Conley Security Blog

2011-12-22T00:42:00.000-06:00

Occupiers Use New Tactics - ABC5 WOI-DT News, Weather, Sports in Des Moines, IA

2011-09-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

Mass. man, 26, charged in plot to use remote control planes to blow up federal buildings

(no/Associated Press) - A police car sits in the driveway of the home of 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus, in Ashland, Mass., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Ferdaus has been arrested and accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with large remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives.

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, September 29, 5:43 AM

BOSTON — A Massachusetts man with a degree in physics was charged Wednesday with plotting to blow up the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled airplanes filled with explosives.

Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was arrested in Framingham after undercover federal agents delivered materials he had allegedly requested, including grenades, six machine guns and what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive. Federal officials said the public was never in danger from the explosives, which it said were always under control and closely monitored.

Wednesday’s arrest was the latest of several terrorism cases to spring from federal sting operations. In other cases, reputed would-be terrorists became involved in fictional plots against various targets, such as Dallas skyscrapers or a Chicago nightclub. In this case, though, authorities say Ferdaus planned the scheme.

A federal affidavit says Ferdaus, of Ashland, began planning “jihad” against the U.S. in early 2010 after becoming convinced America was evil through jihadi websites and videos. He contacted a federal informant that December and months later, allegedly began meeting to discuss the plot with undercover federal agents he believed were members of al-Qaida.

A U.S. citizen who graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in physics, Ferdaus said he wanted to deal a psychological blow to the “enemies of Allah” by hitting the Pentagon, which he called “head and heart of the snake,” according to the affidavit.

“Allah has given us the privilege,” he allegedly told the informant. “... He punishes them by our hand. We’re the ones.”

Ferdaus made a brief initial appearance Wednesday in federal court on charges of attempting to destroy federal buildings and providing support to a foreign terrorist organization, al-Qaida. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday.

Telephone messages were left at the office of his attorney, Catherine Byrne, and at the address listed for Ferdaus in the affidavit.

Several alleged domestic plots have been thwarted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including in Lackawanna, N.Y.; Portland, Ore.; and Virginia.

Terrorism arrests involving federal stings have often been followed by claims of entrapment, but none of the cases brought since Sept. 11 has been thrown out by a court on such grounds.

U.S. Rep. William Keating of Massachusetts, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said lawmakers have been warned for months of an emerging threat from homegrown extremists. He said al-Qaida is casting a wide net to radicalize individuals or small groups already in the country because of the significant advantages.

Ferdaus is accused of planning to use three remote control airplanes measuring from 60 to 80 inches in length. He allegedly planned to pack five pounds of explosives in each plane, while saving some of it to blow up bridges near the Pentagon.

The planes, guided by GPS and capable of speeds greater than 100 mph, would hit the Pentagon and blow the Capitol dome to “smithereens,” according to Ferdaus’ plan, detailed in the affidavit. Ferdaus then planned a follow-up attack with six people divided into two teams, all armed with automatic weapons, according to the affidavit.

Ferdaus traveled to Washington in June to do surveillance, the affidavit said, and he drew up a 15-phase attack plan. He also allegedly rented storage space to work on the planes in Framingham, telling the manager he planned to use the space for music.

Asked at one point about possibly killing women and children, Ferdaus allegedly said all unbelievers of Islam were his enemies.

Prosecutors also accuse Ferdaus of supplying the undercover agents with cellphone devices he said could be used to remotely detonate explosives. When the undercover agents falsely told him the devices had been used to kill three U.S. soldiers in Iraq, he allegedly became visibly excited and said he felt “incredible. ... We’re changing the world.”

Ferdaus is unmarried and has no children, the affidavit said.

He had at least one previous brush with the law. In 2003, The Boston Globe reported that he and two other Ashland High School seniors were accused in a vandalism spree at the school.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/mass-man-26-charged-in-plot-to-use-remote-control-planes-to-blow-up-federal-buildings/2011/09/29/gIQAP7PR6K_story.html

2011-09-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

'Lone wolf' terror seen as biggest threat

Officials say coordinated attacks are now much more difficult to carry out

BY DAVID RISING

Associated Press

Updated: 09-6-2011 1:43 pm

HAMBURG, Germany

After 9/11, it was the men who went to radicalized mosques or terror boot camps that were seen as the biggest terror threat. Today, that picture's changed: Authorities are increasingly focusing on the lone wolf living next door, radicalized on the Internet - and plotting strikes in a vacuum.

The March fatal shooting of two American airmen in Frankfurt by a Kosovo Albanian. The bomb plot on Fort Hood, Texas, soldiers - possibly inspired by the 2009 shooting rampage on the Texas Army post. The foiled attack on Fort Dix, New Jersey, by a tiny cell of homegrown terrorists.

These Islamic terror plots share something in common with Anders Behring Breivik, the Norway killer who hated Muslims. They are the work of extremists who are confoundingly difficult to track because they hardly leave a trace.

In today's transformed security landscape, authorities and experts say, the 9/11 plotters would surely have been caught.

It's widely believed that these days there's no way a cell involving 19 hijackers and an extensive support network could have plotted attacks in a Hamburg mosque, trained in terrorist camps in Afghanistan, and took flight lessons in the United States without being picked up by countertenor operations.

And President Barack Obama said in a CNN interview on Aug. 16 that a "lone wolf" terror attack in the U.S. is more likely than a major coordinated effort like the Sept. 11 attacks.

Western authorities have infiltrated major jihadist groups, planting moles, eavesdropping on chatter, keeping tabs on radical mosques, and carrying out regular terror sweeps. Some say the tough measures have eroded civil liberties.

But lone wolves or small homegrown cells that blend into the general population present a more slippery challenge.

"The biggest threats are people working alone or in very small groups," a senior German intelligence official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"So it's not important whether we have 40 or 50 or 60 followers of the jihad (under observation) ... that doesn't really make much of a difference. The question is, are there some that we don't know but who are planning it?"

Modern technology is also making things harder for authorities.

As extremists adapt to the anti-terror crackdown, they have taken more advantage of the Internet to cloak their communications and recruit new attackers.

"Before, people were recruited in mosques where you'd hear speeches - Finsbury Park or Baker Street" in London, French anti-terrorism judge Marc Trevidic told the AP. "Then that totally stopped. Today, there is not a single case where group members weren't recruited on the Internet."

"The ability to self-indoctrinate online is a big concern, because not being in a group complicates our task of surveillance," he said. A terrorist group, he said, "is easier to monitor, moves around and has meetings."

That's what led to the first successful attack on German soil by an Islamic extremist, in which a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian allegedly gunned down two American airmen outside the Frankfurt airport in March.

Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian who grew up in Frankfurt is accused of opening fire at the city's airport on a busload of U.S. airmen on their way to Afghanistan, killing two and injuring two others.

According to the indictment, Uka was radicalized over time by jihadist propaganda he saw on the Internet, and the night before the act had watched a video that purported to show American atrocities in Afghanistan; it was actually a clip from a film. The investigation turned up no connections with any terrorist organization.

"He was a single person acting alone radicalized through jihadi Internet propaganda," prosecutors' spokesman Marcus Koehler told the AP at the time of the indictment. "That shows, in the opinion of the federal prosecutor’s office, how dangerous jihadist propaganda on the Internet is."

In recent years, al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations have been increasingly targeting people like Uka - using radicals who grew up in Western countries to make videos in their native languages urging people in their home or adoptive countries to take up jihad.

A series of German-language videos were posted on the Internet before 2009 elections in Germany promising attacks - which never happened - and U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki's sermons have turned up on the computers of nearly every homegrown terror suspect in the United States.

Al-Awlaki allegedly exchanged e-mails with the U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of carrying out the 2009 shootings at the Fort Hood military post in Texas. Prosecutors also say an al-Awlaki sermon on jihad was among the materials - including videos of beheadings - found on the computers of five men convicted in December of plotting attacks on the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey.

"It was from 2003 to 2008 that we saw this rise in power of the tool of the Internet: first as propaganda, then to send messages and do recruiting," said the French judge, Trevidic.

Now, he said, "everything is done on the Internet, with more and more sophisticated methods, and we've had the possible difficulty because we were dealing with a young generation that understands the Internet by heart."

Last month, another U.S. serviceman was arrested for allegedly plotting to detonate bombs at restaurants frequented by soldiers in Killeen, Texas, next to Fort Hood. The bomb-making materials were found in his motel room and some in a backpack, according to court documents. Pfc. Naser Abdo was caught only when a Texas gun shop clerk alerted authorities after finding the suspect acting strangely in his store.

In the 2007 Fort Dix case, wiretaps helped authorities find out about the deadly plot to attack the base. Suspects Mohamad Shnewer, Serdar Tatar, and brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka, were convicted in December 2008 of conspiring to kill U.S. military personnel.

Terrorists have also been exploiting voice-over-Internet systems like Skype - which are much more difficult for authorities to track, the German intelligence official said.

"It's easier to follow someone to find out which flat they are meeting in, than to find out information in the jungle of passwords and voice-over-Internet technical communication," he said.

In the three-day 2008 siege in Mumbai, India, that killed 166 people, the attackers' handlers eschewed conventional phones for voice-over-Internet telephone services, according to authorities.

The gunmen also examined the layout and landscape of the city using images from Google Earth, which provides satellite photos for much of the planet over the Internet.

But when the attacker is acting alone there is no communication to pick up at all. In the Norway attack, Anders Behring Breivik has claimed to belong to a shadowy group of modern-day crusaders against Islam, with cells all over Europe, but prosecutors have said all signs are that he acted alone.

"The biggest threat today ... is the lone wolf, the lone bomber like we saw in Oslo," said Rolf Tophoven, director of the Essen-based Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy. "If you radicalize yourself in your own house, in your own workroom, then nobody can control you."

But even Breivik would have done things that could have alerted authorities, the German official said.

"It's more difficult to find out about those people but of course we are not really helpless so we can still find them, even if it is a lone wolf," he said.

"If you look at Norway you still have a trail - he had to get the explosives, he had to get the weapon, he had to train with the weapon, he had to get the explosives into the city.

"So even if a terrorist is alone he needs some logistical preparation so we have to be more aware of those tracks, and the Internet is one of them, one of the most important."

__________________________________________________

Jamey Keaten in Paris and Paisley Dodds in London contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.securityinfowatch.com/Homeland+Security/1322408

Security on rise nationwide for 9/11 anniversary

2011-09-04T16:55:00.001-05:00

Security on rise nationwide for 9/11 anniversary

By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is escalating security around the country in preparation for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and conducting confidential briefings with state and local law enforcement organizations. But officials say there is no specific indication that a terror plot against the U.S. is under way.

Americans can expect more security at airports, mass transit stations, U.S. borders, government buildings and major athletic events over the next month, said an intelligence official who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive security matters.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department have been briefing state and local law enforcement agencies on potential terror threats to the U.S. and ways to increase security in their communities. The briefings are routine, and security has been enhanced for other major events in the past decade. But the significance of the 10-year anniversary of the worst terror attacks on U.S. soil is not lost on security officials, who fear that someone with terrorist sympathies might see 9/11 as an opportunity to make a statement.

"It's been a long buildup as we approach the anniversary of 9/11," said Sean Duggan, assistant chief at the Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Department. Duggan said his department gets daily updates from the FBI and Homeland Security Department. But over the past two months, the focus has been on the 10th anniversary of the terror hijackings.

"We know this is a significant date," Duggan said. "Other than taking physical precautions, we have not been briefed on any specific threat other than the obvious — knowing what this date means in our history."

Events are planned around the country to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks.

"While there is currently no specific or credible threat, appropriate and prudent security measures are ready to detect and prevent plots against the United States should they emerge," Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler said.

President Barack Obama said earlier this month that the threat of a plot by a lone terrorist is particularly troublesome.

"The risk that we're especially concerned over right now is the lone-wolf terrorist, somebody with a single weapon being able to carry out wide-scale massacres of the sort that we saw in Norway recently," Obama said.

In July, 69 people at a youth camp in Norway were shot to death. Authorities said a white supremacist carried out the attack with the purpose of saving Norway and the rest of Europe from Muslims and multiculturalism.

"You know, when you've got one person who is deranged or driven by a hateful ideology, they can do a lot of damage, and it's a lot harder to trace those lone-wolf operators," Obama said.

Some of the first information gleaned from Osama bin Laden's compound after he was killed in May indicated that, as recently as February 2010, al-Qaida considered plans to attack the U.S. on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. But counterterrorism officials said they believe the planning never got beyond the initial phase and had no recent intelligence pointing to an active plot.

One idea outlined in handwritten notes pulled from bin Laden's Pakistani hideout was to tamper with an unspecified U.S. rail track so that a train would fall off the track at a valley or a bridge, according to a joint FBI and Homeland Security Department bulletin to law enforcement officials around the country. The al-Qaida planners noted that if they attacked a train by tilting it, the plan would only succeed once because the tilting would be spotted the next time.

