Thursday, August 9, 2012

Private Sector Preparedness and Response in Boston: DHS for a Day X

By Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector Douglas A. Smith

The Private Sector Office hosted the tenth DHS for a Day on August 1st, in Boston, Massachusetts.  This ongoing initiative is one example of DHS’ commitment to collaborating with the private sector to share best practices and build valuable partnerships to keep our communities and businesses safer.  The event highlighted opportunities for our private sector partners to support efforts to make our nation more prepared and resilient through programs like the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification (PS-Prep) Program and trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry or TSA Pre✓™ .

DHS for a Day X The day began at U.S. Coast Guard Base Boston, where participants received briefings on the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection Protective Security Advisor program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s, Emergency Management Institute (EMI).  Founded over 60 years ago, EMI provides emergency response training to over two million public and private stakeholders each year on topics ranging from how to build public private partnerships, to how to develop and manage volunteers.  Following these presentations, participants were briefed on the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission and role in emergency response and port security.

In the afternoon, participants traveled to Conley Terminal at the Boston Seaport, where Customs and Border Protection officials briefed them on the role DHS plays in border security, travel and trade facilitation.

Finally, participants went to Logan International Airport to observe several TSA risk based security initiatives, including TSA Pre✓™.   

It is our hope participants left the tenth installment of DHS for a Day with a better understanding of the Department’s mission.  As we plan the next event, we will look for new ways to continue to strengthen our partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders. 
Posted by Homeland Security Blog Team at 10:45 AM Leave a Comment
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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Preview the Next Generation of www.DHS.gov

- Posted by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Pia Carusone

The Department of Homeland Security just redesigned its website and now you can take a look and offer your feedback before we officially launch the new website within the next two weeks and retire the old one.

Here are tips to start your site tour of http://preview.dhs.gov/
  • Visit the new Topics pages, with their own Resource Directories to relevant information
  • Use the How Do I? sections to find answers to commonly asked questions
  • Learn how to Get Involved with agency activities for the public
  • Go to the About  DHS section for to learn about DHS’ budget, organization, career options and history
  • See our new multimedia page and photos of DHS at work in the News section.

Why Did We Redesign the Site?
Our new website design was guided by user feedback and best practices in user-centered design.  The goals of the redesign are to simplify and unify DHS.gov’s content and create a more consistent look and feel throughout the site.

At the new DHS website, we are aiming to:
  • Provide valuable information
  • Help you find what you need on the DHS.gov with better navigation and improved content
  • Make it easier for visitors to engage with DHS
In addition, there are plenty of unseen improvements in the administrator interface that make our online communication more cost-efficient, help us execute a customer-focused strategy for web-content management, streamline customer access to DHS services and improve our web content management.

Please Note…
We plan to adopt an improved search engine at launch.  That means at the preview.dhs.gov site, onsite search function does not work yet.  If you use the search box, your search results will return you to the “old” DHS.gov site for now.

We Want Your feedback!
Now that you have some background on what we did and why we did it, please take a few minutes to look around http://preview.dhs.gov and send us your feedback using IdeaScale. IdeaScale is a platform where we can collect your ideas and suggestions for improving the next generation DHS.gov. While you are at it, consider casting a vote for the best ideas that others share, or joining discussions about ideas submitted by others.

Our DHS web team will review ALL submissions, and your feedback will be extremely valuable to us in making quick and continuous improvements to the new website.

If you prefer not to create an IdeaScale profile or have difficulty using IdeaScale, you can always send your suggestions or concerns to dhsgovcomments@hq.dhs.gov

Thank you!
Posted by Homeland Security Blog Team at 3:30 PM Leave a Comment
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FLETC Conducts Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Training Program in Peru

-Posted by Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Director Connie Patrick

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) recently completed its latest iteration of the Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Training Program in Lima, Peru where 38 female police officials from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay participated in a five-day program on topics such as work-life balance, leadership, and effective communication skills. The program started at the U.S. Embassy in Lima with opening remarks from Ambassador Rose M. Likins, who underscored the importance of fostering the development of female law enforcement leaders around the world.

(from left) FLETC Assistant Director for Training Dominick Braccio; Commander Jeaning Calmell del Solar, Peruvian National Police; and FLETC Deputy Assistant Director Val Atkins participate in a panel discussion.
To date, 218 women from 25 nations have benefited from the knowledge and skills conveyed in this program. The wide spectrum of individuals we are reaching makes me confident that we are making a difference in advancing the rights of women across the globe and developing future leaders that will strengthen international security.

Already, we have heard feedback from some participants on how the program has had a positive impact on both their personal and professional lives. Thessa, a prosecutor from the Philippines, wrote in an email to our team here at FLETC applauding the program for “the great opportunity, the priceless knowledge, tools and insights.” 
Attendees at the Women in Leadership Training in Lima, Peru.
Attendees at the Women in Leadership Training in Lima, Peru.
I have had the honor to be able to take part in several of the training programs and saw firsthand how much the participants value our efforts. The heartfelt enthusiasm and motivation of these women at the end of each training session truly shows the value of the program, and I look forward to the next session in Budapest later this year.
Posted by Homeland Security Blog Team at 8:22 AM Leave a Comment
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