HomelandSecurityLeader.com

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, by Mike Morris, Jeffry Scott

Richard Jewell, the former security guard once suspected of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing — then cleared — died at his home Wednesday morning in Woodbury.

For the past three years, Jewell, 44, worked as a deputy sheriff for the Meriwether County Sheriff’s department, said Sheriff Steve Whitlock. He said Jewell had been out on medical leave.

Meriwether County coroner Johnny Worley said Jewell’s wife, Dana, discovered him unconscious at about 10:30 a.m. Worley said an autopsy would be performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine how Jewell died, but there was “no suspicion of foul play.

Full story…

Related story…

Jewell: Olympics allegations still painful

Usually, I would not recommend a movie as training for real-world homeland security contingencies.  However, Right At Your Door, a recently released independent film, may be an exception.

As a movie, it is a bit cheesy and slow at times.  However, it does cover several realistic scenarios that homeland security professionals might face during a CBRN attack or conventional epidemic.  Therefore, certain segments of the film could serve to facilitate discussions in CBRNE, Consequence Management and Civil Support training classes and table-top exercises.

Some of the scenarios from the movie include: the triage and isolation of contaminated persons, enforcement of quarantine, and quarantine violation issues.

Again, this movie is not a training film, however, clips could add value to a broader presentation on important real-world issues and scenarios.

Homeland Security Secretary Appoints Three New Members To Homeland Security Advisory Council

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the appointment today of three new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and ten new members to its subcommittees.

“I value the independent and innovative advice I receive from these trusted counselors,” said Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff. “These appointments will increase the knowledge and experience of our membership and provide me with critical and diverse perspective as we work together to keep America safe.”

The Homeland Security Advisory Council is the Secretary’s primary advisory body and is comprised of experts from state and local governments, terrorism prevention and response communities, academia and the private sector. The council provides advice to Secretary Chertoff and the department’s leadership on homeland security issues.

The three new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council:

County Supervisor Don Knabe, of Los Angeles, Calif., will also serve as the chairman of the State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee. Supervisor Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November 1996. In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Knabe to the California Emergency Council.

Governor Sonny Perdue, of Georgia, will also serve as the Vice Chairman of the State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee. Governor Perdue was sworn in as Georgia’s 81st governor on Jan. 13, 2003, and re-elected to his second term in November 2006. Prior to becoming governor, Perdue was a captain in the United States Air Force, and served in the Georgia General Assembly as majority leader and president pro tempore of the State Senate. He is a small business owner, a licensed veterinarian, and a pilot.

Dr. John “Skip” Williams, of Georgia, is the provost and vice president for health affairs; professor of anesthesiology and of health services management and leadership at George Washington University. Dr. Williams previously served as a member of the HSAC’s Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee.

The three new members of the HSAC’s State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee:

Mayor Douglas Palmer, of Trenton, N.J., has served as the city’s mayor since July 1990. Mayor Palmer is the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the New Jersey Urban Mayor’s Association.

Mayor David Wallace, of Sugar Land, Texas is serving his third term as mayor.  Mayor Wallace is co-chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Homeland Security Task Force and also serves as a trustee member of the Executive Committee and member of the Urban Water Council. Mayor Wallace previously served on the Sugar Land City Council. Mayor Wallace serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Economic Development Corporation.

State Senator Thomas Wyss, of Fort Wayne, Ind., has served as a state senator since 1985. He is chairman of the Homeland Security, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs Committee in the Indiana Senate. Senator Wyss will serve as the organizational representative for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The two new members of the HSAC’s Private Sector Senior Advisory Committee:

Nelson H. Balido, of San Antonio, Texas, is founder of Balido & Associates, Inc. a public strategies, multicultural marketing, and real estate consulting firm. He worked at SBC Communications (AT&T) as the director of multicultural marketing, where he established the position and was responsible for developing culturally relevant marketing strategies for the diverse SBC customer base across the country. In 2003, the governor of Texas appointed Nelson to a six-year term as the commissioner of the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Emily Walker, managing director at Citigroup in London, England, recently served as business executive advisor to the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy, on loan from Citigroup to set up an emergency network for corporate donations to global disasters. She also served as professional staff member and family liaison for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States.

The two new members of the HSAC’s Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee:

Ellis M. Stanley Sr., of Los Angeles, Calif., is the general manager of the City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department. He has significant experience in the emergency management field as director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, as past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers, as a Certified Emergency Manager, and as a member of the National Advisory Board for Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Institute.