Even before the raid, intelligence officials for years have warned that al-Qaida is interested in attacking major U.S. cities on holidays, anniversaries — including the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — and other dates that are uniquely American.

White House spokesman Clark Stevens, asked about the briefings, said the president's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, has had senior-level meetings over the past four months about threats to the U.S. and appropriate responses leading up to the anniversary.

"These senior-level reviews of our security posture will continue through the 9/11 anniversary and beyond, in order to ensure the federal government remains fully prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to mitigate any potential attacks," Stevens said in a statement.

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZfzM4-9R8uZzF2YLjEc9siZujGQ?docId=5a8f1042ef024a9aaa4755497c577cc9

Al Qaeda Article

2011-07-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

Responding to The Call: Al Qaeda's American Recruits

Posted: July 25, 2011

One of the most significant developments in domestic terrorism since the September, 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is the role that a growing number of American citizens and residents motivated by radical interpretations of Islam have played in criminal plots to attack Americans in the U.S. and abroad.

The past three years have been marked by an increase in the number of plots and conspiracies by homegrown Muslim extremists, as well as in the number of Americans attempting to travel abroad to train and fight with terrorist groups. The latter raises serious concerns about extremists using their American passports to return to the U.S. in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soil.

Indeed, the failed attempt to bomb Times Square in 2010, as well as the foiled plot to detonate homemade explosives on New York City subways in 2009, were conceived by Americans who received training from terrorist groups overseas before returning to the U.S. to carry out the attacks.

In addition to providing training, foreign terrorist organizations have appealed to Western audiences through English-language propaganda distributed on a variety of online platforms, including materials specifically designed to recruit followers and sanction violence.

Since 2007, approximately 30 U.S. residents have attempted to or successfully traveled to Somalia to join Al Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group, to receive weapons training alongside recruits from other countries. Several others have provided material support for the group through their recruitment and fundraising efforts.

Many are believed to have been radicalized and recruited, in part, on the Internet. Omar Hammami, an Alabama native who has become the public face and voice of Al Shabaab, has appeared in several videos urging foreigners "to come and live the life of a mujahid." In a March 2009 video, Hammami praised a killed fighter as a martyr and said, "We need more like him, so if you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors and anyone around you to send people like him to this jihad, it would be a great asset for us."

A month later, two men who identified themselves as Abu Muslim and Abu Yaxye appeared in another video claiming to be "Somali youth" from the United States who joined Al Shabaab. "We came from the U.S. with a good life and a good education, but we came to fight alongside our brothers of Al Shabaab…to be killed for the sake of God," Abu Muslim said in the video. Later in the video, Abu Yaxye added, "We are here to invite others to come and join us."

More recently, a 27-year-old recruit from Minneapolis, Farah Mohamad Beledi, was one of two suicide bombers who attacked a military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu on May 30, 2011, according to the FBI. A portion of the Al Shabaab audio statement claiming responsibility for the attack featured Beledi saying, "I have been a member of Al Shabaab for two years. I am from Minnesota, USA," and "I am so happy to turn my body into shrapnel for the infidels."

Beledi is the second confirmed American suicide bomber. The first, Shirwa Ahmed, carried out a suicide bombing on behalf of Al Shabaab at the Ethiopian Consulate and the presidential palace in Hargeisa killing 24 people in October 2009. Federal investigators have also looked into reports that another American may have been involved in a suicide attack in Mogadishu in September 2009 that killed 21 people. The identity of that attacker has never been confirmed.

Prior to leaving Minnesota, several of the other men who trained with Al Shabaab reportedly listened to a sermon titled "Constants on the Path of Jihad" given by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Muslim cleric living in Yemen. Al-Awlaki targets English-speaking Muslim audiences with radical online lectures that encourage attacks against the West and non-Muslims.

Al-Awlaki's widespread influence can be gauged by the number of extremists that have been found in possession of his materials or who have communicated with him. For example, Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 13 people at the Fort Hood Army base in 2009, exchanged emails with al-Awlaki prior to the attack.

The shooting at Fort Hood demonstrates the particular danger posed by so-called "lone wolf" extremists who, though unaffiliated with terrorist groups, are influenced by their ideological goals. The shooting at Fort Hood followed a separate incident in June 2009 when Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot two uniformed American soldiers, killing one of them, at a military recruiting center in Arkansas. Some observers suggest Muhammad was radicalized in Yemen when he traveled there in September 2007, ostensibly to teach English.

Anwar al-Awlaki's mass appeal has also resulted in his taking a public role with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen and Saudi Arabia that has established links to Al Shabaab. Like Al Shabaab, AQAP has deliberately designed a portion of its propaganda to appeal to, engage and recruit sympathizers in the U.S.

Since July 2010, AQAP's media wing has released six issues of its online English-language magazine Inspire, which employs accessible Western references and colorful graphics in its calls to inflict mass casualties. AQAP, which has instructed readers to "fight jihad on U.S. soil," encourages participation in the production of the magazine, asking readers to contribute articles, quotes and images.

One recurring section in Inspire, entitled "Open Source Jihad," provides a resource manual for "Muslims to train at home instead of risking a dangerous travel abroad" and proposes several ways to wage "individual jihad" that inflicts mass casualties and economic losses. "We strongly encourage our brothers to fight jihad on U.S. soil," the author writes: "To kill a snake, strike its head." The October 2010 issue included a picture of the Chicago skyline, perhaps foreshadowing the terror plot against Chicago-area synagogues on October 29, for which AQAP claimed responsibility.

Federal authorities have identified Samir Khan, an American blogger who distributed terrorist propaganda material from the U.S. for several years before leaving for Yemen in October 2009, as the principal author of the magazine. The graphics, design and overall packaging of Inspire resemble those on Khan's various blogs and in Jihad Recollections, the self-described "first English Jihad magazine" in which Khan was a contributor.

Khan authored a feature story in the October 2010 issue of Inspire, entitled I Am Proud to be a Traitor to America. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I was Al Qaeda to the core," Khan wrote about his years spent in the U.S. distributing terror propaganda. He proceeded to deride American federal authorities for allowing him to persist in spreading Al Qaeda's ideology, and criticized the U.S. government and its military incursions in the Middle East and South Asia.

The ability of foreign terrorist groups to motivate Americans to join their cause is not limited to the Internet or to Al Shabaab and AQAP, perhaps the two most effective terrorist groups producing propaganda targeting westerners. For example, David Coleman Headley, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to helping plan a number of terrorist attacks, including a series of coordinated attacks in November 2008 that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai. Headley conducted reconnaissance of a number of the targeted locations for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), the Pakistani-based Islamic terrorist organization. Several other American citizens have been charged with providing material support to LET.

Source: http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/al_qaeda_american_recruits.htm

Aviation Security Article

2011-07-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

Airport security directors criticize TSA, offer Congress recommendations

“The TSA is so focused on protocols that they often lose sight of what is reasonable or even necessary”

By Leischen Stelter - 07.19.2011

WASHINGTON—The Transportation Security Administration is inefficient, inflexible, abusive of its power, and lacks separation of power, Jerry Orr, aviation director for Charlotte Douglas International Airport, told House members on July 13 during a hearing on airport perimeter security.

“With these shortcomings, achieving security can be lost in the shuffle,” said Orr, in written transcripts of his testimony. “Security needs are dynamic and a security organization needs to be similarly flexible.”

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations heard from Orr and several other aviation experts about the state of aviation security.

Leading up to the hearing, the Department of Homeland Security released documents revealing that there have been more than 25,000 security breaches at U.S. airports since November 2001, reported USA Today. One of the most prominent breaches resulted in the death of Delvonte Tisdale, a 16-year-old boy who stowed away in the wheel well of a 737 plane in Charlotte Douglas Airport and likely froze to death before his body fell out of the plane near Boston.

While Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the committee, insisted this was not a “blame session”, Orr was defensive about the incident, which he said “unfairly tarnished the reputation of the organization.” Orr has been openly critical of the TSA and told the committee that the agency was unresponsive and failed to communicate following this incident. “The TSA is so focused on protocols that they often lose sight of what is reasonable or even necessary. There is a tremendous emphasis on doing it the same way every time everywhere,” he said.

Orr said he would like to see Congress redirect airport security funding away from TSA and redirect it instead to airports. “Every airport is different in many ways: location, geography, numbers of passengers departing or just passing through, etc. Each airport operator is intimately familiar with its vulnerabilities as well as its strengths and can therefore make effective enhancements and improvements,” he said.

“Security is a burdensome necessity in today’s world. There is no question about that,” Orr testified. “But our efforts and expenditures should be designed to leverage people and expenditures in other areas.

The former director of security at Tel-Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel also offered testimony about the state of aviation security in the United States. Rafi Ron, who is now the president of consulting firm New-Age Security Solutions, told House subcommittee members that the government must ask itself: What airport security investments will pay the highest dividends? Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the government has spent a lot of money and attention on securing its airports and today airports are much harder targets for terrorists to exploit, Ron said. However, threats remain prominent and must be addressed. To do so, Ron recommended a more comprehensive and balanced approach to aviation security.

One of the most significant obstacles is jurisdictional issues among federal, state and local authorities. “While screening is carried out and fully funded by the TSA, other security measures at the airport are not,” he said. “Airport facility security is performed and funded mostly by state and or local authorities.” This jurisdictional conflict means that “no one person at the airport is in charge of security,” he said.

The government must focus on other layers of security other than passenger screening, such as perimeter protection, access control, and terminal security. “As it stands today, the vast majority of commercial airports in this country, including some of the high-profile airports, do not have the capabilities to detect and prevent an intruder from entering the airside of the airport through the fence or an adjacent waterfront,” Ron said.

Ron said there is a lack of a comprehensive approach to airport security and a lack of clear standards for airport operators. He recommends the TSA develop a comprehensive, integrated airport security model that includes the design of technical systems, operational elements, and human resources factors. He also said the government should establish incentives and avenues for each airport to create a clear, integrated, and harmonized organizational structure.

Source: http://www.securitydirectornews.com/?p=article&id=sd201107kpfVId

Tom Conley Comment:

It is not just the TSA that is the problem with our airports being placed in an unacceptably-dangerous security posture. Some airport aviation directors are directly to blame for their willful disregard by purposely failing to maintain even a fundamental level of security at their airports. These aviation directors are literally gambling with the lives of people who they are responsible to protect. In some cases, security programs have been literally gutted in the name of saving money. Does this sound like a pre-9/11 mentality? Yes, it does to me also. To make matters worse, the TSA must, by law, approve an airport’s aviation security plan provided that plan meets all “technical” requirements. Meeting all technical requirements IS NOT the same as having adequate security. Between the TSA and grossly negligent airport aviation directors, it is no wonder that there have been more than 25,000 (reported) security breaches at U.S. airports since November 2001. I can’t help but wonder the real number of security breaches since 9/11. The terrorists who remain highly committed to kill us, including all the homegrown violent extremists, only need one security breach to be successful…

Airport Security Article

2011-07-13T12:55:00.006-05:00

Thousands of Airport Security Breaches Raise Alarms

TSA spokesman says number is "tiny"

4:45 AM, Jul. 13, 2011

Documents show that since November 2001, there have been 6,000 security breaches in which TSA screeners failed to screen, or improperly screened, a passenger or a passenger’s carry-on items. / George Frey / File / Bloomberg

More than 25,000 security breaches — an average of seven per day — have occurred at U.S. airports since November 2001, according to newly released Department of Homeland Security documents.

More than 14,000 were people entering “limited-access” areas by going through airport doors or passageways without permission, or unauthorized people going from airport buildings to planes, according to the documents to be presented at a House subcommittee hearing today.

The documents, obtained in advance by USA TODAY, don’t provide details about the security breaches or whether any could have led to potential attacks on planes or passengers.

The total number of infractions is small when compared with the large volume of traffic at the 450 major airports in the U.S., which have served more than 5.5 billion fliers since 2001. But critics say there is still reason to worry.

“It’s clear the airports are not secure,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations. “For all the money, time and persistence we have thrown at airport security, it’s a real mess.”

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nicholas Kimball said the breaches represent a tiny fraction of 1 percent of the air travelers who used U.S. airports in the past decade. The term “breach” is broadly defined and can mean accidental violations that pose no real danger to the public, he said.

“Many of these instances were thwarted or discovered in the act,” Kimball said. “These events were reported, investigated and remedied. … We have taken extensive steps to increase the safety of the traveling public, and that is why airports today are safer than ever before.”

Security consultant Raffi Ron will testify today that the TSA has spent billions of dollars to screen passengers and bags and relegated other aspects of security “to the back seat,” according to written testimony submitted to the House subcommittee.

“As it stands today, the vast majority of commercial airports in this country … do not have the capabilities to detect and prevent an intruder from entering the air side of the airport through the fence or an adjacent waterfront,” said Ron, a former security director at Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The House subcommittee says it does not have a breakdown by year when the security breaches occurred, but former Federal Aviation Administration Security Director Billie Vincent says 25,000 security breaches indicates a problem.

“We’re open to penetration if someone decides to penetrate,” he said.

