Test Radiation Detectors in Washington and California The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, working with the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, will provide maritime radiation detection capabilities for state and local authorities in San Diego and Washington state’s Puget Sound. The three-year program involves developing a radiation detection architecture that reduces the risk of radiological and nuclear threats being illegally transported on recreational or small commercial vessels. [View press release]
DHS Proposes Immigration Benefits for Crime Victims U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes to grant temporary immigration benefits (“U” nonimmigrant status) to certain victims of crimes who assist government officials in investigating or prosecuting the criminal activity; 10,000 U-visas would be available each fiscal year. [View press release]
1,700 Organizations Observe National Preparedness Month More than 1,700 national, regional, state, and local organizations are participating in National Preparedness Month 2007 (September). This annual campaign encourages Americans to prepare for all types of emergencies in their homes, businesses, schools, and communities. [View press release]
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Other Federal News
Justice Dept. Investigates Gonzales Over Domestic Spying (Washington Post) The Justice Department “is investigating whether departing Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales gave false or misleading testimony to Congress, including whether he lied under oath about warrantless surveillance,” reports the Washington Post. “… Inspector General Glenn A. Fine … said his office ‘has ongoing investigations’ related to Gonzales’s testimony on several key issues, including … the National Security Agency’s Terrorist Surveillance Program” and “the FBI’s use of national security letters.” [View article]
$75 Million in Supplemental Funding for Pandemic Flu Preparedness The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is making available another $75 million to states, territories, and four metropolitan areas to help strengthen their capacity to respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak. The supplemental funding will be used to establish or increase stockpiles of critical medical equipment and supplies; continue developing plans for maintaining, distributing, and sharing those resources; plan for and develop pandemic alternative care sites; and conduct medical surge exercises. [View press release]
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International News
Germany and Denmark Stop Plots (London Guardian) “German police were [yesterday] searching for around 10 more members of a terror cell suspected of plotting major bomb attacks, after the arrest of three men and the seizure of explosives materials,” reports the Guardian. “… three men already in custody … were planning attacks which could have proved more deadly than those in London or Madrid, with possible targets including US military bases, discos, pubs and Frankfurt’s international airport.… News of their capture came a day after Danish police arrested eight young Muslims also suspected of preparing a bomb attack.” [View article]
Lebanon’s Rising Jihadi Threat (Christian Science Monitor) “Al Qaeda’s credo is spreading in Palestinian camps,” reports the Christian Science Monitor. Despite al Qaeda’s military defeat in Lebanon, other factors make the country “a potentially attractive base for operations”: Lebanon’s “weak central government, ill-equipped and factionalized security services, extremist Islamic groups in Palestinian camps, and the tempting target of European-led United Nations peacekeepers in the south.” [View article]
German Interior Minister Wants to Use Spyware Against Terror Suspects (International Herald Tribune) German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble proposes “to use ‘Trojan horse’ software to search potential suspects’ hard drives without their knowledge as a tough but necessary measure against terrorism,” reports the Associated Press. “… The software, carried in e-mails, would allow authorities to investigate the suspects’ Internet use and data stored on their hard drives over the Internet without their knowledge.” [View article]
Major Offensive by U.S. and Iraqi Forces (CNN) “About 26,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces are taking part in an offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq in northern Iraq,” reports CNN. “… The operation, Lightning Hammer II, is an extension of an earlier operation in Diyala province. About 14,000 Iraqi security forces stationed throughout Nineveh province and 12,000 U.S. soldiers are conducting the operation, which started Wednesday evening.” [View article]
Forced Marriages Turn Sunnis Against al-Qaeda (Washington Times) “Iraq’s Sunni tribes began turning against al Qaeda when the largely foreign-run terrorist organization tried to arrange forced marriages with local women to secure their foothold in the country,” reports the Washington Times. “… With an estimated 30,000 Sunni fighters in Iraq now battling their former al Qaeda allies, ‘the tribal revolt is arguably the most significant change in the Iraqi operating environment for several years,’” according to Australian Col. David Kilcullen. [View article]
Iraqi Security Forces Won’t Be Ready for at Least a Year (New York Times) “An independent commission of military experts established by Congress to assess Iraq’s military and police force told the Senate Armed Services committee [yesterday] that the ‘Iraqi security forces as a whole cannot yet defend the territorial integrity of Iraq,’” reports the New York Times. “… The report said that it would be at least 12 to 18 months before Iraq’s army and police can take charge of the country’s security.” (See the Quote of the Week.) [View article] [Get report]
Army Documents Show That Troops in Iraq Failed to Follow Rules (New York Times) Documents released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union ahead of a lawsuit “regarding crimes committed by United States soldiers against civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan detail a pattern of troops failing to understand and follow the rules that govern interrogations and deadly actions,” reports the Associated Press. “… nearly 10,000 pages of courts-martial summaries, transcripts and military investigative reports about 22 incidents … show repeated examples of soldiers believing they were within the law when they killed local citizens.” [View article] [View document database]
