DHS goes west for first responders

What kinds of tools do first responders need to deal with emergencies? And how can improvements in science and technology help police and firefighters to do their jobs? One branch of the Department of Homeland Security is out on the West Coast today, wrapping up a three-day conference to assess the needs of first responders.

Since Tuesday, DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate has been meeting with approximately 200 first responders, primarily from the Western states, at the Meydenbauer Conference Center in Belleview, Washington, just south of Seattle. (FedNewsRadio)

Recession, bailout, stimulus: US security threats?

Trillions of dollars in government spending might stabilize the economy, but for now it may have weakened some U.S. security interests abroad and hampered the nation’s ability to respond financially to an attack at home.

That curious conclusion by security and financial analysts reveals one of the unexpected consequences that could emerge from the government’s bailout and stimulus plans. It also shows how intertwined the economy and national security have become. The top U.S. intelligence official, Dennis Blair, recently said the economy was the nation’s foremost security concern. (AP)

Surveillance cams help fight crime, city says

Mayor Daley has argued that security and terrorism won’t be an issue if his Olympic dreams come true because, by 2016, there will be a surveillance camera on every street corner in Chicago.

But even before that blanket coverage begins, the “Big Brother’’ network is being put to better use. (Chicago Sun Times)

Wave of Drug Violence Is Creeping Into Arizona From Mexico, Officials Say

The raging drug war among cartels in Mexico and their push to expand operations in the United States has led to a wave of kidnappings, shootings and home invasions in Arizona, state and federal officials said at a legislative hearing on Monday.

The drug trade has long brought violence to the state, which serves as a hub as illicit drugs and illegal immigrants are smuggled to the rest of the nation.

Over all, in this city and surrounding Maricopa County, homicides and violent crime decreased last year. But the authorities are sounding an alarm over what they consider changing tactics in border-related crime that bear the marks of the violence in Mexico. (NY Times)

Homeland Security official affirms Mexican drug cartel violence has spilled over into Texas

Violence from Mexican drug cartels has spilled over into Texas, state Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw said Monday.

“Yes, absolutely it has occurred; there’s no question about it,” McCraw said after a hearing before the House Committee on Border and International Affairs.

McCraw answered lawmakers’ questions about Gov. Rick Perry’s request for another $135 million for border security operations on the same day Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked lawmakers for a new tool to help bring down transnational gangs that threaten border communities. (EP Times)

Aviation security plans make waves in Kansas

The federal government wants to slap new security rules on private jets, prompting an outcry from Kansas lawmakers and the general-aviation industry.

The rules, proposed by the Transportation Security Administration, would apply post-9/11 security measures to larger private planes used by the nation’s corporate elite.

Affected would be dozens of planes used by some of Kansas City’s biggest employers. Among other things, the rules would ban certain carry-on items and require aircraft operators to match passengers to terrorist watch lists. (Kansas City Star)

FBI Director Warns of Terror Attacks on U.S. Cities

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today warned that extremists “with large agendas and little money can use rudimentary weapons” to sow terror, raising the specter that recent attacks in Mumbai that killed 170 people last year could embolden terrorists seeking to attack U.S. cities.

At a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Mueller said that the bureau is expanding its focus beyond al-Qaeda and into splinter groups, radicals who try to enter the country through the visa waiver program and “home-grown terrorists.” (Washington Post)

DHS: Chances of Home-Grown Attack ‘Very Low’

The latest intelligence indicates that a home-grown terrorist attack inside the United States is not likely anytime soon, according to a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are not immune to an attack from a home-grown terrorist, but the probabilities and sustainability of such an act are very low,” said DHS spokesman Michael Keegan.

That assessment came just hours after FBI Director Robert Mueller said his agency is “particularly concerned” that young men living in the United States could be recruited to attack the very country they call home. (Fox News)

Justice Department: We Fail to Enforce Deportation Orders

The U.S. government spends tens of millions of dollars each year persuading federal circuit courts to uphold orders for thousands of illegal immigrants to leave the country, but those orders have been enforced in only one-fifth of the cases, according to sources familiar with a recent Justice Department study.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for “removing” illegal immigrants who stay in this country against the law. But the study found that more than 80 percent of the illegal immigrants whose deportation orders were upheld by a federal appeals court last year were still in the country as of five weeks ago, according to an internal Justice Department memo obtained by FOX News. (Fox News)

Bloomberg Lobbies Napolitano For Terror Funding

Manhattan-born Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano didn’t have much time for a relaxed homecoming during a visit to City Hall this morning at which Mayor Bloomberg lobbied her for more federal dollars for local anti-terrorism initiatives, the DN’s Kate Lucadamo reports.

After a brief meeting with Napolitano (the former Arizona governor, who was confirmed to her new post with the Obama administration late last month) and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, Bloomberg told reporters: “She understands how important it is to protect this city, the nation’s economic engine, from terrorists’ attacks.” (NY Daily News)

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