More details needed

Vincent says, however, that more details are needed, such as what specifically occurred. Until such information is provided, fliers should only “be mildly concerned” about their safety, he said.

In 2006, tests by the TSA showed that security screeners at Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60 percent of tests, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY.

In 2003, five undercover Department of Homeland Security agents posing as passengers carried weapons undetected through several security checkpoints at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

Documents to be introduced at today’s subcommittee hearing also show:

6,000 security breaches in which Transportation Security Administration screeners failed to screen, or improperly screened, a passenger or a passenger’s carry-on items.

2,616 security breaches involving an individual gaining unauthorized access to the “sterile area” at screening checkpoints or an exit lane without submitting to all screening procedures and inspections.

1,026 incidents when someone gained unauthorized access to a sterile area but was “contained” or “constantly monitored” by airport or security personnel until apprehended.

1,318 incidents in which someone gained unauthorized access from airport perimeters to aircraft operations or security identification display areas and was under constant surveillance until apprehended.

Vincent, who praises the TSA for compiling security-breach numbers, says that very few perimeters at airports worldwide are secure.

Chaffetz has no praise for TSA.

“It’s absolutely stunning that the vulnerabilities are so wide,” Chaffetz said. “There’s not much to suggest that airports are more secure than years ago. We’ve just been lucky.”

Source: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110713/NEWS08/307130116/Thousands-airport-security-breaches-raise-alarms

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Tom Conley Comment:

The information contained is this article is truly reflective of the highly dangerous state of our nation's airports and air security (or more appropriately, the lack thereof). And, this unacceptable state of air security is why I question if it is truly safe to fly commercially.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz' comment about it being absolutely stunning that the vulnerabilities are so wide is spot on. What is perhaps the most astounding to me is that the TSA spokesman stated the number in this repot is "tiny." If this number is tiny, I would hate to see what the TSA considers to be a large number. The concept that they have to get it right about every time is obviously lost on them.

Shooting Puts Focus on Hospital Security

2011-07-11T13:25:00.003-05:00

Written by FRANK GLUCK

8:55 PM, Jul. 6, 2011

The shooting death of a Collier County woman at Physicians Regional Medical Center on Tuesday is a reminder of an uncomfortable truth about hospitals: Easy access to patient rooms, emergency departments and common areas mean violent acts are difficult to prevent, even if a hospital is vigilant.

And incidents are on the rise, security experts say.

“Hospitals are considered safe havens, but that’s not always the case,” said Joe Bellino, security executive at Memorial Herman Hospital in Houston, Texas, and an expert on hospital-based violence. “People today are under more stress than I’ve seen in my life. These people bring that stress.”

Physicians Regional administrators and security staff are reviewing their security procedures, said spokeswoman Taylor Hamilton. The hospital would not elaborate.

Physicians Regional was open to new patients and visitors Wednesday. They have made grief counselors available to hospital staff.

“We are proud of the quick incident response by our security personnel and the rigorous emergency management preparation that our hospital and clinic associates established and followed,” the hospital said in a statement.

Shootings are rare at U.S. hospitals, but violence is on the rise, according to the Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations.

It found that self-reported rates of assaults, homicides and rapes were at their highest recorded level between 2007 and 2009.

Hospitals at risk

In a separate study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December, researchers at Johns Hopkins University calculated that assault rates at U.S. health-care facilities is four times higher than in other workplace settings.

A shooter injured a doctor and killed a patient in September at Johns Hopkins.

Are metal detectors an answer? The Johns Hopkins researchers concluded they provide a false sense of security. Bellino agrees. About 5 percent to 8 percent of U.S. hospitals use them, he said.

Source: http://www.news-press.com/article/20110707/CRIME/110706060/Shooting-puts-focus-hospital-security?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|s

Tom Conley Comment:

The security industry is changing with respect to more and more security officers being armed. I know of no security industry expert who thinks the trend of security officers being armed will not continue. Organizations are arming their security officers because they are coming to understand that having armed officers on-site when an incident occurs is their one and only chance of neutralizing an armed perpetrator thereby denying that perpetrator the opportunity to kill a lot of defenseless people. As the old saying goes, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.” This is in no way their fault. The fact is that law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once and that an incident will likely be over by the time they are able to arrive on scene. The simple truth is there will most certainly be a body count if a perpetrator is not neutralizing early on in the attack cycle. Who would want the deaths of innocent people on their conscience when those deaths could have very likely been prevented by adequate security measures? Not me.

The on-site security officers are the first responders; they are just not the first public safety responders. Administrators in all organizations need to understand the need to professionalize their security staff and arm their security officers.

Al Qaeda Remains Top Threat to U.S.

2011-06-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

By KEITH JOHNSON

The Obama administration said Wednesday that al Qaeda and its acolytes—including radicalized Americans—remained the "preeminent security threat to the United States" even after the death last month of Osama bin Laden.

In its first formal document on counterterrorism strategy, the administration said direct attacks on the homeland by foreigners or homegrown militants were its top priority, ahead of such militant-heavy regions as Yemen and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

"We seek nothing less than the utter destruction of this evil that calls itself al Qaeda," John Brennan, the president's chief counterterrorism adviser, said in a speech Wednesday.

Rather than marking a shift in strategy, the document formalizes the approach to fighting terrorism that the administration has taken since President Barack Obama came to office in 2009, and continues many elements used by his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The document's release comes amid upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa, which has blurred the battle lines between the U.S. and militant Islamists. Peaceful protests in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia have toppled long-standing repressive governments and undermined al Qaeda's message of change through violence. Al Qaeda was further weakened by the Navy SEAL team assault that killed bin Laden in his Pakistan hideout.

However, administration officials say the turmoil also provides opportunities for the al Qaeda network to carve out new havens and prepare fresh attacks.

Mr. Brennan said the administration would continue "targeted, surgical" strikes to eliminate al Qaeda leaders and boost cooperation with other countries, including Yemen, where a longtime U.S. ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has a precarious hold on power, and Pakistan, whose often-fragile relations with the U.S. have become even more uncertain since bin Laden's presence there was revealed.

"As frustrating as this relationship can sometimes be, Pakistan has been critical to many of our most significant successes against al Qaeda," Mr. Brennan said in prepared remarks. "I am confident that Pakistan will remain one of our most important counterterrorism partners."

The administration's plan also emphasizes steps to beef up homeland security—especially resilience to cyber or biological attack—and stresses the need to counter al Qaeda on the ideological front.

For the past two years, undermining al Qaeda's ability to attract new recruits, especially inside the U.S., has been part of the administration's counterterror approach. Mr. Brennan singled out two American-born, English-speaking spokesmen for al Qaeda, Adam Gadahn in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region and Anwar al Awlaki in Yemen, for their roles in radicalizing recruits.

"This is the first counterterrorism strategy that focuses on the ability of al Qaeda and its network to inspire people in the United States to attack us from within," Mr. Brennan said.

Foiled plots led by homegrown radicals include a 2009 plan to blow up New York City subways; a 2010 plan to explode a car bomb in Times Square; and numerous "lone-wolf" plans to blow up prominent buildings that were foiled by FBI sting operations.

Mr. Brennan said that this summer the administration would present a more detailed plan to work with local Muslim and Arab communities to counter violent extremism in the U.S.

Write to Keith Johnson at keith.johnson@wsj.com

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303763404576416191709848746.html?KEYWORDS=security

FBI says terrorism cases on upswing

2011-06-27T12:18:00.003-05:00

Federal officials in Seattle say they unraveled a plot last week that was developed by what appear to be homegrown radicals embracing a militant Islamic doctrine.

By Hal Bernton, Mike Carter and Steve Miletich

Seattle Times staff reporters

JIM ARGO / AP

A firefighter passes damaged vehicles near the ruins of the Oklahoma City federal building after its 1995 bombing

In 2002, Joseph Anthony Davis held up a 7-Eleven in Bremerton with two plastic toy guns.

Nine years later, he sat on the floor of his SeaTac apartment to plan a terrorist attack with machine guns and grenades against a Seattle military recruiting station, according to tape-recordings made by an informant.

Federal officials last week arrested Davis, now known as Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, as they once again unraveled an alleged plot developed not in some distant al-Qaida haven but by what appear to be homegrown radicals embracing a militant Islamic doctrine.

Terrorism analysts say such individuals have been involved in many of the Islamic terrorism cases prosecuted by the Justice Department in recent years.

And they caution that the United States is in a period of heightened risk for such plots, which are fueled by a combustible mix that includes graphic images of civilians killed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the upcoming 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and, perhaps most important, the U.S. special-operations team's killing of Osama bin Laden.

"With martyrdom comes a strong desire to retaliate. It adds another layer of motivation," said David Cid, executive director of the Oklahoma-based Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. "Everybody has to be pretty much on their toes for the foreseeable future."

Law-enforcement officials in the Northwest and elsewhere in the nation also are on alert to potential terrorism threats from an expanding pool of American right-wing extremists.

This year, Kevin William Harpham, a former soldier from Stevens County who reportedly had links to neo-Nazi groups in the past, was accused of planting a bomb laced with rat poison along the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade route in Spokane.

"Just with the number of cases we've had in the past six months, I'm going to be asking for a 10 to 20 percent increase in our current (budget) numbers," said David Gomez, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle office.

The office oversees two squads, which include federal and local law-enforcement officers, focused on international terrorism. A third squad focuses on domestic cases, which continue to be "way more pressing on a day-to-day basis," Gomez said.

For law-enforcement officials, there is also the continuing wild card of loners who unleash mass-casualty attacks without any apparent ideological motives. That includes the 2007 shooting massacre at Virginia Tech University, where a 23-year-old student killed 32 people.

Willing to die

"Sacrifice is necessary in order to achieve success in anything in life, and sometimes it requires us to die," said Abdul-Latif in a website comment he left on Voice of America about the death of bin Laden.

In tape-recorded comments to an FBI informant, Abdul-Latif and his alleged co-conspirator, Walli Mujahidh, formerly known as Frederick Domingue Jr., indicated that they both expected to die in the attack on the recruiting center. They hoped their efforts would inspire other Muslims to strike such recruiting centers.

In recent years, terrorism analysts have spent a lot of time trying to better understand how people reach a point that they are willing to take such extreme action.

A 2007 New York Police Department study on homegrown terrorism found that the majority of people involved in these plots began as "unremarkable," and their shift in self-identification occurred when they were shaken by some event in their lives.

They then "gradually gravitate away from their old identity" and move into a more violent phase when they designate themselves as holy warriors.

Abdul-Latif seems to fit this pattern. He led a troubled life that included two suicide attempts and serving two years in prison for robbing the 7-Eleven, according to court documents. Either during or after his incarceration, he converted to Islam.

In recent months, as his efforts to run a cleaning-detailing business ended in a bankruptcy filing, Abdul-Latif emerged as a self-proclaimed "emir" in the alleged plot to attack the recruiting center.

A Homeland Security Department study found that 70 percent of terrorist plots are initially detected by local residents or police. Local, state and federal law-enforcement officers share information through 70 "fusion centers," including one in the Seattle FBI office.

"The good news is that they work," said William Bratton, a former Los Angeles police chief who serves as vice chairman of an advisory committee for Homeland Security.

The alleged Seattle conspirators were exposed by an informant who went to the Seattle police. The informant posed as a third conspirator, helping secure weapons that had been rendered inoperative by law-enforcement officials.

Many of these post-9/11 Islamic terrorism cases have been unraveled by informants or undercover operatives, leading defense attorneys to sometimes try to raise entrapments issues in court filings.

Some of the plotters appeared to be novices who lacked the skills to pull off a major attack.

In Portland, for example, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old from Corvallis, Ore., was caught in an FBI sting operation that supplied him with a van packed with dummy explosives, which allegedly were intended to detonate at a Christmas-tree lighting ceremony last November.

Bratton said some terrorist plans have failed because the plotters were "not the brightest bulbs in the circuit."

At the same time, he said, it only takes one disturbed individual to create tremendous havoc.

In Seattle in 2006, Naveed Haq, a Tri-Cities man with a history of mental illness, attacked the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, making anti-Semitic statements before killing one woman and wounding five. In 2009, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who appeared to have been influenced by the Internet preachings of a jihadist in the Middle East, killed 13 people and wounded 32 in an attack at Fort Hood, Texas.

Right-wing radicals

The threat of violence from right-wing extremists has also surged during the past several years, according to Cid, the head of the Oklahoma terrorism-prevention institute. He says the current threat level is similar to the months before the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing by Timothy McVeigh, which killed 168 people, including 19 children.

"We are seeing the rhetoric on the webpages become more pointed ... and we are concerned," said Cid, a former FBI agent who assisted in the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing.

In 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified 824 militia groups, a big spike from the 149 counted in 2008.

Militants are rallying around issues such as immigration and fears of a changing American demographic that is predicted to put whites in a minority around 2050, according to Mark Potok of the center. The election of the biracial President Obama has also played to their fears, as well as the tidal wave of foreclosures that have snatched away people's homes during the recession, he says.

Within the past two years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked more than 20 right-wing terrorist plots and incidents.

