• U.S.: Iranian agents tried to kill Saudi ambassador to U.S.

    The U.S. attorney general Eric Holde rannounced yesterday that the U.S. government has foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States; Iran wired $100,000 into a U.S. bank account in August as a down payment for the hit; the assassins — the Iranians thought they were members of a Mexican drug cartel — were to receive $1.5 million if the hit was successful

  • Calif. Allows warrantless searches of cell phones

    California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill which aimed to prohibit California police from conducting warrantless searches of the cell phones of people under arrest

  • Concordia Summit: sustaining "at risk" communities long-term

    The high-level Concordia Summit, which gathered heads of state, business leaders, government officials, and counter-terrorism experts to find solutions focusing on public-private partnerships, announces its key findings

  • Environmentalists in arms over border decision

    Yesterday, House Natural Resources Committee 26-17 vote to approve H.R. 1505, the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act; the proposed legislation would waive thirty-six environmental and other laws for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol activities on public lands within 100 miles of U.S. borders; environmentalists are angry

  • U.S.-Canada reach border agreement

    The U.S.-Canada border security pact reached earlier this year by President Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is nearing completion

  • N.Y. businesses protest DHS budget cuts

    On Monday more than 100 New York City business executives urged lawmakers to maintain current DHS spending levels to prevent a future terrorist attack in the city; their business people move comes in response to the latest proposed budget for DHS by the House which looks to cut more than $1 billion, or 2.6 percent, of the agency’s budget; meanwhile the Senate has proposed cutting more than $650 million from DHS’ 2011 budget of $41 billion

  • GAO: poor security procedures put sensitive government data at risk

    A recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that poor information security practices at U.S. government agencies have put sensitive data and servers at risk

  • Tallahassee airport upgrades security

    ADT Commercial was selected by the City of Tallahassee, Florida to upgrade the security at the city airport — and integrate the different security solutions; the integrated system includes video surveillance, access control, and emergency notification systems

  • Judge rules parts of Patriot Act unconstitutional

    U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as amended by the Patriot Act, now permits surveillance and searches without satisfying the probable cause requirements of the Fourth Amendment; “For over 200 years, this Nation has adhered to the rule of law — with unparalleled success. A shift to a Nation based on extra-constitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill-advised,” she wrote

  • Al Awlaki assassination raises legal questions

    Friday’s assassination of Anwar al Awlaki, the radical Yemeni-American imam, by a U.S. drone has sparked fierce criticism from those who argue his death raises a serious question about the government’s counterterror policies; in particular legal authorities, lawmakers, and opinion leaders expressed grave concern over the ability of the government to kill an American citizen with no judicial process far from a combat zone

  • Alabama explores shirt-cameras for police

    With the increasing availability of cheap wearable cameras, more and more police officers could be recording their every move

  • Colorado slashes auto-theft rate with fusion center

    In 2005 Colorado had one of the highest rates of vehicle theft in the country, but thanks to the dogged efforts of local law enforcement officials and the Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center the state is now below the national average

  • House considers industry advisory group for TSA

    House lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would create an industry advisory panel for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on aviation matters

  • NATO: 10,000 Libyan shoulder-fired missiles unaccounted for

    Senior NATO officials said that at least 10,000 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles are unaccounted for in Libya, and that at least some of them may have fallen in the hands of al Qaeda operatives; the missiles are known as SAM-7 by NATO designation and 9K32 Strela-2 in Russia, and typically have a range of about four kilometers and an infra-red guidance system; more than forty civilian aircraft have been hit by these portable surface-to-air missiles since 1975, causing about twenty-eight crashes and more than 800 deaths around the world

  • Mississippi wildlife officers want bigger guns

    The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks says it needs bigger guns; the agency hopes to purchase 250 high-powered AR-15 assault rifles to boost its crime fighting power and is currently accepting bids