At Homeland Security, contractors outnumber federal workers

On February 25, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“The Department of Homeland Security said this week that it employs more private contractors than federal employees, an admission that officials blamed on the department’s quick establishment seven years ago and the federal government’s burdensome hiring process.
DHS officials informed Senate staffers this month that it employs roughly 200,000 contractors and about 188,000 federal employees. The [...]

Homeland chief: Domestic extremism is top concern

On February 21, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“Americans who turn to terrorism and plot against the U.S. are now as big a concern as international terrorists, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday.
The government is just starting to confront this reality and does not have a good handle on how to prevent someone from becoming a violent extremist, she said.
In the last [...]

FBI Ends Nine-Year Investigation Of Anthrax Attacks

On February 19, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“The FBI has concluded that a former Army researcher was solely responsible for the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, ending a nearly nine-year investigation, NPR has learned from sources familiar with the case.
Officials planned to release new evidence Friday proving that Dr. Bruce Ivins, 62, mailed poison-laced letters to a handful of politicians and newspaper outlets [...]

Suicide note of Austin plane crash pilot suggests specific targeting of IRS

On February 18, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

The text of the suicide note left on the website owned by Joseph Stack indicates specific targeting of the U.S. government, specifically the IRS. Full text provided below:
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Full Text of Joseph Stack’s suicide note from embeddedart.com 2/18/2010
If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple [...]

Homeland Security reports losing guns

On February 18, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“The nation’s Homeland Security officers lost nearly 200 guns in bowling alleys, public restrooms, unlocked cars and other unsecure areas, with some ending up in the hands of felons. The problem, outlined in a new federal report, has prompted disciplinary actions and extra training.
Most of the misplaced weapons — including handguns, shotguns and military rifles [...]

DHS: We’re ‘Monitoring’ Danger Room

On February 16, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“When the Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center wants to ‘improve its situational awareness and common operating picture,’ the action officers there ‘monitor’ Wired.com’s Danger Room and Threat Level. “
(Source: DHS: We’re ‘Monitoring’ Danger Room | Danger Room | Wired.com)

Daniel Rubin: Another case of TSA overkill

On February 16, 2010, in Homeland Security News, Travel Safety, by admin

“Just when I thought I was out of the Transportation Security Administration business for a few columns, they pull me back in.
Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn’t allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?

(Daniel Rubin: Another case of TSA overkill | Philadelphia Inquirer | [...]

More than 15,000 deployed for Winter Olympics security

On February 11, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“If your first impression upon arriving at the 2010 Winter Olympics Games is that there’s a lot of security workers around, well, numbers don’t lie.
More than 15,000 police officers, military personnel and private security guards have been deployed at Vancouver and Whistler, working as the Integrated Security Unit (ISU), headed by the Royal Canadian Mounted [...]

Exposed: Naked Body Scanner Images Of Film Star Printed, Circulated By Airport Staff

On February 9, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“Claims on behalf of authorities that naked body scanner images are immediately destroyed after passengers pass through new x-ray backscatter devices have been proven fraudulent after it was revealed that naked images of Indian film star Shahrukh Khan were printed out and circulated by airport staff at Heathrow in London.
UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said [...]

Homegrown terrorism a growing concern for US intelligence

On February 4, 2010, in Homeland Security News, by admin

“A small number of American Muslims are engaged in extremist activities at home and abroad, said Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair Tuesday at a Senate hearing. Their focus remains largely overseas, he said, but the threat to the homeland from Americans with links to radicals abroad remains troubling.
‘We are concerned that the influence of [...]