Joseph White, of St. Louis, Mo., has served for the past five years as the chief executive officer for the American Red Cross, St. Louis Area Chapter. Mr. White has deployed on many disaster assignments, including to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mr. White serves on the National American Red Cross President’s Advisory Council.

The three new members of the HSAC’s Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee:

Thomas J. Donohue, of Potomac, Md., is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing three million companies, associations, state and local chambers, and the American Chambers of Commerce Abroad. Prior to his current post, Mr. Donohue served 13 years as president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Association, the national organization of the trucking industry.

Susan Ginsburg, Esq., ofAlexandria, Va., is a visiting senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute and private consultant. Ms. Ginsburg served as senior counsel and team leader on the staff of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. She was responsible for research and policy recommendations concerning the entry of the 9/11 hijackers, terrorist travel, and border controls. Prior to that, Ms. Ginsburg worked at the Department of Treasury as senior advisor and firearms policy coordinator, under secretary for enforcement.

Stephen Payne, of Houston, Texas, is the president of Worldwide Strategic Partners and Worldwide Strategic Energy, an energy and international business consulting firm. He is also board member of the National Defense University Foundation and the U.S. Baltic Foundation.

(Arlington, VA) — Yesterday, Arlington Fire and Police units responded to a “Smoke in the Metro” call at the Pentagon City Metro Station. The response was fast, organized and orderly.

Unhappy Metro riders were redirected to buses and, after the station was declared safe, it was eventually reopened. The response demonstrated the Arlington Fire and Police Department’s high level of professionalism and readiness.

If you have recent images of homeland security leaders in action. Please forward them, along with a description of the event, to photos@hsleader.com.

By Investor’s Business Daily

Homeland Security: Oops, New York officials hired a pro-jihad radical to run a controversial new Arabic academy. The principal quit after critics outed her. What else don’t officials know?

Protesters last week picketed outside the public school, demanding the city abandon plans to open it next month. Local assemblymen have fired off angry letters to the New York City education department to protest the school’s opening.

But it hasn’t deterred PC officials, who say they’re “confident” the Khalil Gibran International Academy will not become the Islamic “madrassa” that critics fear.

Their confidence is curious. Just this month, they saw the “moderate” principal they picked to head the school resign under the heat of a simple background check they failed to conduct.

Full editorial…

From FEDagent.com

On Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new program called “ICE ACCESS” (for “Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security”), which will give local law enforcement agencies the opportunity to team with ICE to combat specific challenges in their communities.

“Local law enforcement agencies have shown tremendous interest in working with ICE,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, Julie L. Myers, who oversees ICE. “Combining federal, state and local resources has proven successful in safeguarding the public. Now, we want to build on that success by using ICE’s unique authorities to further aid communities who seek our assistance.”

ICE developed the ACCESS program in response to the widespread interest from local law enforcement agencies that have requested ICE partnerships through the 287(g) program, which cross-designates local officers to enforce immigration law as authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. In the past two years, the 287(g) program has identified more than 22,000 illegal aliens for possible deportation. More than 60 municipal, county, and state agencies nationwide have requested a 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ICE, and more than 400 local and state officers have been trained under the program.

The 287(g) program is only one component under the ICE ACCESS umbrella of services and programs offered for assistance to local law enforcement officers. Other ICE ACCESS enforcement options include the creation of local task forces targeting specific challenges like gangs or document fraud, the presence of a Criminal Alien Program (CAP) team in local detention facilities to identify criminal aliens, or training to utilize the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC), which provides officers the ability to inquire about a person’s immigration and criminal history. One especially successful joint initiative is Operation Community Shield, a national program aimed at dismantling violent transnational gangs that threaten the public.

ICE agents and officers will meet with agencies requesting ICE ACCESS assistance to assess local needs. Based on these assessments, ICE and the local agencies will determine which type of partnership would be most beneficial and sustainable before entering into an official agreement.

Law enforcement agencies interested in reviewing the enforcement programs under the ICE ACCESS program are encouraged to call their local ICE office or visit www.ice.gov for more information.

 Reproduced with permission of FEDagent.

From FedAgent.com

PATRIOT ACT’S NATIONAL SECURITY LETTER PROVISION IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ACLU TELLS COURT

The American Civil Liberties Union appeared before a federal district court last week to argue that the reauthorized Patriot Act’s National Security Letter (NSL) provision is unconstitutional. The law permits the FBI to gag those who receive NSLs from disclosing that the FBI has sought or obtained information from them.

