By: FPS Inspector Glen Patrick
Explosive Detector Dog (EDD) teams, also known as K9 teams, are an integral part of any law enforcement organization. We rely on K9 sensibilities to swiftly identify and address threats—with accuracy, and importantly, mobility, that rivals even the most updated technology available. As the law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of over 9,000 federal facilities, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) routinely uses EDD teams to perform “sweeps” to ensure areas are clear of explosives. Whether we are clearing the perimeter for a national political convention or working with bomb technicians to respond to a suspicious package, FPS draws from its force of law enforcement officers, physical security personnel, and K9s to ensure the safety of the American public in and around federal facilities.

Federal facilities have always been attractive targets for criminals and terrorists. Many of these facilities house critical U.S. government functions, or are iconic American landmarks. With such an important protection mission, FPS is always searching for innovative solutions to stay ahead of those that would do harm in today’s dynamic threat environment.

Since the integration of EDD teams to FPS’ repertoire of security services, the agency has seen faster response times and broader impact to improving national security. There is no technology out there today that can search areas for explosives as fast and reliably as a K9. Our K9 teams can sweep areas and unattended items, and if cleared, they can get facilities back up and running with minimal disruption.

The growing popularity and demand of FPS’ EDD program has allowed us to look at ways to grow the program with more skills and capabilities. We have recently added to a special K9 detection skill called Vapor Wake Detection (VWD). FPS VWD teams are made of K9 and handlers that are trained to detect bomb parts that are carried by a moving target. This means that we can detect explosives in more scenarios – from those placed in stationary locations like an office and vehicles, to those that are moving targets, such as those carried in bags or packages and by visitors.

K9s bring great success to FPS operations because they are adaptive to changing environments and interact well with human elements, including their handlers and the general public. FPS works daily to balance the tasks of achieving comprehensive security and ensuring convenient access of the public to services housed by federal facilities. FPS K9 teams are a seamless solution to this challenge because K9 presence is an effective deterrent to those that would do harm—in part because they are such a popular and effective means to detect explosive components everywhere.

Today, EDD teams are the most effective way to detect explosives, and FPS continues to make this service available widely by partnering with federal, state, and local officials.

Every year during the month of September, the Ready.gov team—along with the entire Department—direct their energies toward building the preparedness of all Americans. What do we mean by preparedness? Simply put: to strengthen our defenses against emergencies of all kinds.

Simple steps you take to prepare yourself for emergency situations will help you stay calm when faced with a crisis, and help you recover faster should disaster strike.

Regardless of your family's preparedness level, Ready.gov is a great resource for getting started or learning more about ways to protect yourself. And if you're looking for a forum to share ideas and best practices, join the National Dialogue on Preparedness and share your ideas with the Local, State, Tribal, and Federal Preparedness Task Force.

Established at the direction of Congress, this task force was directed to take stock of the numerous efforts that have shaped preparedness policy, guidance, and investments since 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and to find ways to ensure that similar efforts in the future are efficient, streamlined and measurable.

We’re counting on your thoughts and ideas about the state of national preparedness to help inform the Task Force and their report to Congress.

So log in and submit your ideas ---the dialogue closes on September 10 – and join the many Americans that have already weighed in and played their part.

Written by: John Morton, Director, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Too often, political posturing rather than facts dominates the debate surrounding immigration. But when you look at the facts, including record-breaking statistics, our record shows this Administration is serious about sensible and tough enforcement.

Let’s start with the facts. As required by federal law, one of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) primary missions is to remove illegal aliens from this country. Under this Administration, ICE has focused its efforts on removing criminal aliens, recent border entrants, and immigration fugitives. The results have been unprecedented. Last fiscal year, ICE removed a record 389,000 illegal aliens from the United States, 136,000 of whom were criminals. So far this fiscal year, we have removed a record 170,000 criminals and have placed more people—criminal and non-criminal--in immigration proceedings than ever before.

The recent expansion of Secure Communities, which uses biometrics to identify criminal aliens in local jails and prisons, has significantly increased the number of criminal aliens subject to removal. To ensure these individuals who have been convicted of crimes such as assault, arson, drug trafficking, burglary, drunk-driving, do not pose further danger to our communities, ICE has implemented a policy to expedite the removal of convicted criminal aliens and ensure these cases are prioritized by our courts. Simply put, this is a common sense solution to ensure convicted criminal aliens are not released into our communities and address the record backlogs cases our courts currently have pending.