GAO Publishes Iraq Report The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday released its report measuring progress in Iraq against congressional milestones (see last week’s newsletter). [View GAO abstract]
Syria Will not Forcibly Deport Iraqi Refugees The Syrian Government has assured the United Nations refugee agency that it does not intend to forcibly return Iraqi refugees, estimated at some 1.4 million, when it introduces new visa requirements, although the new visa restrictions arose from the fact that Syria’s ability to handle the influx is close to the breaking point. [View press release]
Balboa, Panama, Becomes 52nd CSI Port Last week, the Port of Balboa became the 52nd operational Container Security Initiative port to target and prescreen maritime cargo containers destined for U.S. ports. [View press release] [View Focus on CSI]
British Judge Wants All Britons and Visitors in DNA Database (BBC) “The whole population and every UK visitor should be added to the national DNA database, a senior judge [Lord Justice Sedley] has said,” according to the British Broadcasting Corporation. “The present database in England and Wales holds details of [4 million] people who are guilty or cleared of a crime. Lord Justice Sedley said this was indefensible and biased against ethnic minorities, and it would be fairer to include everyone, guilty or innocent. Ministers said DNA helped tackle crime, but there were no plans for a voluntary national or compulsory UK database. A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said to expand the database would create ‘huge logistical and bureaucratic issues’ and civil liberty concerns.” But “shadow [opposition party] home secretary David Davis called for a Parliamentary debate.” [View article]
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New this week in the Journal of Homeland Security
In “Is The United States Ready for Future Catastrophes?” Aytül Kasapoglu, Dennis S. Mileti, and Mathieu Deflem investigate the responsiveness of the United States’ emergency management community. Their research is theoretically driven by an organizational model that differentiates between interorganizational and intra-organizational components and, furthermore, that estimates the impact of various aspects of organizational culture. |
National News
What Action Should Follow a Nuclear Blast in a U.S. City? (Washington Quarterly) “What will the United States actually do on the day after prevention fails?” ask Ashton B. Carter, Michael M. May, and William J. Perry in Washington Quarterly. “What preparations are necessary? … Among the challenges that must be addressed are emergency response, evacuation and sheltering, immediate radiation effects, follow-on threats after the first nuclear weapon, attribution and retaliation, and the long process of cleanup, especially the uniquely difficult problem of fallout and residual radioactivity.” [View article]
Immigrant Widows Face Deportation (Chicago Tribune) “More than 80 foreign-born widows across the nation … face possible deportation because their immigration paperwork was not approved before their husbands’ deaths,” reports the Associated Press. A class-action lawsuit filed August 30 challenges “the government’s policy of rejecting green card requests if an immigrant’s American spouse dies before the application is processed.” [View article]
Judge Blocks Social Security ‘No Match’ Warning Letters to Employers (Miami Herald) The Social Security Administration had planned to start sending 140,000 “‘no match’ letters” to employers on Tuesday, “warning of workers whose names and Social Security numbers do not match,” reports the Miami Herald (see the August 17 newsletter), but the plan “was derailed [August 31] by U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in San Francisco.… The judge issued a temporary restraining order on the government’s plan to require employers to fire workers if discrepancies aren’t fixed within 90 days.” One problem is that “an estimated 12 million Americans” have “discrepancies in their Social Security names and numbers.” And “even if the administration prevails in court--and all 17 initiatives that are part of the crackdown [announced August 10] proceed--there likely won’t be a significant increase in roundups or deportations.” [View article]
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State and Local News
Virginia Bans Public Access to Bridge Reports (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot) “The Virginia Department of Transportation has banned public access to detailed bridge inspection reports out of concern the information is too specific and could encourage terrorism,” reports the Virginian-Pilot. “… The public will continue to have access to information about bridge ratings and the definitions that explain why one structure may be rated higher than another.” [View article]
Ex–Terror Suspect Sues Prosecutor (Detroit News) “Karim Koubriti, the Detroit man whose terrorism-related conviction was tossed out as a result of alleged wrongdoing by former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino, filed a $9 million federal lawsuit [August 30] against Convertino and two other men,” reports the Detroit News. “Koubriti … is alleging violation of his federal civil rights as a result of malicious prosecution by Convertino. Convertino was indicted in March 2006, accused of conspiring to obstruct justice and lying to a federal judge in connection with the government’s first terrorism prosecution following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.… The malicious prosecution relates to failing to turn over exculpatory evidence to the defense and supporting perjured testimony, the lawsuit alleges.” [View article]
Arrests of Illegal Immigrants Double in Phoenix Area (Arizona Republic) “Federal immigration officials are now responding every time a [Phoenix metro area] police officer calls for assistance, resulting in the arrests of more than 6,000 undocumented immigrants over the past 12 months, twice as many as the year before,” reports the Arizona Republic. (See the Stats of the Week.) Immigration and Customs Enforcement “now has uniformed officers on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to local police.” [View article]
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| Please submit events and educational programs by noon Wednesdays for consideration as items in that week’s newsletter. |
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Education
The Homeland Security Institute lists these education programs as a service to readers who may be interested; it does not endorse them or their courses. New education listings are posted for four weeks.