Those include the arrest in Michigan of nine militia members who allegedly sought to kill a Michigan police officer and then use bombs and homemade missiles to kill other officers attending the funeral.

This year, a man with ties to a neo-Nazi group was arrested in Arizona for allegedly building homemade grenades and pipe bombs for supply to groups patrolling the Mexico border. In March, six people with a cache of weapons that included grenades and grenade launchers were charged with plotting to kill or kidnap Alaska state troopers and a Fairbanks judge.

In one peculiar terrorism case pursued in Asotin County, Joseph Jeffrey Brice, 21, opened email and PayPal accounts using the name of McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, yet he is accused of posting bomb-making tips and videos on a jihadi website.

In May, Brice was indicted by a Spokane grand jury for manufacturing a powerful improvised explosive device, which detonated prematurely in 2010 and caused him severe injury.

"It gets to the point that ideology is less important than action," said Gomez, the FBI assistant special agent in charge in Seattle. "From my perspective, it doesn't matter if it's Christian Identity or radical Islam. We have to focus on these guys committing crimes."

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015427889_terror26m.html

Doors left open to terror threat

2011-06-19T14:40:00.006-05:00

U.S.

still lacks a system to track entry and departure of foreign visitors

By STEWART M. POWELL

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

June 13, 2011, 5:22AM

IS AMERICA SECURE?

A federal report says the U.S. does not have a fail-safe way to track foreigners who overstay their visas.

11 million: Estimated undocumented foreigners in the U.S.

5.5 million: Estimated number of those who have overstayed visas.

134 million: Visitors who entered the U.S. from fiscal years 2005 through 2010.

68: Foreigners convicted of terror-related crimes, including 36 with expired visas.

U.S. General Accounting Office

WASHINGTON — Nearly a decade after five suicide hijackers with expired U.S. visas helped 14 comrades carry out the Sept. 11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security and Congress have yet to come up with a fail-safe way to check foreign visitors in and out of the U.S., leaving an unknown number unaccounted for inside the country.

A 14-month inquiry by Congress' investigative Government Accountability Office concluded the absence of a state-of-the-art system to track visitors' departures with fraud-proof biometrics such as digital fingerprints is leaving the nation exposed to potential attack by individuals who legally enter through 327 airports and other ports of entry - and then stay beyond expiration of the routine six-month visitor visa.

As many as 5.5 million of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States may be individuals who have overstayed legal visas, according to estimates cited by the GAO. During the six years from 2005 through 2010, immigration authorities checked in 134 million visitors - 36 million from countries requiring U.S. visas and 98 million from 36 countries in the visa wavier program, such as France, the Czech Republic, Japan and Australia.

"A critical element of national security in this global age is keeping track of visitors to our country," declared Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican. "Our law enforcement officials must have every tool at their command to locate these individuals who no longer have the legal right to be in the U.S. Anything less brings complacency and the very real danger that terrorists find new ways to attack our nation."

Once inside the country, visitors face little scrutiny. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, devotes barely 3 percent of its investigative time to overstay investigations. Authorities conducted 34,700 overstay investigations during the past seven years, leading to 8,100 arrests, congressional investigators found.

Challenging task

Penalties for overstaying range from a three-year ban on returning to the U.S. for those who overstayed less than six months to a 10-year ban for those who exceeded a year.

"Identifying overstays is challenging, particularly given that in the absence of biometric departure data, DHS must rely on biographic information" provided on paper departure forms, congressional investigators said in a 71-page report.

Terrorism convictions by the Justice Department since the 9/11 attacks underscore the potential threat.

Of 399 individuals convicted of terror-related charges over the past nine years, 68 were foreigners illegally in the U.S., including 36 who entered the country legally and then overstayed their visas.

Last week's Internet video call to arms by a U.S.-born Muslim convert based in Pakistan illustrates the potential challenge. Adam Yahiye Gadahn. 32, a native of Orange County, Calif., now on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists, urged Muslims in the United States to obtain firearms to wage a "jihad against America."

"America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms," Gadahn said. "So what are you waiting for?"

'A gaping hole'

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee's oversight panel, called visa overstays "a gaping hole in national security," adding: "Considering this is a commonly used method for terrorists to remain in the United States untracked to plot attacks from inside our borders, this administration needs a much greater sense of urgency to put a system in place."

Rep. John Culberson, a Houston Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee panel with jurisdiction over homeland security, said authorities must have "a verifiable way of identifying and locating anyone who overstays their visa so we're not vulnerable to attacks from within."

Federal law enforcement agents are devoting hard-pressed resources targeting illegal immigrants and visitors with expired visas who are national security threats, convicted criminals or other threats to public safety rather than every person who overstays, says Matt Chandler, spokesman for DHS.

The GAO findings appear to suggest the nation faces a greater threat of terrorists infiltrating through airports than across the Southwest border. Security along the Southwest border has been at the core of political posturing over immigration reform, particularly in Texas.

"There is a big emphasis on the border," says Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat and former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee's panel on border security. "But we cannot put all the barriers on the border and then have those people come in the legal way and overstay."

Chandler says DHS continues to have trouble developing a cost-effective way to quickly match the digital records of arriving visitors with the paper records of departing visitors. A series of studies and pilot projects since 2003 demonstrates that technology exists but costs are high - up to $13 billion over 20 years.

10 years later

After revelations that the 19 suicide hijackers had entered the United States legally with foreign passports and U.S. visas 33 times at 10 airports, the independent 9/11 commission called for immediate installation of a biometric entry-exit screening system to unmask false identities that prospective terrorists might use to evade law enforcement watch lists at airports.

"It is unacceptable that nearly 10 years after 9/11 we still have no way of knowing with any certainty who is in our country," said Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. He cited the case of Jordanian Hosam Smadi who overstayed his visa "and nearly succeeding in blowing up" a 60-story Dallas skyscraper in 2009 before being arrested, pleading guilty and being sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/7607655.html

Al Qaeda-Linked Site Posts 'Hit List' of U.S. Targets, Prompting Feds to Send Alert

2011-06-16T20:20:00.003-05:00

By Judson Berger

Published June 16, 2011 | FoxNews.com

The Department of Homeland Security has sent out an internal alert warning that jihadist websites last week posted a "hit list" of American executives, officials and companies -- an alarming development that could mark the start of a new phase in terror plots.

The list, which covers dozens of names connected to the Iraq war, including executives at Halliburton and KBR, was compiled by users who vowed to "send explosive mail" to the "best target." The lists were published online around the same time American-born Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn released a video in which he called on Muslims in the U.S. to kill Americans.

Security analysts believe the two messages are related and underscore a shift in terror strategy -- from top-down, mass-casualty events to smaller-scale attacks taken up, in some cases, by freelancing, lone-wolf jihadists.

The DHS bulletin, obtained by FoxNews.com, described how posts on the Arabic-language Ansar al-Mujahideen forum discussed "specific targets" for potential attack. The discussion originated on a more secure Al Qaeda-linked site known as the Shumukh forum.

Reached for comment, DHS spokesman Chris Ortman said in an email that there is no evidence of an imminent attack, but he confirmed DHS is monitoring.

"While we have no information of any imminent terrorist threat to the United States or any U.S. persons, as always, we urge federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as the general public, to maintain increased vigilance for indications of preoperational or suspicious activity," Ortman said.

He confirmed that the list of names and companies "that the user believed were legitimate targets" prompted the initial "Open Source Information Report" from DHS' intelligence office last week. Ortman said the threats were also cited in a June 9 DHS-FBI "intelligence note" that went out to "federal, state, local, tribal and private sector partners."

The full breadth of the online discussion is actually worse than it is portrayed in the original DHS report. Though the report mostly referred to potential private-sector targets named on the thread early last week, Shumukh posts obtained by FoxNews.com show the jihadist discussion has stretched into this week. Subsequent posts after the report went out included discussion of numerous government officials, as well as media figures.

The extensive file started with a post from someone identified as Al-Assad Al-Thaer urging supporters to compile the list of executives and officials who supported the "war on our nation," calling them part of the "Zionist Crusaders Alliance." The post said the list would then be screened by "the leaders of Jihad" to determine where to attack.

"After that, we will generate detailed reports such as home addresses, phone numbers, and regular address where we will send explosive mail to," the post said, according to the bulletin.

From there, contributors posted dozens of photos and names, ranging from U.S. military leaders to foreign officials to more contractors. It's unclear from the meandering discussion whether the contributors have since sought to prioritize their sprawling list.

Counterterrorism consultant Patrick Poole told FoxNews.com the list appears to be an unprecedented attempt to go "into the heartland" and target individuals in America.

"I can't recall anything this specific," he said. "I think these guys are serious."

Though the posts reference "leaders of Jihad," Poole said the authors appear to be calling on anyone willing to take up the cause to carry out assassinations -- preferably, in their eyes, somebody already in the United States. He said it appears to be linked to Gadahn's recent video, in which he called for Muslims in America to individually arm themselves and wage jihad.

"The threat could come from anywhere," Poole said.

Asked about the DHS bulletin and the apparent threats, KBR spokeswoman Sheryl Gibbs said: "We are aware."

The company sent a written statement to FoxNews.com saying it has an "exceptional team" to provide security for its workers when needed and works "closely" with law enforcement officials.

"As a global company and government contractor, from time-to-time, KBR employees receive terrorist threats," the statement said. "KBR takes the safety and security of our employees, key stakeholders and board members very seriously in all of the work we do."

A spokesman at one government agency targeted on the list also said in a brief email to FoxNews.com that "we are aware of the threat and have taken appropriate measures."

Aaron Weisburd, director of the Society for Internet Research, confirmed that the threatening posts first appeared on Shumukh -- a password-protected, members-only site. He said the messages then drifted over to the more accessible Ansar site, possibly so a broader audience could see it.

Weisburd, who has access to the Shumukh site and saw the original posts, described the site as "the number-one Al Qaeda-supporting website on the Internet today."

Weisburd said the users are "brainstorming" and still face the challenge of convincing somebody to carry out an attack. But he said they're serious about inspiring followers to take up the cause.

"They want you just to pick up a weapon and wage jihad right where you are against the best target you can find," Weisburd said.

Though the target audience might be budding jihadists in the U.S., Weisburd noted that the Shumukh site hardly has any American readers. According to his research, it is most frequented by Palestinians, as well as Moroccans, Algerians and Egyptians.

But the posts on both sites have gotten plenty of readers. Weisburd said a couple thousand read the discussion on Shumukh. According to the DHS bulletin, the Ansar discussion was viewed 670 times as of June 6 and was a top hitter on the site.

"Ansar's one of the largest jihadist Internet hangouts," Poole said, calling the messages targeting individuals an "expression of a radical shift that's occurred over the past two years."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/16/feds-send-alert-after-al-qaeda-linked-site-posts-hit-list-us-targets

The Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board (ATAB) Presents Award

2011-05-31T15:06:00.002-05:00

ATAB Legion of Exceptional Merit Award is presented to:

Mr. Tom M. Conley, CMAS, CPP

This award is being presented to Mr. Conley as a ATAB Member in good standing, who while serving in his capacity against the global war against terrorism has distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious service in a position of great responsibility. His performance and assistance to ATAB has merited recognition for service that is clearly exceptional and of conspicuously significant achievement.

Tom M. Conley is the President & C.E.O. of The Conley Group, Inc. headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The Conley Group, Inc. provides highly qualified uniformed and plainclothes security services, security patrol services, and the Remote Viewing^TM solution to their clients. He is a former civilian police captain and is a senior-level commissioned officer in the United States Navy (Reserve). In the U. S. Navy, he has served in a number of law enforcement, criminal investigation and information security leadership positions, as well as a commanding officer of a destroyer squadron detachment. He is a certified Master Training Specialist (MTS) by the U.S. Navy and a certified counter-terrorism instructor by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Mr. Conley has been designated a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), by ASIS International, has been designated as both a Certified Anti-terrorism Specialist (CAS), a Certified Master Anti-terrorism Specialist (CMAS) and a Certified Maritime Security Manager (CAS-MSM) by the Anti Terrorism Accreditation Board, has been designated as a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, has been designated as both a Certified Protection Officer (CPO) and a Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI) by the International Foundation for Protection Officers, has been designated a Certified Private Investigator (CPI) by the Academy of Private Investigators, has been Certified in Homeland Security - Level III (CHS-III) by The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, and has been designated a Certified Fraud Investigator (CFI) by the International Academy of Investigative Professionals. He is also a graduate of Executive Security International, a highly regarded executive protection academy, where he became certified as an Executive Security Specialist. He is a Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B), has earned a bona fide Black Belt in Karate, and is a certified expert with the handgun and rifle.

Mr. Conley has earned a Master of Arts Degree in Business Leadership with an emphasis in Quality Management from Upper Iowa University, where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He also earned two undergraduate degrees from Upper Iowa University: a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. He graduated with honors from both degree programs.

