State / Local

San Francisco earthquake planners developing pet-disaster response
San Francisco is preparing for the Big One in more ways than one: the latest addition to the city’s disaster preparedness plans is a legion of pet disaster responders, trained by city officials to rescue pet dogs, cats, rodents, birds, and reptiles in the event of a disaster, and transport them to one of 125 temporary shelters
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DHS cuts grants to states, emphasizes maintenance
Over the past few years, DHS has been cutting funding for grants to state and emergency response agencies; the billions of dollars given to states after 2011 have been used to buy many pieces of first-response and law-enforcement equipment, and DHS now emphasizes the maintenance of that equipment
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NY-NJ Port Authority centralizes security operations
The Port of Authority of New York and new Jersey has created a stand-alone Security Department and is now searching for a Chief Security Officer to oversee all security and safety functions, resources, and personnel
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Missouri announces additional funding for Disaster Recovery Jobs Program
Missourigovernor announces an investment of $16.5 million in federal National Emergency Grant (NEG) funding to create temporary jobs for workers in twenty-nine Missouri counties affected by tornadoes, floods, and severe storms last year
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Advanced technologies shed more light on the killing of Trayvon Martin
Since only two people know what happened in the confrontation between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, and since one of them is dead, investigators must rely on circumstantial evidence — and on advanced technology; two such technologies — voice biometrics and redigitized imaging — help shed more light on the fateful February night
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New laws help cut metal thefts
Metal thefts have become a plague to businesses throughout the country; some states pass laws which require licenses and permits to buy and sell non-ferrous metals; Spartanburg, South Carolina, also requires that buyers pay for the purchases with checks rather than cash, in order to create a paper trail to the seller of the metal
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DHS: No extension to next January’s REAL ID deadline
DHS tells Congress that the department “has no plans to extend” the REAL ID deadline for state compliance, set as 15 January 2013
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FBI questions its relationship with NYPD, pt. 2
In the first part of this article, we reported that the FBI’s relationship with the NYPD Intelligence Division has become strained, and as a result information exchange has been impaired as the FBI and other jurisdictions have objected to some of the actions NYPD has taken; today, we report on the NYPD’s view
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Arizona's illegal immigrant population takes a downward turn
The number of illegal immigrants in Arizona has declined in recent years, according to U.S. census data
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Venture capital tutorial for New York-based homeland security companies
Long Island technology forum helps connect homeland security companies from the New York region with funding sources
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Tornadoes will not deplete FEMA disaster fund
The latest series of tornadoes that raged across the Midwest and South will not deplete the U.S. disaster fund, which was only recently reloaded by Congress last year, officials said
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Missouri first responders learn from last year’s tornado season
Drawing on the valuable lessons learned from last year’s record tornado season, emergency officials in the St. Louis area were ready to spring into action immediately after tornadoes swept through the state once again last week
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No racial profiling, abuse by Secure Communities
The Earl Warren Institute at the University of California, Berkeley Law School claimed that DHS Secure Communities program suffers from a disturbing pattern of abuse of authority by ICE, including wrongful arrests of thousands of U.S. citizens, a pattern of racial profiling against Latinos, and denial of due process for aliens in removal proceedings; a new study by the Center for Immigration Studies says this is not the case
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Nebraska debates disaster housing fund
Legislators in Nebraska are currently debating a law that would create a $2.5 million temporary housing fund for families who lose their homes in natural disasters
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Virginia receives $40 million in federal disaster aid following quake
Following the rare east coast earthquake last year, Virginia has received nearly $40 million in federal disaster aid
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