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GAO raps Project 25 interoperability grants
Federal government has spent $2.15 billion on expensive but uncompatible radios; a lack of strategic vision
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LAPD rapped for lax oversight of anti-terror unit
Auditors criticize Anti-Terrorist Intelligence Section for failuring to properly screen officers; management criticized for failing to excercise appropriate supervision of this controversial unit
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New technology turns A and B blood to O
A fresh approach to an old concept, ZymeQuest tests a machine capable of treating eight units in ninety minutes
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Florida cities unveil technology wish lists
Cities from Miramar to Pembroke Pines get ready to spend their Urban Areas Security Initiative dollars; metal detectors and mobile traffic light manufacturers will find opportunities in the Sunshine State
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Homeland security comes to live and on-demand TV
On-demand TV can now be used not only for HBO specials, but also for homeland security programming
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TSA strikes back at dope smuggling employees
Agency sends 160 officers to Florida after drug runners infiltrate Orlando airport
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Analysts see strong growth in the worldwide private security market
The Freedonia Group estimates 7 percent annual growth through 2010, with estimated revenues at $160 billion; contract guarding makes up 40 percent of total; India and China marketplaces expected to explode
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War on terror harms police recruiting
High salaries in the private sector and reserve call-ups drain local police forces; Springfield police department finds itself thirty-five officers short of authorized strength
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ManTech sells off MSM Security Services
Company CEO pays $3 million in cash for MSM after the personal security business fails to evolve into a technology services industry; deal follows spin-off of NetWitness and the breakup of Vosper-ManTech
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Raytheon wins National Data Exchange contract
Company will build out N-Dex information sharing network; system will operate alongside R-Dex to facilitate rapid exchange of critical data; Raytheon programmers to rely on Global Justice XML Data Model and the National Information Exchange Model
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MIT students invent wall crawling device
Intended for first responders, the Atlas Powered Rope Ascender uses the capstan effect to pull a firefighter carrying one hundred pounds of equipment up a thirty-story building in thirty seconds; students have already sold units to Army and look to commercialize
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Galileo Avionica offers electrical UAV for urban missions
UAVs are growing in popularity, and an Italian company offers a vehicle which is especially designed for urban warfare and special operations: It is an electrically powered UAV which is so small it can be carried in a backpakck
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"Whole face" software to improve composite sketches of criminals
Iowa State researchers show that allowing the witness to dictate the drawing rarely leads to success, even when using software; new approach presents witnesses with a random selection of faces; through process of elimination, a more accurate rendering is created
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DoJ to take DNA samples from all detainees
Effort to stop sexual predators now seen as an effective anti-illegal immigration measure; millions of DNA samples to be processed, but FBI labs lag behind; business opportunities abound, especially in the robotics field
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Procera new data intrcepting solution meets CALEA new requirement
What with the firestorm over the NSA domestic eavesdroping campaign, broadband providers have a 14 May deadline to allow law enforcement agencies to intercept and capture suspicious data transmission without compromising the privacy of innocent cstomers; a California company comes up with a solution
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The long view
Need for National Information Clearinghouse for Cybercrime Data, Categorization of Cybercrimes: Report
There is an acute need for the U.S. to address its lack of overall governance and coordination of cybercrime statistics. A new report recommends that relevant federal agencies create or designate a national information clearinghouse to draw information from multiple sources of cybercrime data and establish connections to assist in criminal investigations.
Twenty-One Things That Are True in Los Angeles
To understand the dangers inherent in deploying the California National Guard – over the strenuous objections of the California governor – and active-duty Marines to deal with anti-ICE protesters, we should remind ourselves of a few elementary truths, writes Benjamin Wittes. Among these truths: “Not all lawful exercises of authority are wise, prudent, or smart”; “Not all crimes require a federal response”; “Avoiding tragic and unnecessary confrontations is generally desirable”; and “It is thus unwise, imprudent, and stupid to take actions for performative reasons that one might reasonably anticipate would increase the risks of such confrontations.”
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.