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DHS releases $194 million in emergency management grants
States can use the money for equipment, training, and salaries; California, Texas, and New York are the big winners
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Chesapeake Innovation Center struggles
Interim director resigns as CIC confronts looming budget problems; calls mount to take the center under private management; new leadership reaches out to Northrop Grumman and others; loss of NSA contract a major blow
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Congress takes a serious look at Cyren Call
After an FCC rejection in November, the Commerce committee revisits the idea of creating a national wireless network for first responders; John McCain offers his support; critics, angry about the idea of giving away valuable spectrum, gird for battle
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Maine lawmakers revolt against Real ID Act
State is first in the nation to pass a resolution demanding the act be repealed, but eight others are considering it too; legislators upset over $185 million cost and doubt the program’s utility; privacy advocates call it a national nightmare
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Oxford City outfits housing employees with tracking and recording badges
New technology allows rent collectors to quietly raise the alarm during a confrontation; push a button and an open channel is created; conversations are recorded for legal purposes; Connexion2, Vodafone, and Identicom provide the technology
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Federal government moves forward with national fusion centers
New rules will streamline security classifications from 100 to six, removing a major obstacle to the implementation of an effective information sharing environment; new Interagency Threat Assessment Coordination Group to be based at DHS
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ERF Wireless to build $5 million network for Louisiana police and public
Unique deal bolsters Louisiana State Police communications while also serving poorer rural areas; local banks, who will also have access, will foot most of the bill, but the police will provide the towers; a unique financing arrangement provides a model for other company’s seeking a PR boost
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FCC declines to consider Cyren Call's public safety band proposal
Improving communication among first responders and rescue units is a pressing topic, and one proposal, advanced by Cyren Call, calls for allocating 30 MHz in the 700 MHz band for public safety purposes; the wireless industry opposes the plan, and the FCC says it contradicts the wishes of Congress
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Homeland Integrated Security Systems's Cyber Tracker to monitor NY school buses
GPS-plus devices include sensors that monitor everything from internal temperature to vehicle speed; school districts want to avoid another Chowchilla while keeping eyes on their drivers
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Virginia asks emergency responders to use common language
Approach takes HSPD-5 and NIMS requirements seriously by asking agencies to abandon 10-codes; confusion often resulted during inter-agency responses due to different associated meanings
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Criticism continues of Congressional formula for state terror funds disbursement
If a camel is a horse designed by committee, than the grants DHS gives states for terror preparedness are more a camel than a horse; the reason: The formula for allocating these grants was designed by a committee — a Congressional committee, that is
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Department of Education awards emergency preparedness grants
Seventy-four schools will receive a total of $23 million for staff training and equipment purchases
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ShotSpotter technology deployed to Minneapolis
Sensors immediately tell police the exact location of a fired shot; technology based on acoustic detection of muzzle blasts; data to aid criminal prosecutions
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9/11, Katrina anniversaries highlight radio interoperability problems
Government grants have done little to improve municipal communications; New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Tulsa provide models of ongoing difficulties
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DHS launches information-sharing program with states
More information should lead to more effective law enforcement, and DHS next month will begin to share some of the information in its files with the states; first will be the personal and biometric information collected from travelers in the US-VISIT program; DHS also said that the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. reached 11 million
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The long view
Researchers Calculate Cyberattack Risk for All 50 States
Local governments are common victims of cyberattack, with economic damage often extending to the state and federal levels. Scholars aggregate threats to thousands of county governments to draw conclusions.