Under his leadership and during his 35 plus years in the private security and investigative professions, he has provided services to Amoco Oil Company, General Electric Corporation, Principal Financial Group, the U.S. Marshal's Service, the State of Iowa, NBC Television, the Des Moines International Airport, the Des Moines Skywalk, the United States Federal Aviation Administration, Union Pacific Railroad, Federal Express Corporation, and ConAgra, Inc., just to name a few. The Conley Group, Inc. is well known for their high level of organizational professionalism, their consistent ability to effectively deal with difficult security challenges and their ability to effectively manage demanding assignments.

For information about this award as well as the other award selectees, please see the full announcements at: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=pnangcdab&v=001SEg_mP6bgKSepHZ2kPv5d0LtYHZQgcJmiuUOd3TuAoX4BHAJDHd275DuOcjPZgdMrYNrurv8I_uV7qVzEErg292-ajRMkysw6_VIQ_M9N7P-hrJdT1IJSw%3D%3D.

Police on radio scanner apps: That's not a 10-4

2011-05-30T12:38:00.001-05:00

By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com reporter

Matthew A. Hale, 29, was arrested last week in Muncie, Ind., after he allegedly fled the scene of a failed stickup at a pharmacy.

Police accused Hale of being the getaway driver for an accomplice who was supposed to rob the pharmacy. But Hale drove off when things went sour, only to be stopped and arrested shortly thereafter, they said. Bail was set this week at $25,000 on felony charges of attempted armed robbery.

It's all pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, except for one thing: How did Hale know the heist was falling apart inside the pharmacy as he sat outside in the car?

How did he know to take off?

Matthew Hale, it turned out, had a smartphone — specifically, a Droid from Verizon Wireless. And on that Droid he had an app that he used to monitor Muncie police radio traffic, Detective Jim Johnson said.

If you're one of the millions of smartphone users who've downloaded scanner apps with names like iScanner, PoliceStream and 5-0 Radio Police Scanner, pay attention:

You might be breaking the law.

Hale, in fact, was initially charged with a second violation, unlawful use of a police radio, which is a misdemeanor. Court records

show that prosecutors chose to go ahead only with the felony attempted robbery charges when Hale goes to court in July.

That doesn't change things for Detective Johnson. "The statute is that if it's being used as a police radio, that's illegal to have," he told my NBC colleague Chris Profitt of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis.

50 states, 50 laws

Should you scrub that scanner app from your phone? It depends. The law, it turns out, is quite literally all over the map on whether it's legal to use scanner apps on smartphones.

"As you look across the United States, we have 50 different states, and every state has different laws on things like obstruction of justice," said Benjamin Wright, a legal scholar in data security and forensics technology at the SANS Institute in Bethesda, Md., which teaches law enforcement and other security personnel the ins and outs of technology. (An earlier version of this post misspelled Benjamin Wright's name.)

It is legal to own a police scanner radio; on that, pretty much everyone agrees. Where things get sticky is when you take it out of your home. The problem, police and legal experts say, is that if you have it with you — in other words, if it's a mobile police scanner — then you can use it the way Matthew Hale is accused of: to aid in the commission of some other crime.

At least five states — Indiana among them, along with Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota and New York — make it illegal to use a mobile police scanner without a license from the Federal Communications Commission (i.e., a ham license) or permission from local law enforcement.

At least seven others, somewhat tautologously, make it illegal to use a mobile scanner explicitly in the commission of another crime. (They're California, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.)

In all of those states, a bewildering array of conditions and exemptions may apply: Is the radio "installed" in a vehicle or simply carried? Is it just a relay for a fixed radio? Perhaps you're a journalist on assignment — if so, you're all set in Indiana and Florida, where you're otherwise supposed to have an FCC license or the cops' permission.

'You could be at risk in any state'

The rest of the states don't clearly address the issue at all. That's because the laws were written in an era when "police scanner" meant a bulky box costing several hundred dollars that you could buy only at Radio Shack. They didn't envision a time when anyone could push a button, download an app and begin listening in immediately.

The apps don't even turn your phone into a true scanner. Instead, they receive feeds from police, fire and EMS channels all over the country, streamed over the Internet — and over your cellular network — to your device. You don't need to be in radio range, or even in the same state, for them to work.

"The technology is Buck Rogers stuff that nobody had heard of or thought of at the time the law was written," Wright told me. "This is the latest example of old laws bumping against new technologies where the application of the law is not clear."

"The outcome can often be a checkerboard, with very similar laws from one state to the next but different outcomes," he said. "In one state if you make it to a court, the court will rule it doesn't violate this law. Another court in another state will rule it does."

Until then, unwritten laws on obstruction of justice could apply, and that could be bad news for developers and customers alike, because "that is a general common law that doesn't have to be written down in any legislation," Wright said. Which means that "to the extent that you are using some type of app that is interpreted as obstructing justice, you could be at risk in any state, even in a state with no particular legislation."

While it's smart for app makers to include a warning in the terms of service to check your local laws, "I could envision somebody taking a hard-nosed attitude against these app makers regardless of them having these disclaimers and some prosecutor taking a position that these things are an obstruction of justice," he said. "I can envision a prosecutor trying to indict the app makers.

"It's something for an app maker to think about. You're making 5 bucks a pop for making these apps, and you've suddenly got a criminal indictment. That is not fun to deal with."

More cases could be likely

And it means things will keep happening like what happened to Cory C. Todd of Louisville, Ky.

In November, Louisville police charged Todd with possessing a mobile radio "capable of either receiving or transmitting radio or other messages or signals used by law enforcement."

Todd had three scanner apps installed on his phone when police searched it during their investigation of an unrelated case. He wasn't even using them at the time — he simply had them on his phone.

(Court records don't make it clear how that charge might eventually be resolved. The question of whether police had probable cause to legally search his phone is an entirely separate, equally thorny issue.)

So far, cases like Hale's and Todd's are very rare. The apps have been on the market for only a couple of years. But it's likely that more cases are on the way, because the public likes the apps and the police don't, and the laws are squishy.

The apps may be illegal in Indiana, but "I'd rather be safe than anything else," said Eugenea Jones Bare, a homemaker and mom in Muncie. "I'd rather have my kids safe."

But Jim Johnson, the Muncie detective, was just as determined. People shouldn't have the apps, he said, because the bad guys are simply going to "use that to assist in their crimes."

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/23/6704362-police-on-radio-scanner-apps-thats-not-a-10-4

Facebook Security Flaw Exposed User Accounts

2011-05-11T12:31:00.000-05:00

By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

A security vulnerability on Facebook Inc. for years gave advertisers and other third parties a way to access users' accounts and personal information, according to security firm Symantec Corp.

But Facebook said Tuesday it had fixed the problem and found no evidence of the issue resulting in private information being leaked.

The issue, which Symantec described as accidental, centers on Facebook applications, the third-party programs that allow users to play games, shop and do other tasks on the Facebook website. In some cases, those applications shared with advertisers and analytics companies so-called access tokens, which act like spare keys (originally intended for the apps) to access or post information on a user's account, including reading wall posts, accessing a friend's profile, posting to a user's wall and mining personal information.

As of April, Symantec estimated that the flaw affected close to 100,000 Facebook apps—and that since Facebook introduced apps in 2007 potentially hundreds of thousands of applications may have inadvertently leaked millions of access tokens to third parties.

It is possible that the third parties didn't realize they had the ability to access this information. Still, "the repercussions of this access token leakage are seen far and wide," wrote Symantec researcher Nishant Doshi in a blog post.

Symantec informed Facebook of the problem in the second week of April, and the social network took steps to address it.

"We've conducted a thorough investigation which revealed no evidence of this issue resulting in a user's private information being shared with unauthorized third parties," said a Facebook spokeswoman in an email, without specifying how the company conducted its study. She also said contractual obligations with advertisers and developers prohibit them from obtaining or sharing user information in a ways that violate Facebook's policies.

Facebook's spokeswoman said the company has "strong policy enforcement and technical measures that allow us to quickly catch and take action against suspicious behavior on the platform."

Last fall, Facebook punished several app developers for passing along identifiable user information to ad companies after a Wall Street Journal investigation found that many apps were sharing such data.

"Facebook's complex ecosystem—with thousands of independent apps and complex data flows to and from apps—is a problem of its own creation," said Ben Edelman, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School. "No one asked Facebook to create this system, which sharply reduces my sympathy for Facebook when things go wrong."

Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730804576315682856383872.html?KEYWORDS=security

Bin Laden eyed US rail system for 9-11 follow-up attack

2011-05-10T17:02:00.003-05:00

Documents from compound indicate mass transit was possible target for 10th anniversary of 9-11

BY EILEEN SULLIVAN

Associated Press

05-6-2011 9:42 are

WASHINGTON -- Holed up in a compound in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was scheming how to hit the

United States

hard again, according to newly uncovered documents that show al-Qaida plans for derailing an American train on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Details of the plan emerged Thursday as some of the first intelligence was gleaned from the trove of information found in bin Laden's residence when Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaida leader and four of his associates. They took his body and scooped up computers, DVDs and documents from the compound where U.S. officials think he had been living for as long as six years.

The confiscated materials reveal the rail attack planning as of February 2010. One idea outlined in handwritten notes was to tamper with an unspecified U.S. rail track so that a train would fall off the track at a valley or a bridge. Counterterrorism officials said they believe the plot was only in the initial planning stages, and there is no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack. The FBI and Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin with details of the plan to law enforcement around the country. The bulletin, marked "for official use only," was obtained by The Associated Press.

Other intelligence pulled from the compound represented a terrorist wish list but has revealed no specific plan so far. Some documents indicated a desire to strike the U.S. with large-scale attacks in major cities and on key dates such as anniversaries and holidays. But there never was any sign that those were anything more than ambitions, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence.

Even before the raid, intelligence officials for years had warned that al-Qaida was interested in attacking major U.S. cities on prominent dates on the American calendar. Since bin Laden's death, authorities have warned of the possibility of revenge attacks.

A statement posted on militant websites Friday, apparently issued by al-Qaida leadership, gives the group's confirmation that bin Laden is dead and threatens retaliation against Americans. "Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness," it said, "their blood will be mingled with their tears."

Monday's raid by helicopter-borne SEALs was fraught with risk, sensationally bold and a historic success, netting a man who had been on the run for nearly a decade after his terrorist organization pulled off the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. During the raid, the SEALs met far less resistance than the Obama administration initially described. The commandos encountered gunshots from only one man, whom they quickly killed, before sweeping the house and shooting others, who were unarmed, a senior defense official said in the latest account.

The New York Times and The Washington Post reported Thursday on their websites that a CIA surveillance team had been watching bin Laden's residence from a rented house near the compound for months. The agency declined to comment on the reports.

President Barack Obama visited New York's ground zero on Thursday during a somber and understated event where he avoided mentioning bin Laden by name.

The U.S. account of what happened inside bin Laden's Abbottabad compound is so far the only one most Americans have. Pakistan has custody of the people rounded up afterward, including more than two dozen children and women. Differing accounts purporting to be from witnesses have appeared in Pakistani and Arab media, and on the Internet.

Intelligence analysts have been reviewing and translating the material seized from the compound, looking for information about pending plots and other terror connections. In light of the intelligence indicating al-Qaida was considering an attack on a U.S. railway, the FBI and Homeland Security told local officials to be on the lookout for clips or spikes missing from train tracks, packages left on or near the tracks and other indications that a train could be vulnerable.

"While it is clear that there was some level of planning for this type of operation in February 2010, we have no recent information to indicate an active ongoing plot to target transportation and no information on possible locations or specific targets," Thursday's warning to law enforcement said.

Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said, "This alleged al-Qaida plotting is based on initial reporting, which is often misleading or inaccurate and subject to change." He said the government has no plans to issue an official terror alert because of it.

On Monday, the FBI and Homeland Security warned law enforcement officials around the country that bin Laden's death could inspire retaliatory attacks in the U.S., and terrorists not yet known to the intelligence community could be operating inside the country.

The transportation sector – including

U.S.

railways – continue to be attractive targets for terrorists. In the past few years, U.S. officials have disrupted other terror plots that targeted rails, including a 2009 plan to bomb the New York City subway system.

Source: http://www.securityinfowatch.com/Homeland+Security/bin-laden-eyed-us-rail-system-9-11-follow-attack

Conley Security Blog: Workplace Attacks

2011-04-23T17:24:00.000-05:00

Conley Security Blog: Workplace Attacks: "Recent slayings put spotlight on workplace attacks, rising in area By: Emily Babay 04/16/11 8:05 PM Examiner Staff Writer Deadly workplace..."

Workplace Attacks

2011-04-23T17:23:00.001-05:00

Recent slayings put spotlight on workplace attacks, rising in area

By: Emily Babay 04/16/11 8:05 PM

Examiner Staff Writer

Deadly workplace attacks -- like last week's shooting at a Fairfax barber shop, a March slaying at a Bethesda yoga store and the New Year's Day stabbing at Suburban Hospital -- are high-profile but relatively rare events.

But in a distressing trend, the Washington region has seen a sharp increase in job-site killings, even as they decline across the nation.