Cross-posted from The USCG Blog.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Coast Guard response operations in the aftermath of the storm surpassed that of any previous response with a total of 33,545 persons saved.

Aviation Survival Technician 2nd Class (AST2) Sara Faulkner joined the Coast Guard to save lives. As a rescue swimmer in Hurricane Katrina she did just that—52 times.

As Hurricane Katrina approached Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, then AST3 Sara Faulkner was deployed with an aircrew to Air Station Jacksonville in advance of the storm.

The aircrew waited on edge watching weather reports come in, when unexpectedly, the storm changed course. The suspense was broken by a phone call, ordering the aircrew to report back to Aviation Training Center Mobile – immediately.

Flying through the tail end of the hurricane, the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew flew into the harsh conditions of the storm back to their home base. Upon arrival, a fresh aircrew jumped into the helicopter and took off. Faulkner and the aircrew, weighed with anticipation, were told to get rest, as they would be deployed without delay.

She reported to the air station the next morning, before the sun was up. As missions were being flown across dozens of gulf coast towns, her first mission was over Biloxi.

Her anticipation turned instantly to shock as the aircraft took off and she saw the destruction left behind from the violent hurricane.
"You could see the devastation already," said Faulkner. "You could see where winds had ripped the buildings completely apart. You saw buildings pulled out to sea. Mansions were gone and concrete slabs with stairs led to nothing."

As they arrived on scene, Faulkner's senses were heightened. Her ability to hear became critical due to distractions from the radios of at least ten helicopters flying around. Adding to the sheer volume of noise, her eyes became sharper as there was debris as far as she could see.

"There was clothing hanging in trees so you would think it was a person," said Faulkner. "But when we would fly over it, we would just end up seeing a sweatshirt or an item of clothing, and not people."
From the back of the helicopter, Faulkner and the flight mechanic heard a faint mumble. Looking at each other simultaneously, they knew they heard the word "mayday."

Amongst the flooded town, a yacht had been spotted, surrounded by residential homes and debris.
There were three women aboard the yacht. After their home flooded, they swam amongst the debris looking for shelter. Two were in their 50s, and the third was the mother of the two, in her 80s. Having no familiarity with marine radios they started pressing buttons – miraculously it worked.

One of the women was rescued by the local sheriffs boat, and two were rescued by the aircrew. As the two women were hoisted into the helicopter, their struggle with the storm was evident.

"All of their wounds were already infected," said Faulkner. "The mother was a diabetic and she was going into shock."

As a rescue swimmer and qualified EMT, Faulkner was able to treat the women before they were flown to safety.

Five years later, as an AST2 at Air Station Clearwater, Faulkner is still able to vividly recall what that first rescue meant to her.

"I joined the Coast Guard to be a rescue swimmer and save lives and it was on such a large scale," said Faulkner. "It was ugly at times and bad, but I was just glad to be there to help in any way I could."

Although this first rescue stands out in Faulkner's mind, the women Faulkner and the aircrew rescued that day were just a few of the thousands of rescues the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard performed.

To read more about the men and women who were a part of the response and recovery missions related to Katrina visit here. To hear about another rescue Faulkner was part of, click here to watch a video of her performing her first balcony rescue.

Teresa Lustig, Program Manager, Science & Technology Directorate

We are up in Boston this week conducting a rather interesting experiment in the subway system. A team of scientific researchers, led by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate, are releasing plumes of gas and particle tracers in the tunnels of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), known in Boston as “the T”, subway system that covers a good part of the Boston metropolitan area. The gases and particulates are harmless, of course, but can be easily detected by our sensitive equipment. More importantly, they can replicate how more harmful airborne substances could spread through the tunnels and, ultimately, the city above.

It’s a bit different from the way people usually think of the S&T Directorate. Most of the time folks think of us as trying out some new gadget designed to help DHS’s operational components and the nation’s first responders to be safer, faster, or more efficient. Well, we do that kind of stuff too, but it’s these knowledge products that can make a real difference.

What we learn from this experiment will, we hope, help our partners in law enforcement to establish response plans and make operational decisions in the face of an intentional or accidental release of nasty chemicals or biological agents. This could even help in local response to less-catastrophic events, such as dealing with smoke, fuel spills or other everyday chemicals.

The data we collect will help us determine where to place sensors and detection devices that can serve as rapid warning in the event of an incident. With a better understanding of the airflow dynamics that take place in underground tunnel systems, we can also apply what we learn to the development of new detection devices. The S&T Directorate has several programs working on devices for chemical, biological, radiological, and explosives detection.