Transit System Security Courses (November 2007–September 2008; various locations) The Federal Transit Administration’s training schedule for 2007-2008 offers courses and seminars at locations around the country, covering Transit System Security, Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Transit Explosives Incident Management, Transit System Security Design Review, and Transit Response to Bus and Rail Hijackings. [View course website]
Command and General Staff Functions for Local Incident Management Teams (November 11-16; Emmitsburg, MD) The U.S. Fire Administration will train a designated team of fire, emergency medical services, public works, public health, and/or law enforcement personnel from a larger and generally more populated area, typically within a single jurisdiction (city, county, or region). They would be activated to manage an incident requiring a significant number of local and mutual aid resources. [View conference website] |
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New Upcoming Events
(After four weeks, new events will be moved to the Upcoming Events page)
Realizing IPv6: Unleash the Benefits of the Next Generation (September 19-20; Reston, VA) This educational and interactive conference sponsored by the Digital Government Institute will explore the business case and return on investment and how to successfully transition to Internet Protocol version 6. It will identify and break down real operational issues and explore the solutions powered by the next-generation Internet. Government experts and industry leaders will discuss what it means to have true network-centric organization. [View conference website]
Recovering From Disaster (October 17; Washington, DC) This public workshop is organized by the National Research Council–National Academies’ Disasters Roundtable and will feature presentations by experts from the hazards research, policy, and practitioner communities on key topics related to disaster recovery; it will include audience discussion. [View conference website]
Detection Technologies 2007 (November 1-2; San Diego) This 11th conference for experts in technologies for detection and identification of biological and chemical agents and threats will explore the latest research and development as well as ready-to-market technologies and systems. [View conference website]
(November 7-8; Baltimore) The Mid-Atlantic All Hazards Forum is a public-private partnership of Mid-Atlantic states and private corporations. Focusing on readiness, response, and recovery, the forum will help build communication and forge relationships between states in the Mid-Atlantic region. [View conference website]
FireRescue Conference & Expo (November 7-10; Las Vegas, NV) This conference features training for leadership and an exhibit hall with the latest apparatus, equipment, product demonstrations, and national manufacturers. New this year are advanced leadership sessions and a healthy & safety education track. [View conference website]
2007 Preparing for Pandemic Influenza Training Conference (November 13-14; Arlington, VA) Medical and public health leaders will stress the importance of national, state, and local preparedness to respond to a pandemic so as to ensure the health and safety of our people. The conference will address three crucial areas: How real is the pandemic threat today, and how should you prepare to respond? How can an influenza outbreak impact your community or business, and what measures should you take to ensure business continuity? What is the best approach to properly communicate an outbreak to your staff, community, other agencies, organizations, and private institutions? [View conference website]
Port Security 2007 (November 13-15; Los Angeles) The theme of this year’s conference is “Protecting the homeland’s ports by integrating force initiatives, technology and compliance standards.” Port officials will gather with their community, find out the latest mandates, and learn about new technology. [View conference website]
2007 Scientific Conference on Chemical & Biological Defense Research (November 13-15; Timonium, MD) This unclassified conference will consist of papers and poster presentations. Attendees will include government (military and civilian), academia, and industry representatives and will feature the Transformational Countermeasures Technology Initiative. [View conference website]
EPA Region 4 Chemical Emergency Conference (November 15-16; Tampa, FL) This Environmental Protection Agency conference is co-located with Clean Gulf 2007. Topics will include EPA reimbursement of local government expenditures for chemical emergency cleanups under Superfund, Homeland Security Grants and NIMS compliance, the E-Plan, strengthening response through collaboration and partnerships, Hurricane Katrina lessons learned, and the EPA’s program for risk management plans under the Federal Clean Air Act, section 112(r). [View conference website]
Maritime Security Expo (November 27-28; New York) This conference will cover the SAFE Port Act and the latest technology, products, and service in maritime, port, and intermodal security. [View conference website]
Water Facility Security Conference (November 27-28; Arlington, VA) This conference will discuss pre- and post-disaster emergency preparedness and response. It will cover water protection methodologies and techniques, including ways to identify and mitigate problems. Industry experts will discuss how to respond and recover and how to best communicate to customers or staff. [View conference website] |
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Calls for Papers
ER One Institute Emergency Preparedness Conference (March 3-4; Washington, DC) The title of next year’s meeting is “Hospitals on the Frontline. Emergency Preparedness: Today’s Questions and Tomorrow’s Answers.” Topics for abstracts and posters are Information Management, System Recovery and Business Continuity, Behavioral Health Injuries Following Mass-Casualty Events, and Challenges and Innovations in Hospital Response to Mass-Casualty Events. Abstracts must be submitted via email to eroneconference@eroneinstitute.org. For more information, contact Lisa Rizzolo at (202) 877-7453 or Lisa.Rizzolo@medstar.net. The deadline for submissions is October 30. [View conference website]
TIEMS 2008 (June 17-19; Prague, Czech Republic) The theme of the International Emergency Management Society’s 2008 conference is “Global Cooperation in Emergency Management.” The deadline for submitting the title and abstract is November 9. [View call for papers] |
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