The District, Maryland and Virginia recorded a total of 39 workplace homicides in 2009, the latest year for which data are available, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a jump from 2004, when the region saw just 18 such slayings.

The BLS has attributed the decline to the economic downturn that forced employers to lay off workers and cut hours.

Experts said this region's better employment numbers and high-stress environment could be reasons the area's workplace killings have risen.

"If you have people working fewer hours, you're going to have less violence," said Alan Lipman, director of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Violence. "We might see higher levels of stress for people working here, particularly in a time when the rest of the nation is in economic decline."

In the D.C. region, 69 percent of people cited work as a very or somewhat significant cause of stress last year, an American Psychological Association survey found.

"Whenever there's a situation that's going to result in human anxiety or frustration, you're going to see an increase in the potential for violence," said Tom Browning, a vice president of AlliedBarton, a security company.

Employees most likely to turn violent are those with long-standing and unresolved grievances, conflicts with co-workers, antisocial personality disorder or another psychological illness, Lipman said.

Still, Janice Windau, a BLS epidemiologist, said the majority of workplace homicides are robberies, like the December stabbing death of a pizza delivery driver in Severn. People who work alone, handle cash and work late hours are mostly likely to be killed on the job by a robber, experts said.

Experts attributed the overall decline in workplace slayings to better prevention efforts. Workplace killings nationwide peaked in 1994, when 1,080 people died on the job.

"There's an increased awareness and a decreased tolerance of aberrant behavior in the workplace," said Dr. Michael Heitt, a Baltimore psychologist. "We're catching potential situations before they reach the magnitude of becoming violent or a homicide."

But when incidents do happen, the effects can be long-lasting. Lululemon Athletica in Bethesda, where an employee is accused of killing her co-worker last month, says it plans to reopen, but the process will take months. And a recent shooting at an Alexandria barber shop, allegedly by a former employee, has left that community in shock.

"I took my kids to get their very first haircut some 20 years ago," Pat Dewey said in front of the Belle Haven Barber Shop last week. "It's just such a very family place. ... It's really very sad that this has happened."

Andrew Harnick of The Examiner contributed to this report.

Source: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-punishment/2011/04/recent-slayings-put-spotlight-workplace-attacks-rising-area

Are retailers prepared for an active shooter?

2011-04-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

NRF updates guidelines to encourage retailers to 'develop a plan that's right for their business environment'

By Leischen Stelter - 04.05.2011

WASHINGTON—The near-fatal shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, which claimed the lives of six people in the parking lot of a Tuscon, Arizona Safeway supermarket, was a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of an active shooter event. Tragic events like this remind security professionals they must prepare their employees for the unthinkable. But what Joe LaRocca, senior asset protection advisor for the National Retail Federation, heard for years from retailers is that very few of them had active shooter plans built into their emergency plans.

However, events like the one in Tuscon are spurring retailers, and others in the private sector to be better prepared. And to help them properly train employees and staff, the NRF announced on March 31 that it has updated its active shooter emergency response guidelines, which were originally created in 2008. The association collaborated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop an online interactive program that can help train employees how to respond during an active shooter event.

“We’ve heard that different companies are using some part of this program in their crisis management plan,” he said. “Some have rolled out an active shooter incident program, others are using pieces of this program to supplement their program.”

Educating employees was one of the most imperative components of preparation, LaRocca said. “Especially following law enforcement response to an incident, we quickly realized employees didn’t know when police arrive that they detain everyone for questioning and they didn’t realize everyone is treated as a suspect,” he said.

And no one plan will work for every organization, but some basic guidelines regarding ways to analyze the situation and react accordingly are outlined for organizations. “Retailers are going to develop a plan that’s right for their business environment,” he said.

Source: http://www.securitydirectornews.com/?p=article&id=sd201104OWamvs

Tom Conley Comment

In a word, NO, they are not prepared.

The Year in Hate & Extremism, 2010

2011-04-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

By Mark Potok

Illustration by Sean McCabe

Editor's note: Since the article below was published, authorities have changed their view of an incident in Dearborn, Mich., that is mentioned. Initially, it was believed that the Michigan suspect was planning an attack based on hatred of Muslims. In fact, it turns out that Roger Stockham is an American convert to Sunni Islam, and reportedly was angry at the mosque in question because it was Shi'ite.

For the second year in a row, the radical right in America expanded explosively in 2010, driven by resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the government’s handling of the economy, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories and other demonizing propaganda aimed at various minorities. For many on the radical right, anger is focusing on President Obama, who is seen as embodying everything that’s wrong with the country.

Hate groups topped 1,000 for the first time since the Southern Poverty Law Center began counting such groups in the 1980s. Anti-immigrant vigilante groups, despite having some of the political wind taken out of their sails by the adoption of hard-line anti-immigration laws around the country, continued to rise slowly. But by far the most dramatic growth came in the antigovernment “Patriot” movement — conspiracy-minded organizations that see the federal government as their primary enemy — which gained more than 300 new groups, a jump of over 60%.

Taken together, these three strands of the radical right — the hatemongers, the nativists and the antigovernment zealots — increased from 1,753 groups in 2009 to 2,145 in 2010, a 22% rise. That followed a 2008-2009 increase of 40%.

What may be most remarkable is that this growth of right-wing extremism came even as politicians around the country, blown by gusts from the Tea Parties and other conservative formations, tacked hard to the right, co-opting many of the issues important to extremists. Last April, for instance, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed S.B. 1070, the harshest anti-immigrant law in memory, setting off a tsunami of proposals for similar laws across the country. Continuing growth of the radical right could be curtailed as a result of this shift, especially since Republicans, many of them highly conservative, recaptured the U.S. House last fall.

But despite those historic Republican gains, the early signs suggest that even as the more mainstream political right strengthens, the radical right has remained highly energized. In an 11-day period this January, a neo-Nazi was arrested headed for the Arizona border with a dozen homemade grenades; a terrorist bomb attack on a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane, Wash., was averted after police dismantled a sophisticated anti-personnel weapon; and a man who officials said had a long history of antigovernment activities was arrested outside a packed mosque in Dearborn, Mich., and charged with possessing explosives with unlawful intent. That’s in addition, the same month, to the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, an attack that left six dead and may have had a political dimension.

It’s also clear that other kinds of radical activity are on the rise. Since the murder last May 20 of two West Memphis, Ark., police officers by two members of the so-called “sovereign citizens” movement, police from around the country have contacted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to report what one detective in Kentucky described as a “dramatic increase” in sovereign activity. Sovereign citizens, who, like militias, are part of the larger Patriot movement, believe that the federal government has no right to tax or regulate them and, as a result, often come into conflict with police and tax authorities. Another sign of their increased activity came early this year, when the Treasury Department, in a report assessing what the IRS faces in 2011, said its biggest challenge will be the “attacks and threats against IRS employees and facilities [that] have risen steadily in recent years.”

Extremist ideas have not been limited to the radical right; already this year, state legislators have offered up a raft of proposals influenced by such ideas. In Arizona, the author of the S.B. 1070 law — a man who just became Senate president on the basis of his harshly nativist rhetoric — proposed a law this January that would allow his state to refuse to obey any federal law or regulation it cared to. In Virginia, a state legislator wants to pass a law aimed at creating an alternative currency “in the event of the destruction of the Federal Reserve System’s currency” — a longstanding fear of right-wing extremists. And in Montana, a state senator is working to pass a statute called the “Sheriffs First Act” that would require federal law enforcement to ask local sheriffs’ permission to act in their counties or face jail. All three laws are almost certainly unconstitutional, legal experts say, and they all originate in ideas that first came from ideologues of the radical right.

There also are new attempts by nativist forces to roll back birthright citizenship, which makes all children born in the U.S. citizens. Such laws have been introduced this year in Congress, and a coalition of state legislators is promising to do the same in their states. And then there’s Oklahoma, where 70% of voters last November approved a measure to forbid judges to consider Islamic law in the state’s courtrooms — a completely groundless fear, but one pushed nonetheless by Islamophobes. Since then, lawmakers have promised to pass similar laws in Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

After the Giffords assassination attempt, a kind of national dialogue began about the political vitriol that increasingly passes for “mainstream” political debate. But it didn’t seem to get very far. Four days after the shooting, a campaign called the Civility Project — a two-year effort led by an evangelical conservative tied to top Republicans — said it was shutting down because of a lack of interest and furious opposition. “The worst E-mails I received about the Civility Project were from conservatives with just unbelievable language about communists and some words I wouldn’t use in this phone call,” director Mark DeMoss told The New York Times. “This political divide has become so sharp that everything is black and white, and too many conservatives can see no redeeming value in any” opponent.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll this January captured the atmosphere well. It found that 82% of Americans saw their country’s political discourse as “negative.” Even more remarkably, the poll determined that 49% thought that negative tone could or already had encouraged political violence.

Last year’s rise in hate groups was the latest in a trend stretching all the way back to the year 2000, when the SPLC counted 602 such groups. Since then, they have risen steadily, mainly on the basis of exploiting the issue of undocumented immigration from Mexico and Central America. Last year, the number of hate groups rose to 1,002 from 932, a 7.5% increase over the previous year and a 66% rise since 2000.

At the same time, what the SPLC defines as “nativist extremist” groups — organizations that go beyond mere advocacy of restrictive immigration policy to actually confront or harass suspected immigrants or their employers — rose slightly, despite the fact that most of their key issues had been taken up by mainstream politicians. There were 319 such groups in 2010, up 3% from 309 in 2009.

But like the year before, it was the antigovernment Patriot groups that grew most dramatically, at least partly on the basis of furious rhetoric from the right aimed at the nation’s first black president — a man who has come to represent to at least some Americans ongoing changes in the racial makeup of the country. The Patriot groups, which had risen and fallen once before during the militia movement of the 1990s, first came roaring back in 2009, when they rose 244% to 512 from 149 a year earlier. In 2010, they rose again sharply, adding 312 new groups to reach 824, a 61% increase. The highest prior count of Patriot groups came in 1996, when the SPLC found 858 (see also chart, above).

It’s hard to predict where this volatile situation will lead. Conservatives last November made great gains and some of them are championing a surprising number of the issues pushed by the radical right — a fact that could help deflate some of the even more extreme political forces. But those GOP electoral advances also left the Congress divided and increasingly lined up against the Democratic president, which is likely to paralyze the country on such key issues as immigration reform.

What seems certain is that President Obama will continue to serve as a lightning rod for many on the political right, a man who represents both the federal government and the fact that the racial make-up of the United States is changing, something that upsets a significant number of white Americans. And that suggests that the polarized politics of this country could get worse before they get better.

Source: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-hate-extremism-2010

Alert Code Colors to Change Soon, Facebook, Twitter to Anchor Aecurity Alerts

2011-04-08T15:31:00.002-05:00

Friday, April 8, 2011 3:33 AM EDT

By Tejal Sadanand

The Department of Homeland Security is seriously considering the use of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter to send out terror alerts to the public. The civilians will have to be 'friended' on Facebook or 'follow' a user on Twitter to get the alert information.

The draft plan says before an official alert is issued, intelligence sharing among multiple federal, state and local agencies, including the FBI, the National Counter-terrorism Center and the White House need to be beefed up. In case the threat is serious, a Homeland Security official will hold a meeting of a special counter-terrorism advisory board, before sending out the alert, reports said.

This requires the department to revise its existing color code alert system in less than a month's time. The new system will have two color codes implying "elevated" or "imminent" risk instead of the existing five color code system. The plan is yet to be finalized. In the existing security alert system there are five color codes which connote various alert situations ranging from "Low", "Guarded" terror threats to " Elevated", "High", and "Severe" terror threats.

Hacker Jeff Moss, organizer of the Defcon hacking conference and a new appointee to the advisory council said in his interview with a CNET recently that the country is on "Elevated" and "High" risk, that is, yellow and orange respectively. It has never gone to the lowest codes. It has been on "Severe" only once on Aug. 10, 2006, amid a disrupted Al-Qaeda plot targeting trans-Atlantic flights. Therefore, it wouldn't be unwise to scrap three codes from the existing code system to just two, he says.

There are pros and cons for the five color coded alert system. They have a system in place which describes what actions to be taken in each situation. But civilians are not aware of what action to be taken based on the color codes. This may require a revision but does not herald full change in the coding system, he said.

Another recommendation made by Jeff Moss was to make the system more localized and geography-specific. If there is a threat in one particular place, warning should be localized and not spread over.

Defending the use of social networking sites, he said: "Let's say there's another Katrina, a huge weather alert, or a terrorist attack, and you want to get the information out to everybody. Right now the only way to do that is to activate the whole emergency broadcast system or the emergency action system and have everybody's radio tell you--which they didn't even use during the World Trade Center attacks. I have one of those emergency weather radios because we get a lot of storms [in Seattle], and my radio is constantly going off telling me about specific storms. [But] it doesn't go off when there's a terrorist attacking my country? I just turned it off and threw it away. It's useless.