This is actually the second series of such tests in “the T”. Last December, we and our partners from MBTA Transit Police, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory of the United Kingdom, the Chemistry Centre of Western Australia and our technology vendor conducted the same type of experiment amidst cold, snowy winter weather. This week’s comparative test during the hot, humid summer will show us how temperature, humidity and other weather factors influence the movement of airborne material.

This project, funded by S&T’s Chemical & Biological Division, is all part of the Department’s ongoing commitment to preparedness and helping to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Boston’s subway system is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in stages over generations, so has a variety of train cars and rail configurations. Conversely, Washington DC’s Metro system is one of the newer subways in the nation. We have conducted similar system-wide studies there in previous years. By looking at the data we collect from the two vastly different systems, we can apply what we learn to other subways systems across the nation and to our international partners—all in the effort to keep travelers safe.

Cross-posted from The USCG Blog.

Today is a special day for our nation. As the Coast Guard celebrates its birthday, so does the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

The President honored the Coast Guard men and women stationed across the Gulf Coast, the nation and the world with a phone call and letter thanking them for the valued service they provide to the American public.

During the phone call, President Obama said:

“I know that everybody within ear shot has been working extraordinarily hard. Not just to protect and clean up the Gulf but to help keep America safe and secure each and every day. I want all of you to know that I stand with you, as I stand with the Gulf communities, even as you continue the critical mission that you are on but also over the long term until the people of the Gulf have fully recovered from this most recent disaster.

It is a great privilege to share a birthday with the Coast Guard. I am full of admiration for the courage and the dedication and the hard work that each of you do.

I, obviously, am especially looking forward to celebrating sometime this month having finally killed the BP well and gotten the relief well completed. But, I want everybody to know that we could not have done this without you. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re going to need to recover fully in the Gulf and that’s going to take all the efforts of the Coast Guard. We still have a hurricane season ahead of us, which is going to involve all of you in one capacity or another.

Just know that your Commander in Chief is proud of you, the nation is proud of you, and we are very very appreciative of your service.

Happy Birthday Coast Guard and, again, it is a great privilege to share a birthday with you.”

One of the important lessons that we've learned over the years is that confronting violence in our communities works best when local law enforcement works in close collaboration with the communities and citizens they serve, as well as their partners in the federal government.

It's a simple idea, but a powerful one: that homeland security begins with hometown security.  And when we equip local law enforcement, citizens, and communities to understand and combat violent extremism, we make our home towns – and our nation – safer.

From the beginning, DHS has looked for ways to support local law enforcement, communities, and citizens.  Today, we took a significant step forward by announcing a series of measures (PDF, 2 pages - 26 KB) that follow on recommendations made by the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).

In February, I charged the HSAC with determining how DHS could best support state and local law enforcement, and better empower communities, to understand, identify, and combat violent extremism.  Over four months, an HSAC working group that included chiefs of police, sheriffs, community leaders, and homeland security experts met to develop recommendations.

Since I received the recommendations (PDF, 30 pages - 174 KB) in May, my Department has worked with HSAC members to develop next steps that we could initiate or implement quickly with our federal, state, and local partners.  These steps are designed to strengthen the Department's commitment to supporting locally-based solutions such as community-oriented policing efforts to counter violent extremism and other types of crime.

The steps I announced today include:

• Convening regional summits with state and local law enforcement, government, and community leaders this fall to share information about successful community-oriented policing and other crime reduction programs, and then gathering these best practices and sharing them on the widely-used Lessons Learned Information
  Sharing online platform.
• Developing an innovative community-oriented policing curriculum for state and local law enforcement focused on behaviors and indicators of terrorism-related crime, and techniques for enhancing community-based partnerships.
• Producing unclassified case studies examining recent incidents involving violent crime that will provide state and local partners with a greater understanding of common behaviors and indicators exhibited by suspects.

Indeed, there is much more to learn about the complex and evolving phenomenon of domestic radicalization.  But events of the past year tell us that we cannot wait for those discussions to end before taking steps to protect our local communities and the homeland. 

And so today, I was also proud to announce expansion of the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to our nation's capital.  The campaign, which was originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority with support from DHS, is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness about indicators of terrorism and the importance of reporting suspicious activity to proper law enforcement authorities. 

Here in the Washington area, the campaign will draw on the Metropolitan Police Department's long-standing participation in the National Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.  In the coming months, DHS will continue to expand the campaign with public education materials, advertisements and other tools to engage travelers, businesses, community organizations, and public and private sector employees. You can expect to start seeing them here in DC this fall.

