Security Debrief

Interagency Agreement Signals Progress in the "War on Drugs"

June 22, 2009

In retirement, I can still refer to “The War on Drugs” as “The War on Drugs,” a phrase not popular with the current administration. Despite what you want to call it, this administration made progress last week in narcotics enforcement when an inter-agency agreement was signed between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to substantially increase the number of ICE Special Agents with Title 21 authority.

What must Pittsburgh learn from Tehran

Security Debrief |

June 20, 2009

Tehran is currently running a master class in how not to manage a disaffected crowd; Pittsburgh would do well to learn from Tehran’s mistakes. Many will reject this, on the grounds that law enforcement in the West would never treat a crowd as the Iranian security forces, and particularly the baseej, have done. However, the indiscriminate use of force by police officers at incidents like the most recent RNC, the Poll Tax Riots in London or during the incident in Boston that cost Victoria Snedgrove her life, would suggest otherwise.

TSA To Help Monitor Rail System

Security Debrief |

June 20, 2009

It is great to see that the continued myth that the government is set in its ways does not apply to TSA. Securing one of our old faithful resources, our rail system, is clearly high on the TSA to do list. Further, it is great to see the government using state of the art equipment to secure one of our nation’s oldest forms of transportation.

Practice Makes Perfect

Security Debrief |

June 18, 2009

In short, the best made plans are only as good as they are exercised in advance of an emergency. On June 17, 2009, under the control of DHS, all government agencies exercised their Continuity of Operations plans (COOP), and I have to admit I miss those days of preparing for the worse. Testing yourself to see if your plans were successful, watching your alternate facilities actually came on line and never skipping a beat, so that the nation and government are without your service.

Tijuana's Drug War

Security Debrief |

June 17, 2009

Recently, I spoke with CBC’s “The National” regarding the escalating drug war along the U.S.-Mexico border.

A Foiled Terrorist Plot, Two Shootings and a Worldwide Pandemic – Can You Hear Me Now?

Security Debrief |

June 17, 2009

From radical Islamists planning to blow up two Bronx synagogues to a white supremacist attack on the Holotcaust Memorial in Washington to the World Health Organization’s declaration of an N1H1 Pandemic, businesses can no longer afford to be unprepared for crisis in their own communities. A Business Continuity Program, as we call it in the lexicon of homeland security, is no longer a “nice to have” option. It is a “must have” reality.

DHS and the Seven Deadly Sins: The 4th Sin…Wrath

Security Debrief |

June 12, 2009

Let’s return to Sunday school and recall that long ago, all problems were thought to originate from one of the seven deadly sins. Using that theme, I have looked at particular problem areas within DHS. I have already discussed the sin of pride, greed, and sloth (don’t worry Lust is on the list, so let’s be a bit patient here). This week focuses on the 4th Deadly Sin: Wrath.