Center of Excellence

By Caitlin Harrington, CQ Staff

A North Carolina firm has been chosen to provide a container tracking system for a European Union program designed to improve shipping security.
Bremer Innovations-Agentur GmbH, based in Germany, chose Powers International of Belmont, N.C., to run trials of its system as part of the EU’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security program, according to a news release Monday. The first trial starts in August, the release said.

Powers makes a container tracking technology known as the Sea-Cure Satellite System. The system uses sensors inside containers to track their location and detect any breaches; data generated by the sensors is sent via satellite to shippers.
(more…)

By Caitlin Harrington, CQ Staff

The European Union (EU) introduced new proposals last week aimed at keeping explosives out of terrorists’ hands and improving police cooperation among member nations.

The EU increased its focus on counterterrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks and the Madrid train bombings last year. Following the deadly July 7 attacks on the London transit system — and the attempted bombings July 21 — officials are trying to accelerate some efforts.
(more…)

By Justin Rood, CQ Staff

Congress is moving aggressively in the aftermath of back-to-back transit attacks in London — and ill-advised comments by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff — by announcing a Senate investigation, scheduling hearings in both chambers and delivering sharp words to Chertoff on his department’s transit security policies. A looming month-long recess, however, will likely delay most action until September.
(more…)

By Eileen Sullivan, CQ Staff

Though improved, information sharing among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies remains less than ideal, local officials told lawmakers Wednesday.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are doing “a much better job” of sharing information, John D. Cohen, special policy adviser for homeland security in Massachusetts, told a subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee. Cohen and other witnesses applauded some federal efforts, such as DHS’s Homeland Security Information Networks, which share security and threat information with all levels of law enforcement as well as the private sector.
(more…)

By Eileen Sullivan, CQ Staff

As early as 2008, if a tornado were heading toward Dallas or a bomb had been detonated in downtown Washington, residents of those cities could get an alert over their televisions, radios, cell phones and the Internet.

It is called an all-hazards national alert system, and the federal government is working to make it a reality in the next few years.
(more…)

By Jim Morris, CQ Staff

American Muslim leaders Thursday issued a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism, saying, “Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives.”

In a news conference at the National Press Club, the Fiqh Council of North America, a group of legal scholars that interprets Islamic religious law, decreed, “Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram — or forbidden — and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not ‘martyrs.’ ”
(more…)

From NGA Homeland Security Newsletter

According to captured al-Qaida leaders and documents, the prime targets for launching nuclear terrorist attacks are the nine U.S. cities with the highest Jewish populations. These sources have informed intelligence agents that Usama bin Laden is planning to attack U.S. cities using smuggled nuclear weapons. The series of attacks is designed to kill 4 million people and disrupt the American economy.
(more…)

The National Academies’ Research Council recently released two reports pointing to a shortage of veterinary experts and uncoordinated efforts by a number of federal agencies responsible for protecting the public.

Animal borne disease outbreaks have increased in the past few years, as seen with SARS, West Nile, etc. Some reasons for this increase are: increasing encroachment of humans into wildlife habitats, the globalization of food and agricultural production, changing climate patterns, the threat of bioterrorism and tens of thousands of planes and ships carrying potential infection in every direction. To deal with the threat, the US needs a “high-level, authoritative mechanism” to coordinate the private, local, state and federal agencies that deal with animal-borne illnesses, the report says.
(more…)

Congress passed the Terrorism Risk Assurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) after concerns about the insurance industry’s ability to provide coverage against the risk of terrorism. TRIA requires insurers to offer insurance that will pay on claims that occur from a terrorist attack perpetrated by foreign groups using conventional weapons on commercial assets; for losses on the scale of 9/11. TRIA will “sunset” on December 31, 2005.
(more…)

According to a newly-released Congressional report, about half of Utah’s population is at risk of exposure to toxic gas if terrorists were to attack a Utah chemical weapons facility. The report urges officials to better protect chemical storage facilities. Another kind of terrorist threat, bioterrorism, is the subject of a new documentary from the state Health Department.

Bioterrorism is the intentional release of germs in an attempt to cause fear, illness or death. If Utah were targeted, would you know what to do to save yourself and your family? The threat is real, and being prepared and knowledgeable could help you stay safe.
(more…)

By Michael Sandler and Keith Perine, CQ Staff

The House and the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to reauthorize the 16 expiring provisions of the 2001 anti-terrorism law in ways that are at odds with each other and with the White House.