Janet Napolitano

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark civil rights legislation that broke down age-old barriers to equality for millions of Americans with disabilities.  In the two decades since, we have learned that equal access for people with disabilities—to services, employment, buildings and programs—is best protected by thorough integration of their needs into ordinary, day-to-day activities.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) promotes that integration every day, through all our components and activities.  Some examples:

• DHS makes determined efforts to remove barriers to employment for people with disabilities; the result is that over 8,000 DHS employees report that they have a disability.  This fiscal year so far, DHS has hired nearly 500 veterans with disabilities. Our work in this area includes outreach, targeted internships, special hiring events, and training of hiring managers. 

• Government websites relating to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have, by the efforts of employees across DHS, been made entirely accessible to people with disabilities. 

• Working through Department of Defense leadership, CRCL offers training to military commanders during the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) in emergencies.  Our training focuses on disability as well as other civil rights issues.  In 2010, we provided training to 120 National Guard commanders.

• If members of the public have disability-related complaints, CRCL runs a fair and effective process to address those complaints and learn from them going forward. As a result of CRCL recommendations, over the past year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection initiated an action plan to ensure equal access for travelers with disabilities at both the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry.  Not only did CBP install new benches, new signage, and accessible water fountains and restrooms, it took the next step of instituting training requirements for all supervisory CBP officers nationwide on providing reasonable accommodations, and issued a directive with specific guidance on processing individuals with health concerns and/or disabilities.

• CRCL and the DHS Chief Information Officer jointly created the Office of Accessible Systems & Technology (OAST), which provides IT-related reasonable accommodation recommendations for employees with disabilities.  Training and technical assistance is provided to support the employee and enhance his or her job performance.  OAST operates a DHS Accessibility Help Desk, a single point of entry for disability-related services and technical assistance for employees and customers of DHS.  OAST works with the developers of hundreds of web and software applications used here at DHS to improve accessibility of their products.

• Staff from the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties drafted Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness (PDF, 4 pages - 92 KB), which went into effect in July 2004.  Since the inception of the Executive Order, the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated the CRCL Officer to chair the resulting Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC), and CRCL works with the Council and with FEMA to incorporate the needs and perspectives of people with myriad disabilities—visual and hearing impairments, mobility impairments, intellectual disabilities, etc.—into emergency-related policies and procedures. Most recently, the ICC's focus has been on helping shape the National Disaster Recovery Framework to ensure individuals with disabilities are fully integrated into planning efforts and have access to vital services to support their living, learning, and working during long-term community recovery.

Through these and other efforts, we work at DHS every day to live up the civil rights promise of the ADA. 

Margo Schlanger
Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

The Department of Homeland Security has launched the Blue Campaign, our unified effort to combat human trafficking. According to the State Department’s 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, more than 12 million adults and children are subject to forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world. And the United States is not immune to this global problem.

With annual trade exceeding $30 billion worldwide, trafficking continues to attract criminals to this market for human lives. Eradicating this horrible crime requires a concerted effort by governments, law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

This is why DHS is bringing agencies together to coordinate our resources and expertise in launching the Blue Campaign. The name is a reference to the “Blue Heart” (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and the “Blue Blindfold” (United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre), as well as the “thin blue line” of law enforcement. Components from across the Department – led by ICE, CBP, USCIS, and FLETC – will participate in the campaign and work together as part of a unified DHS effort.

The elements of the Blue Campaign are organized around the “3 Ps” of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000: protecting victims of human trafficking through rescue, referral, and immigration relief; preventing human trafficking through targeted public outreach and education; and contributing to human trafficking prosecutions through law enforcement investigations. The Blue Campaign also emphasizes a fourth P: partnering creatively to aggressively fight trafficking in persons.

The launch of the Blue Campaign coincides with the 10-year anniversary this year of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and its international counterpart, the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women Children. During the last decade, we’ve made significant strides in spreading awareness about human trafficking and enhancing our tools to investigate and prosecute traffickers.

During the next decade, we need to do more, which the Blue Campaign will help us achieve. To learn more about the Blue Campaign and about what you can do in your community, visit the new Blue Campaign website: www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking. You can also email the DHS Human Trafficking Initiative Steering Committee at BlueCampaign@dhs.gov. As the chair of that committee, I welcome your ideas and encourage you to become involved in the effort to protect freedom, protect your country, and help end modern slavery.

Alice Chamberlayne Hill
Senior Counselor to the Secretary