"So what if you could have a feed coming from DHS and other government agencies, say, to Twitter or Facebook or MySpace or whatever? And you subscribe to that channel or that feed? End users would know it's still the official word; it hasn't been modified or changed. There has to be some official ways of distributing this alert information in many different ways," he said.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/132069/20110408/homeland-security-facebook-twitter-color-codes-jeff-moss.htm

Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVE) Article

2011-04-07T17:27:00.000-05:00

How to Tell if Your Neighbor is a Bombmaker

April 7, 2011 | 0855 GMT

By Scott Stewart

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the fifth edition of its English-language jihadist magazine “Inspire” on March 30. AQAP publishes this magazine with the stated intent of radicalizing English-speaking Muslims and encouraging them to engage in jihadist militant activity. Since its inception, Inspire magazine has also advocated the concept that jihadists living in the West should conduct attacks there, rather than traveling to places like Pakistan or Yemen, since such travel can bring them to the attention of the authorities before they can conduct attacks, and AQAP views attacking in the West as “striking at the heart of the unbelievers.”

To further promote this concept, each edition of Inspire magazine has a section called “Open Source Jihad,” which is intended to equip aspiring jihadist attackers with the tools they need to conduct attacks without traveling to jihadist training camps. The Open Source Jihad sections in past editions have contained articles such as the pictorial guide with instructions titled “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom” that appeared in the first edition.

In this latest edition of Inspire there are at least three places where AQAP encourages jihadists to conduct “lone wolf” attacks rather than coordinate with others due to the security risks inherent in such collaboration (several jihadist plots have been thwarted when would-be attackers have approached government informants looking for assistance). In recent years there have been a number of lone wolf attacks inside the United States, such as the June 2009 shooting at an armed forces recruiting center in Little Rock, Ark.; the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting; and the failed bombing attack in New York’s Times Square in May 2010. Of course, the lone wolf phenomena is not just confined to the United States, as evidenced by such incidents as the March 2 shooting attack against U.S. military personnel in Frankfurt, Germany.

In the past, STRATFOR has examined the challenges that lone wolf assailants and small, insulated cells — what we call grassroots jihadists — present to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. We have also discussed the fact that, in many cases, grassroots defenders such as local police officers can be a more effective defense against grassroots attackers than centralized federal agencies.

But local federal agents and local police officers are not the only grassroots defenders who can be effective in detecting lone wolves and small cells before they are able to launch an attack. Many of the steps required to conduct a terrorist attack are undertaken in a manner that makes the actions visible to any outside observer. It is at these junctures in the terrorist attack cycle that people practicing good situational awareness can detect these attack steps — not only to avoid the danger themselves, but also to alert the authorities to the suspicious activity.

Detecting grassroots operatives can be difficult, but it is possible if observers focus not only on the “who” aspect of a terrorist attack but also the “how” — that is, those activities that indicate an attack is in the works. In the past we’ve talked in some detail about detecting preoperational surveillance as part of this focus on the “how.” Now, we would like to focus on detecting another element of the “how” of terrorism and discuss the ways one can detect signs of improvised-explosives preparation — in other words, how to tell if your neighbor is a bombmaker.

IEDs and Explosive Mixtures

In the 11th edition of “Sada al-Malahim,” AQAP’s Arabic-language online jihadist magazine, Nasir al-Wahayshi noted that jihadists “don’t need to conduct a big effort or spend a lot of money to manufacture 10 grams of explosive material” and that they should not “waste a long time finding the materials, because you can find all these in your mother’s kitchen, or readily at hand or in any city you are in.” Al-Wahayshi is right. It truly is not difficult for a knowledgeable individual to construct improvised explosives from a wide range of household chemicals like peroxide and acetone or chlorine and brake fluid.

It is important to recognize that when we say an explosive mixture or an explosive device is “improvised,” the improvised nature of that mixture or device does not automatically mean that the end product is going to be ineffective or amateurish. Like an improvised John Coltrane saxophone solo, some improvised explosive devices can be highly-crafted and very deadly works of art. Now, that said, even proficient bombmakers are going to conduct certain activities that will allow their intent to be discerned by an outside observer — and amateurish bombmakers are even easier to spot if one knows what to look for.

In an effort to make bombmaking activity clandestine, explosive mixtures and device components are often manufactured in rented houses, apartments or hotel rooms. We have seen this behavior in past cases, like the December 1999 incident in which the so-called “Millennium Bomber” Ahmed Ressam and an accomplice set up a crude bombmaking factory in a hotel room in Vancouver, British Colombia. More recently, Najibullah Zazi, who was arrested in September 2009, was charged with attempting to manufacture the improvised explosive mixture tri-acetone tri-peroxide (TATP) in a Denver hotel room. In September 2010, a suspected lone wolf assailant in Copenhagen, accidentally detonated an explosive device he was constructing in a hotel. Danish authorities believe the device was intended for an attack on the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which was targeted because of its involvement in publishing the controversial cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed.

Similar to clandestine methamphetamine labs (which are also frequently set up in rental properties or hotel rooms), makeshift bombmaking operations frequently utilize volatile substances that are used in everyday life. Chemicals such as acetone, a common nail polish remover, and peroxide, commonly used in bleaching hair, can be found in most grocery, beauty, drug and convenience stores. Fertilizers, the main component of the bombs used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 World Trade Center attack, can be found in large volumes on farms or in farm supply stores in rural communities.

However, the quantities of these chemicals required to manufacture explosives is far in excess of that required to remove nail polish or bleach hair. Because of this, hotel staff, landlords and neighbors can fairly easily notice signs that someone in their midst is operating a makeshift bombmaking laboratory. They should be suspicious, for example, if a new tenant moves several bags of fertilizer into an apartment in the middle of a city, or if a person brings in gallons of acetone, peroxide or sulfuric or nitric acid. Furthermore, in addition to chemicals, bombmakers also utilize laboratory implements such as beakers, scales, protective gloves and masks — things not normally found in a hotel room or residence.

Additionally, although electronic devices such as cell phones or wristwatches may not seem unusual in the context of a hotel room or apartment, signs that such devices have been disassembled or modified should raise a red flag, as these devices are commonly used as initiators for improvised explosive devices. There are also certain items that are less commonly used in household applications but that are frequently used in bombmaking, things like nitric or sulfuric acid, metal powders such as aluminum, magnesium and ferric oxide, and large quantities of sodium carbonate — commonly purchased in 25-pound bags. Large containers of methyl alcohol, used to stabilize nitroglycerine, is another item that is unusual in a residential or hotel setting and that is a likely signal that a bombmaker is present.

Fumes from the chemical reactions are another telltale sign of bombmaking activity. Depending on the size of the batch being concocted, the noxious fumes from an improvised explosive mixture can bleach walls and curtains and, as was the case for the July 2005 London attackers, even the bombmakers’ hair. The fumes can even waft outside of the lab and be detected by neighbors in the vicinity. Spatter from the mixing of ingredients like nitric acid leaves distinctive marks, which are another way for hotel staff or landlords to recognize that something is amiss. Additionally, rented properties used for such activity rarely look as if they are lived in. They frequently lack furniture and have makeshift window coverings instead of drapes. Properties where bomb laboratories are found also usually have no mail delivery, sit for long periods without being occupied and are occupied by people who come and go erratically at odd hours and are often seen carrying strange things such as containers of chemicals.

The perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing manufactured the components for the truck bomb used in that attack in a rented apartment in Jersey City, N.J. The process of cooking the nitroglycerine used in the booster charges and the urea nitrate used in the main explosive charge created such strong chemical fumes that some of the paint on the walls was changed from white to blue and metal doorknobs and hinges inside of the apartment were visibly corroded. The bombmakers also flushed some of the excess chemicals down the toilet, spilling some of them on the bathroom floor and leaving acidic burn marks. The conspirators also spilled chemicals on the floor in other places, on the walls of the apartment, on their clothing and on other items, leaving plenty of trace evidence for investigators to find after the attack.

Given the caustic nature of the ingredients used to make homemade explosive mixtures — chemicals that can burn floors and corrode metal — and the very touchy chemical reactions required to make things like nitroglycerin and TATP, making homemade explosives can be one of the most dangerous aspects of planning an attack. Indeed, Hamas militants refer to TATP as “the Mother of Satan” because of its volatility and propensity to either severely burn or kill bombmakers if they lose control of the chemical reaction required to manufacture it.

In January 1995, an apartment in Manila, Philippines, caught fire when the bombmaker in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, Abdel Basit (aka Ramzi Yousef), lost control of the reaction in a batch of TATP he was brewing for his planned attack against a number of U.S. airliners flying over the Pacific Ocean — an operation he had nicknamed Bojinka. Because of the fire, authorities were able to arrest two of Basit’s co-conspirators and unravel Bojinka and several other attack plots against targets like Pope John Paul II and U.S. President Bill Clinton. Basit himself fled to Pakistan, where he was apprehended a short time later. This case serves to highlight the dangers presented by these labs to people in the vicinity — especially in a hotel or apartment building.

Another form of behavior that provides an opportunity to spot a bombmaker is testing. A professional bombmaker will try out his improvised mixtures and components, like improvised blasting caps, to ensure that they are functioning properly and that the completed device will therefore be viable. Such testing will involve burning or detonating small quantities of the explosive mixture, or actually exploding the blasting cap. The testing of small components may happen in a backyard, but the testing of larger quantities will often be done at a more remote place. Therefore, any signs of explosions in remote places like parks and national forests should be immediately reported to authorities.

Obviously, not every container of nitric acid spotted or small explosion heard will be absolute confirmation of bombmaking activity, but reporting such incidents to the authorities will give them an opportunity to investigate and determine whether the incidents are indeed innocuous. In an era when the threat of attack comes from increasingly diffuse sources, a good defense requires more eyes and ears than the authorities possess. As the New York Police Department has so aptly said, if you see something, say something.

Source: http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110406-how-tell-if-your-neighbor-bombmaker

How to Tell if Your Neighbor is a Bombmaker is republished with permission of STRATFOR.

Sheriff's Office May Oversee Security Staff

2011-04-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

San Jose: Sheriff's office may start overseeing VMC security staff

By Mark Gomez

mgomez@mercurynews.com

Posted: 04/03/2011 07:55:19 PM PDT

Updated: 04/04/2011 05:56:19 AM PDT

Following a suggestion made by a consultant more than a decade ago, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is poised to assume control of Valley Medical Center's security staff.

Under a proposal that Santa Clara supervisors will consider Tuesday, a sheriff's lieutenant and a sergeant would replace the civilians now responsible for the 43 security personnel at the county hospital, a move backers say will mean faster law enforcement response to crimes and public safety issues there.

The hospital and sheriff's office signed an agreement on March 16 to have a lieutenant and sergeant oversee Valley Medical Center's security personnel at an added cost of $128,518 in salary and benefits, but that action requires the supervisors' endorsement to become official.

If the Board approves shifting management to the sheriff's office, deputies would replace the hospital's current chief and deputy chief of the protective services division, John O'Brien and Mike Gangloff. The sheriff's office would be responsible for the day-to-day performance, supervision and discipline of protective service officers and administrative staff, according to the agreement.

Sheriff Laurie Smith wrote in a proposal that adding deputies to Valley Medical Center would enhance the "safety and security of the staff, clients and visitors." She added that having "highly-trained law enforcement management will result in better coverage, enhanced capabilities, shorter response times, properly equipped first responders on-site for significant incidents, and an overall reduction in the time to resolve calls for service."

The tentative agreement was reached after numerous alterations to Smith's first proposal made in May 2010, when the sheriff recommended a combination of nine deputies and 29 security officers to provide hospital security.

Valley Medical Center administrators balked at the proposal which would have cost the hospital nearly $500,000 in added salaries and benefits. It would cost the hospital nearly $3 million annually if sheriff's deputies replaced all of the protective security officers.

Following Smith's initial proposal, the county's Health and Hospital Committee asked Valley Medical Center administrators to see how other county hospitals handled security. Hospital administrators contacted five other hospitals and found that most used some combination of law enforcement and private personnel.

San Francisco General Hospital assigns a sergeant and lieutenant to duty, along with nonsworn officers. In Alameda County, the sheriff's office maintains a substation at the hospital, usually with two deputies on-site.

Valley Medical Center executive Gilbert Gutierrez oversees the protective services division and said the hospital "could live with having the top two people being law enforcement," if the Board of Supervisors goes that route. Gutierrez added that the hospital would want an agreement in place before the sheriff's office takes control.

Because protective service officers are not sworn personnel, "they are not able to do what law enforcement would be able to do," Gutierrez said. "I think that's one of the points the sheriff's raised. By having a law enforcement presence, they might be able to act quicker in some cases.

"I think we get an excellent response from the sheriff right now."

In her proposals, Smith cited a 2000 management audit by the Harvey M. Rose Accountancy Corporation that said: "In order to bring stability to this function and improve and standardize procedures, training, and management practices, the function should be assigned to the Sheriff's Department."

Deputies already visit the campus on

Bascom Avenue

on a regular basis. In 2009 they responded to about 30 calls a week, an increase of about 45 percent from 2007.