“The excessive secrecy surrounding the FBI’s use of national security letters is an invitation to abuse,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, who argued before the court. “While secrecy may be necessary in rare cases, the FBI’s power to silence the recipients of national security letters should be subject to meaningful judicial oversight. The FBI cannot be given exclusive authority to determine which NSL recipients should be silenced and which should be permitted to speak.”

The case before the court, Doe v. Gonzales, was originally filed in April 2004 on behalf of an anonymous Internet access company that had received an NSL. Although the FBI has since dropped its NSL demand, the John Doe remains under a gag order. In September 2004, Judge Victor Marrero of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down the Patriot Act NSL provision as unconstitutional, writing that “democracy abhors undue secrecy.” The landmark ruling held that permanent gag orders imposed under the NSL law violated free speech rights protected by the First Amendment.

The government appealed the ruling, but Congress amended the NSL provision before the court issued a decision. In May 2006, the appeals court asked the district court to consider the constitutionality of the amended law.

Last week, the ACLU told the federal district court that the gag provision in the amended NSL statute violates the First Amendment by giving the FBI the authority to suppress speech without prior judicial review. The ACLU also argued that the provision is unconstitutional because the judicial review it allows is “illusory.” The group said that while the amended statute permits NSL recipients to challenge gag orders in court, the provision requires courts to defer to the FBI’s view that secrecy is necessary.

“The executive branch cannot suppress speech without any real judicial check on its gag power,” said Melissa Goodman, an ACLU staff attorney on this case. “Without oversight, there is nothing to stop the government from engaging in broad fishing expeditions, or targeting people for the wrong reasons, and then gagging Americans from ever speaking out against potential abuses of this intrusive surveillance power.”

Reproduced with permission of FEDagent.

Broward County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Christopher Reyka was shot and killed in the line of duty in Pompano Beach, Florida, on August 10, 2007. Sergeant Reyka was checking out two suspicious vehicles when an unknown passenger in one of the vehicles exited and began shooting, striking the Sergeant at least five times. State and federal authorities are seeking information regarding the assailant(s).

REWARD: The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information resulting in the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Sergeant Reyka.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact your nearest FBI office.

From Reason.com, by Tim Cavanaugh 

So far, just one person seems relieved that Ismail Royer, former civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations and an active blogger and essayist, was one of the “Paintball 11,” the group of D.C.-area men arrested last week on charges of violating the Neutrality Act of the United States Code. That person would be Stephen Schwartz, a Muslim convert, pundit, and author of The Two Faces of Islam, who used a column in FrontPage to paint Royer as a Wahhabi extremist and link him to Schwartz’ own archenemies like Keith Sorel and Antiwar.com’s colorful polemicist Justin Raimondo.

With names like these involved, it should already be clear that Royer’s case is one sensible people might want to avoid. Schwartz is a frequently interesting commentator who believes every American washroom is breeding Wahhabists; he and his detractors take turns writing increasingly cartoonish essays about each other.

But there is something disturbing in seeing Royer named as a ringleader of a group of militant mujahideen. In a televised press conference last week, Paul McNulty, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced the 11 men—nine of them American citizens—had been indicted in a conspiracy to wage “violent jihad overseas.” As post-9/11 roundups go, this one isn’t the biggest or the most exciting, but it’s certainly one of the strangest. For several months before last week’s arrests, the feds had been fairly openly watching the 11 suspects (one of whom has already been ordered released by a district court judge).

Full story…

From MuslimMatters.com 

Whenever I arrive back in the US, I always get a special welcome from the folks at the airport…the VIP treatment as I like to call it (Very Islamic Person). To be fair, I can understand why I may have ended up on one of their lists, and they are always very courteous and professional. For someone who has done nothing wrong, and has nothing to hide, the system actually works as it’s supposed to–with minimal inconvenience to me, and they get to satisfy their curiosity.

The irony is that for two of my three voyages to the Muslim world, I was working through educational programs of the US federal government. I traveled to Egypt in 2004 through an individual Fulbright grant, which is administered by the US State Department. On a recent trip to Morocco, I led a study abroad program for K-12 teachers through a Department of Education grant. Beyond support for the immediate program of research or study, these grants are part of the broad cultural diplomacy efforts of the federal government.

Full story…