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| A Primedia Property | |
| November 3, 2005 | Vol. 1 No. 22 |
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Table Of Contents Airport security directors' authority unclear Bush Administration missing transportation security deadlines Mayors offer emergency response alternatives Baltimore puts off expanded surveillance camera law DHS releases plans for maritime security ADVERTISEMENT Sign-up today for HID's free web-based e-Learning courses to learn about the access control market, contactless smart cards and readers. Designed as a self-guided, multi-subject, modular program, it presents 13.56 MHz contactless smart card and 125 kHz proximity technology cards and readers plus card format specification details in an easy graphical user interface (GUI) format. This new program supplements the company's free iCLASS training and is part of HID's strong commitment for continuous improvement and customer service. Click Here to link to HID's free e-Learning courses. In the News Airport security directors' authority unclear According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the authority of Federal Security Directors (FSDs) assigned to airports by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is outdated and unclear. "(TSA) does not clearly address FSD authority during a security incident relative to other parties with airport security responsibilities," the report says. "At airports GAO visited, stakeholders said that this information had never been communicated to them and they were not always clear on the FSDs' authority in such situations." FSDs oversee security, including the screening of passengers and their baggage, at more than 440 commercial airports. FSDs must cooperate to help ensure that airports are adequately protected and prepared in the event of a terrorist attack. The GAO report addresses the roles and responsibilities of FSDs and the clarity of their authority, the extent to which FSDs have partnered with airport stakeholders, and key changes TSA has made to better support or empower the FSD position. In August 2005, TSA officials stated that it was updating guidance on FSDs' authority but had not finalized revisions prior to the GAO report. The TSA delegates authority to FSDs and gives them authority to supervise and deploy a TSA law enforcement force; however, the force was never established. According to TSA, partnerships are essential to FSDs' success in addressing aviation security and customer service needs. For example, FSDs rely on law enforcement officers during security incidents since they do not have their own law enforcement resources. FSDs also rely on air carriers for passenger volume information to schedule screeners, and air carriers rely on FSDs for efficient screening that minimizes passenger wait times. GAO has recommended that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff direct TSA to update its Delegation of Authority to FSDs and communicate this information to FSDs and airport stakeholders. Bush Administration missing transportation security deadlines The Bush administration has missed dozens of deadlines set by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks for developing ways to protect airplanes, ships and railways from terrorists, The Associated Press reports. A plan to defend ships and ports from attack is six months overdue. Rules to protect air cargo from infiltration by terrorists are two months late. A study on the cost of giving anti-terrorism training to federal law-enforcement officers who fly commercially was supposed to be done more than three years ago. Lawmakers piled on deadline after deadline for reports, plans and regulations while the Department of Homeland Security had to integrate 22 agencies with 170,000 workers and cope with terrorist threats and hurricanes. Those deadlines, sometimes for minor projects, distract the department from putting in place the most important security measures, experts say. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), for example, scrambled to try to meet a Feb. 15 deadline to ban butane lighters from airplanes, a precaution that does little to protect airliners, they said. Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) says the government has yet to develop a comprehensive plan to protect roads, bridges, tunnels, power plants, pipelines and dams. He said a broad plan to protect levies and dams might have helped prevent the New Orleans levies from being breached during Katrina. A law signed by President Bush on Nov. 25, 2002, set a July 1, 2004, deadline for ships and ports to tighten security amid fears that terrorists might smuggle nuclear weapons in a cargo container. The Coast Guard largely accomplished the undertaking, but much still remains undone. A report on how a grant program for shippers and ports would work is more than a year late; a report on cargo-container security is eight months overdue; a national-security plan for marine transportation is well past its April 1 due date. Mayors offer emergency response alternatives The U.S. Conference of Mayors has recommended changes to the federal government's procedures for emergency response, including the addition of more military assistance and a more defined role for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The current legal