The votes set up a test of wills, pitting the Bush administration and its Republican allies — who want to make all provisions of the law permanent — against a left-right coalition of Democrats and Republicans who want to narrow the law and set time limits on some of its provisions.
(more…)

By Eileen Sullivan, CQ Staff

U.S. authorities and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested three drug smugglers and shut down a tunnel that could be used to transport terrorists, accord to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The 360-foot tunnel has been under construction for more than a year and runs from a Quonset hut on the Canadian side to right below a living room floor in Lynden, Wash. It was completed in June of this year, according to officials.
(more…)

SLGCP Information Bulletin No. 182 July 19, 2005

TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads, All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact and All State Homeland Security Directors
FROM: Matt A. Mayer, Acting Executive Director

As part of the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) efforts to provide needed homeland security knowledge resources to emergency responders, ODP has initiated a number of programs. These include System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER); Lessons Learned Information System (LLIS); Responder Knowledge Base (RKB); Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB); and the Terrorism Library (TL).
(more…)

By Caitlin Harrington, CQ Staff

A long-simmering controversy over the best way to track foreign visitors entering and leaving the United States came to an end last week when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced he would require first-time U.S. visitors to provide10 fingerprints instead of two.
(more…)

By Patrick Yoest, CQ Staff

State governors aired concerns Monday about a new federal law that requires motor vehicle bureaus to verify the legal residency of driver’s license applicants, the Associated Press reports.

According to the AP, at the National Governors Association (NGA) annual meeting, held in Des Moines, Iowa, Republican and Democratic governors criticized the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in May as part of an appropriations bill (PL 109-13).

Mike Huckabee, Republican governor of Arkansas and newly named NGA chairman, accused Congress of passing homeland security duties to states.
“You’re essentially asking the front-line clerks at the DMV to become an INS agent and a law enforcement agent,” Huckabee reportedly said.
(more…)

By Eileen Sullivan and Justin Rood, CQ Staff

Hours after the July 7 subway and bus bombings in London, Janet Hale, the Department of Homeland Security’s undersecretary for Management, sent employees an e-mail reminding them to be prepared for emergencies.
“This serves as a reminder to all DHS employees to take appropriate preparedness actions,” the message said. “It is important that each of us understands the actions that we can and should take in response to [the raised terrorist threat level].”

Hale spelled out what they might need in the event terrorists struck in downtown Washington and trapped them in their offices. “During this heightened state of alert, you might want to have your own ‘GO’ kit near your desk. This kit could include bottled water, a flashlight, a small portable radio, sneakers or other comfortable shoes.”

Hale’s memo, sent to DHS employees at 4 p.m., mirrored the advice the department has given to industry and businesses over the past two years for “shelter in place.”
(more…)

Speaking to an audience that included more than 800 DHS employees at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., Secretary Chertoff Wednesday announced a six-point agenda for the department designed to ensure that DHS policies, operations, and structures are aligned in the best way to address the potential threats-both present and future-that face the nation.

“Our department must drive improvement with a sense of urgency. Our enemy constantly changes and adapts, so we as a department must be nimble and decisive,” the secretary said, adding, “My friends, much work has been done.
My job, and the job of the leadership team at the department, is to provide the strategic direction, tools, and aggressive support needed by our colleagues who carry out the vital mission of protecting America. We must continue to build effectiveness, agility, and capacity in this effort every single day.”

The secretary’s announcement reflects conclusions drawn as a result of the Second Stage Review, a careful study of the department’s programs, policies, operations, and structure. The review included 18 action teams composed of
10-12 members with appropriate expertise dealing with certain subject matter. More than 250 participants within the department, representing a comprehensive cross-section, contributed to the review.
(more…)

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Regional Response Coordination Center continue to monitor the response effort and coordinate the recovery operations for Hurricane Dennis as thousands of disaster victims last week began applying for FEMA disaster assistance.
(more…)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now training detector dogs to alert at the presence of humans that might be concealed inside vehicles or shipping containers.

At the agency’s Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Va., new CBP canine teams are preparing for their role in protecting the American people from possible terrorists attempting to illegally enter the United States. The first class of the new detector dog teams graduated on May 26.
CBP plans to train and deploy an additional 100 dual-detection teams nationwide this year.
(more…)

The Miami, Fla., office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the first of several ICE locations around the country to hold recruiting seminars to attract recent college graduates for entry-level special agent positions.
(more…)