The sheriff's office also transports about 12 to 15 inmates daily to Valley Medical Center for treatment, according to Sgt. Matt Dutra, president of the deputy sheriff's association.

"We're at VMC so much, it would make sense to have supervision there," Dutra said.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_17765997?nclick_check=1

Tom Conley Comment

This proposal is a really bad idea for both operational as well as liability exposure reasons. Notwithstanding an incident command scenario under NIMS (www.fema.gov/emergency/nims), I cannot think of one application where it is a good idea to have one chain of command that intermingles law enforcement and security. As is the case with Massachusetts General Hospital, they have both a security department and a hospital police department. These two groups function synergistically but have separate core missions and operational chains of command.

Two G4S (Formerly Wackenhut) Guards Caught with Explosives and One G4S Guard Caught with Cocaine at the Olympic Site

2011-04-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

Olympic guards allegedly caught with explosives

Police reportedly found a small quantity of Semtex during search of a vehicle

BY REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME REPORTER

DAILY MAIL (London)

Updated: 04-4-2011 9:28 am

A MAJOR security review was ordered at the Olympic Games site yesterday after two guards were allegedly caught with explosives.

Police arrested two dog handlers working at the Olympic Park for a private security firm after a small quantity of Semtex was found during a search of a vehicle.

Security guard Leigh Whitehead, 40, is also alleged to have had cocaine with her when her van was searched in the car park of the 2012 site in Stratford, East London, on Tuesday. She was later charged with possession of Class A drugs and bailed in connection with the explosives.

Police subsequently arrested a 43-year-old man at his home in Wales on suspicion of possessing an explosive substance. He has since been bailed.

Both suspects were working for London 2012's official private security firm G4S. Scotland Yard's SO15 anti-terrorism branch was alerted, but any potential terror links were quickly ruled out. But the arrests are a major embarrassment to the Olympic authorities, coming just weeks after the security firm secured a £130 million contract to protect the 500-acre site. Sources stressed there was no risk to the Games yesterday but the arrests will raise questions about the level of security at the tightly monitored building site.

Source:

http://www.securityinfowatch.com/Venues+%2526+Arenas/1320347

35-Plus Terrorist Training Camps in the US

2011-04-03T15:24:00.002-05:00

News Report: The Spread of Homegrown Terrorists. Islamic training camps in America's back yard. Why are these communities left to flourish in the US? The link to the story is:

http://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/domestic-terrorism/terrorist-training-camps-in-the-us/660940716001

Tom Conley Comment: This is unbelievable, but has been confirmed as true. If these were American militias, they'd all be arrested. But no they are Muslims and protected by the Constitution.

Virginia Tech fined for mass notification debacle during massacre

2011-04-01T17:52:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:23

The Virginia Tech shootings that claimed the lives of 32 people on April 16, 2007 when a mentally ill student, Seung Hui Cho, opened fire on campus, has often been cited as the impetus for the wide-spread adoption of mass notification at schools around the country. Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that Virginia Tech has been fined $55,000 for violating campus safety laws and failing to provide timely warnings to students and staff.

But some people don’t think that fine is substantial enough:

“Virginia Tech’s violations warrant a fine far in excess of what is currently permissible under the statute,” wrote Mary E. Gust, an official in the Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid.

Here’s how the response happened:

At issue is what the university should have done after two students — Cho’s first victims — were discovered fatally shot in the West Ambler Johnston dormitory. Gust’s letter indicated that the first Virginia Tech police officers arrived at the scene about 7:24 a.m. and that Steger was aware of the incident by 8:11 a.m.

The university waited until 9:26 a.m. to issue a campuswide e-mail alert about the shootings. The alert, according to Gust, did not mention that there had been a killing on campus and did not direct the community to take any safety measures.

Soon afterward, Cho started killing teachers and other students in Norris Hall, an academic building.

I have to agree that $55,000 is really piddly (not even close to a student’s four-year tuition, I might note) and particularly low especially considering that also in 2007, Eastern Michigan University was fined $357,500 after officials mishandled communications following a campus homicide, according to the article.

But then again, hasn’t this school suffered enough? It’s been an unfortunately lesson for security practitioners around the world about the importance of having a strong mass notification system in place, one that provides students with timely and accurate information. What do you think? Should Virginia Tech have to pay more?

Article Source http://www.securitydirectornews.com/blogs

Inside Criminal Justice – Outsourcing the Police?

2011-03-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

Budget cuts not only mean fewer police services—they provide openings for private contractors.

In Naperville, Illinois, a city of 145,000 about 35 miles west of Chicago, the drive for fiscal austerity has hit the police department hard. In just over two years, under pressure from the state’s budget crisis, the agency has shed 23 officers―amounting to 12 percent of the force.

Police services that seemed crucial in more prosperous times have also gotten the axe. Naperville’s crime information programs, which provide educational sessions on issues like Internet safety, gangs, and drug prevention to neighborhood residents and local schools, are gone. So are many cops who were placed in schools as resource officers. There are also fewer dispatchers, which forces the public to wait longer for the police to show up for nonemergency calls.

And the agency is considering not responding at all to vehicle thefts and traffic accidents in which no one is injured. Instead, citizens would file reports on those online, over the phone, or in person.

“I’ve been a police officer for 44 years,” Naperville Chief David Dial told The Crime Report. “Nothing approaches the cuts we’re seeing now.”

Naperville is far from alone. Across the country, the fiscal crisis has forced police departments to cut services and lower the profile of cops on the beat.

That, in turn, has persuaded many worried local authorities to search for viable alternatives. Some are hiring civilians to take the place of uniformed officers in desk jobs. Others are contracting with private security firms for certain law enforcement functions.

Outsourcing is a path taken by other public services in recent years. One example: the rise in privately operated state prisons. But contracting out public safety―a throwback to the 19th-century era when private police forces patrolled the streets of many U.S. cities―could raise new public anxieties, and not only in cities and neighborhoods where crime remains a troubling issue.

Will the public go along with an end to some traditional police services?

As far as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is concerned, they may have no choice.

In an eye-opening survey of police chiefs released last September by PERF, an association of police executives from the largest jurisdictions in the nation, more than half of the 608 respondents said that their budgets had been cut between 2009 and 2010. Of those, another 59 percent said there would be more cuts in 2011.

Fewer Patrols, Less Response

The wave of cuts is hitting both large and small departments. In Baltimore, the police department no longer provides security at fairs and festivals unless it is reimbursed. In Maine’s capital of Augusta, a city-commissioned study recommends that police no longer respond in person to crimes involving property damage, gas drive-offs, stolen bicycles, and hit-and-run accidents if no one is hurt.

The Pennsylvania city of Mt. Laurel is looking at slashing bike patrols, investigations of nonviolent crimes like prostitution and narcotics possession, crossing guards, and neighborhood watch activities. Township Manager Jennifer Blumenthal is proposing those and other cuts while acknowledging to phillyburbs.com (published by Calkins newspapers) that they probably will result in more crime.

And in Illinois’ St. Clair County, the sheriff’s department announced in January that it would stop responding to tripped business and residential burglar alarms and calls about property crimes that are not in progress.

In all, 47 percent of respondents to the PERF survey said that police services have been or will be reduced in their jurisdiction.

Those cuts have opened the doors for private companies to move in. In St. Clair County, an alarm company has taken advantage of the new situation: starting February 1, for an extra $25 Barcom Security will send an armed guard to the homes of their customers whose alarms are triggered.

In Naperville, the police likely will seek out private contractors this summer to provide security at festivals and other public events rather than pay overtime to regular officers. In Southfield, Michigan, the police began contracting in mid-2008 with the security company G4S to operate a holding facility for prisoners before they are transported to the county jail—a task previously managed by the county sheriff’s department.

Police elsewhere are outsourcing core functions. For example, in the face of budget cuts, Oakland, California, contracted armed private guards in 2009 to patrol one troubled neighborhood instead of hiring more police. And the Schaumburg, Illinois police have contracted out their internal affairs investigations.

Trends in Outsourcing

Those moves are part of a longer term trend, according to economist Simon Hakim, who directs Temple University’s Center for Competitive Government, which studies innovative practices and privatization in government.

In the 1970s, says Hakim, there were 40 percent more police than private security guards. By 2009, those positions had flipped, with about 60 percent more private guards than public officers.

Hakim thinks partnerships between police and private companies make sense. In such arrangements, police still handle most investigations and arrests. But highly specialized tasks, like investigating identity theft, Internet fraud, or counterfeit goods, can be farmed out to firms with specific expertise.

For example, last year the companies Coach, Chanel, and Oakley contracted with Stumar Investigations for an undercover probe of merchants selling counterfeit goods in the Philadelphia area. Once Stumar had done the background investigations, they turned their files over to the police to make the arrests.

At the other end of the spectrum, Hakim says contractors can manage more straightforward tasks like transferring prisoners and providing security in public buildings. In Florida’s Hernando County, for example, private security guards from G4S took over courthouse security from sheriffs’ deputies in 2009, a move expected to save between $142,000 and $176,000 a year.

Savings like those can be traced in part to the wage difference between police and private guards. The yearly average salary of a private guard in 2009 was about $26,000, less than half that of a police officer, which averaged $55,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Neither figure includes the value of benefit packages; Department of Labor figures for 2009 show that the benefits of state and local government workers averaged $13.65 an hour, while private-sector packages were worth $8.02.

But police also have at least high school and often college degrees and usually go through rigorous police academy coursework, often lasting 12 to 14 weeks. Security guards often don’t need a high school diploma and get far less training.

ASIS International, an industry association, recommends 48 hours within the first 100 days on the job. Because of that, Rachel Hedge of the National Association of Police Organizations (a coalition of police unions and associations) says jurisdictions should be skeptical of farming out police work: “Policing is a core public service that should be provided by the professionals.”

Indeed, G4S has had its share of troubles in Florida. Last August, the company’s contract to manage the Pasco County Juvenile Assessment Center was canceled after a company security guard hit a 13-year-old boy while searching him. Sheriff Bob White then put his deputies back in charge of running the facility, telling the St. Petersburg Times the incident showed that “only law enforcement officers, not civilians, can be trusted with maintaining public safety.”

And last September, five G4S employees were arrested for allegedly over-billing Miami-Dade County for millions of dollars of work that they never performed under a contract to guard Miami Metrorail stations.

One expert has another concern: outsourcing could erode public support for the police. David Bayley, a criminologist at the State University of New York at Albany, notes that many wealthier neighborhoods, like gated communities, are now paying for their own private guards.

“I’ve asked police a lot about this,” says Bayley. “In effect they are deferring now to the rich protecting themselves.”

That leaves the police to patrol troubled neighborhoods, and Bayley worries that over time, wealthier citizens could lose interest in paying for those services if they don’t see themselves benefiting.

Will Police Numbers Stay Down for Good?

Hedge of the National Association of Police Organizations says her group has an alternative to outsourcing: more funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program, which sends federal money to state and local law enforcement agencies to retain or rehire cops.

Originally authorized in 1994 at just over a billion dollars a year, funding had fallen to $20 million by 2008. The Obama administration is asking for $600 million in the 2011 budget, which would mean 7800 more officers nationally. The latest House Republican proposal is $298 million; House Democrats are asking for $277 million. With the parties negotiating over how to fund the government in 2011 and 2012, the final size of the hiring program for both years remains to be decided.

Without federal help, a reduced role for police may be here to stay in some places.

In Naperville, Dial says that even if his budget recovers, the number of officers won’t go back to what it was—health care and pension costs for police employees are rising so fast that any budget increases will be absorbed rather than used for new hires.

But he offers the ultimate private-sector solution to a public-sector problem: “Raise your families in a responsible manner. If people do certain things, if they join gangs, I can’t help them. If they drink and drive I can’t protect them. . . . So my message would be, don’t do it and we’ll all be a lot safer.”

http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/inside-criminal-justice/2011-03-outsourcing-the-police

Content Requests

2011-03-19T16:46:00.001-05:00

I have heard from several people who have requested I post articles here that pertain to emerging issues in private security as well as general threat information. So, that is what I will do. If you would like to see a posting about a certain topic, please let me know.

Tom

Guest on CSI Iowa

2011-01-29T12:45:00.002-06:00

I was a guest on CSI Iowa radio/Internet show last evening (January 28^th). The show is hosted by Bob Monserrate. I worked with Bob when we were both volunteers at the Central Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross and worked on the Crisis Incident Stress Management team there. Bob has worked at the DCI Crime Lab for more that 30 years, is highly knowledgeable, and has a great show.

We discussed a variety of topics during the show including Iowa’s “shall issue” legislation. As a part of that topic, we talked about businesses that post “no weapons allowed” signs on their doors. I spent some time laying out the argument against businesses posting “no weapons allowed” signs from a professional security perspective. The link to listen to the show or to download to the podcast of the show is: http://podcast.webcastonelive.com/csiiowa.

Tom

Welcome

2011-01-24T17:25:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Conley Security blog by Tom M. Conley. If you would like to see a specific topic covered in the blog, please e-mail me with that info at tom.conley@theconleygroup.com.
Thank you!