paradigm is that the military is viewed as the 'resource of last resort' deployed to restore order," the group says in a statement. "Because of the sheer magnitude of the hurricane events recently experienced, and because acts of terrorism may spring up during or in the wake of such natural disasters, it is advantageous to consider an increased role for the military in disaster response." Beverly O'Neill, mayor of Long Beach, Calif., says cities need the authority to access military resources during the first critical hours and days following a natural disaster or terrorist attack. The mayors also say they would like the Bush administration and Congress to let FEMA reimburse cities that provide "first responders" and other resources to other cities during emergencies. They also would like the federal government to address liability concerns that city officials have when sending assets to other cities. The group said Congress should provide funding to help police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel to acquire technology so they can communicate effectively during crises. The mayors add that Congress must restore funding cuts for first-responder grants. Lawmakers earlier this month cut $600 million from the grants, arguing that billions of dollars from previous years had not been spent. The mayors also want the government to let city officials use the current funding streams for first responders for a 311 system. The system, similar to the emergency 911 telecommunications system, would be used to handle large volumes of incoming calls during city-wide emergencies. Baltimore puts off expanded surveillance camera law A plan to expand of the use of surveillance cameras in Baltimore County, home to the nation's first mall security law, will not emerge until at least spring, officials say. County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz and Police Chief Terrence B. Sheridan have begun preliminary talks about how to fund a possible expansion of cameras into municipal areas, The Maryland Daily Record reports. A plan may be put forth during discussions of the police department's budget next year, the councilman said. "There is always a funding component to something like this," says Kamenetz, chief sponsor of the legislation that mandated security cameras in the county's largest shopping centers. "The budget process will be our chance to have a meaningful dialogue about this." The chief is looking into getting grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to defray costs. "A lot of things need to be evaluated," Sheridan says. "We need to determine what we should really be spending our money on. Is the investment worth it?" Last month Kamenetz, who represents the 2nd District in the northwestern part of the county, recommended camera capabilities be upgraded. While seeing eye-to-eye on the efficacy of cameras, Sheridan and Kamenetz view the issue of costs somewhat differently. The councilman said the technology is "not that expensive," while the chief sees the costs as considerable. The shopping center bill was adopted following the February shooting death of teacher William Bassett in a mall garage. DHS releases plans for maritime security The Department of Homeland Security has unveiled eight plans to support the National Strategy for Maritime Security. The plans call for security in maritime areas including commerce, transportation systems, infrastructure recovery, threat response and intelligence. In December 2004, President Bush signed a maritime policy security directive, which resulted in the comprehensive National Strategy for Maritime Security. The three broad principles that provide overarching guidance to the strategy are: preserving the freedom of the seas; facilitating and defending commerce; and facilitating the movement of desirable goods and people across our borders, while screening out dangerous people and materials. The eight supporting plans work together to enhance international cooperation while maximizing domain awareness that will create necessary layers of security intended to stop terrorist and other threats against the U.S. "The public and private sectors at all levels have important roles to play as we protect our interests in the maritime domain," U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thomas Collins says. "Working together internationally and domestically, we will increase the transparency of people, cargo, conveyances and facilities operating in the maritime domain." A team representing more than 20 government agencies contributed to the development of the National Strategy for Maritime Security and its supporting plans. More information is available at www.dhs.gov. Procurement Watch
Events Nov. 7-8 ASIS Intl. Annual Bioterrorism Conference Sheraton Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia Sponsor: ASIS International Information: (703) 519-6200 asisonline.org asis@asisonline.org Nov. 7-11 Nov. 8-9 Nov. 10 Nov. 14 Nov. 14-17 Nov. 14-19 Nov. 15 Nov. 15 Nov. 16-18 Nov. 16-17 Nov. 17-18 Nov. 18 Nov. 29-Dec. 2 Nov. 30-Dec. 2 New Announcements from GOVERNMENT SECURITY magazine Coming next week to www.govtsecurity.com: October 2005 issue Also coming to govtsecurity.com in November: Industry Calendar 2006 Get ready for next year's big security events |
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