• DHS helps New Mexico battle local gangs and cartels

    In recent years, DHS has sent more and more federal agents and resources to New Mexico to help local law enforcement officials battle gangs, catch drug dealers, and other criminals; since 2009 DHS has deployed more than sixty agents to New Mexico and formed several joint task forces and multiagency groups

  • Rapid DNA test system nears completion

    Thanks to an additional $40 million in funding, IntegenX is close to creating a real-time DNA analysis system; the company is currently working to complete a rapid DNA test kit that can provide law enforcement officials, government agencies, or forensic laboratories with real-time biometric identification

  • Jail installs facial recognition tool to prevent accidental releases

    To prevent the accidental release of the wrong inmate, Madison County Jail in Alabama recently became the first prison in the United States to install 3D facial recognition technology

  • Measuring the effect of fire on materials

    Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) are developing an infrared measuring method to analyze the thermal properties and resistance to fire of composite materials; this advance would have applications in areas where fire safety requires that the composite materials withstand high temperatures

  • Atlanta debuts new emergency communications systems

    Last week first responders in Atlanta, Georgia gained a valuable new tool in helping to reduce 911 response times and improve communication during a disaster

  • The border fear index: How to measure border security

    Both the administration and its critics rely on the FBI Uniform Crime Reports and on reported by the national media to make their arguments about how secure the U.S.-Mexican border is, and how to make it more secure; Lee Maril contends that the FBI report and the national media do not offer an accurate picture of the situation along the border because they are not nuanced enough; for example, they ignore the fear instilled in border-area residents by the cartels and the cartels’ collaborators, and they do not collect other relevant human behavior data

  • DHS helps diffuse Verizon emergency alert scare

    Thanks to social media, DHS was able to help quickly diffuse an alarming situation for residents in New Jersey

  • New technology helps Virginia Tech avoid another massacre

    Last week Virginia Tech officials made all the right decisions after a man killed a campus police officer, showcasing the valuable lessons it had learned following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre that left thirty-two people dead and twenty-five injured

  • Technology helps Jersey police fight crime in real-time

    In the last decade massive technological breakthroughs have made information more accessible than ever before and law enforcement agencies are increasingly taking advantage of new mobile technology to help fight crime

  • Key to disaster preparedness is “training, training, training”

    Bonnie S. Michelman, CPP/CHPA, the director of police, security, and outside services at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently took the time to speak with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow; in their interview, Michelman highlights the recent technological security measures Massachusetts General has installed, finding the right balance between security and openness, and preventing terrorists from stealing the low-grade radioactive materials that are housed in hospitals

  • Water rescues prove dangerous for first responders

    Water rescues are particularly dangerous for first responders, and the recent attempt to rescue a man who jumped from a bridge over the Oswego River in New York last month proved to be no exception

  • Terrorists using sophisticated uni-directional bombs

    Terrorists have learned to develop increasingly sophisticated explosives as evidenced by the uni-directional bombs detonated last week in Karachi, Pakistan that killed three Pakistan Rangers and injured several others

  • FBI opens new forensics lab for local law agencies in New Mexico

    Thanks to a sophisticated new FBI forensics laboratory at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, local police now have access to cutting edge technology that can help streamline investigations

  • Special kits help protect police K-9s

    To help keep police canines safe while on duty, the Police & Working K-9 Foundation has teamed up with private and public companies to hold “Cover Your K-9,” an innovative series of technology and training seminars

  • Grant helps Kentucky dive team operate without sight

    Rescue and recovery divers often struggle to perform their duties in murky, muddy waters, but thanks to a $21,000 grant from Kentucky’s Homeland Security department, the city of Grayson was able to purchase a side-scan sonar and an underwater metal detector to help rescue divers complete their mission in low visibility conditions