CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- September 12, 2008

Cross-Contamination of Clinical Specimens with Bacillus anthracis During a Laboratory Proficiency Test -- Idaho, 2006
“On July 18, 2006, the Utah Department of Health notified epidemiologists at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare that Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent for anthrax, had been isolated from a patient. On the same day, the Idaho epidemiologists were notified by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories of a specimen from a second patient received for anthrax testing. The two reports resulted briefly in alerts to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and precautionary treatment of one of the patients […] Subsequent investigation revealed that, during July 2006, the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories had been conducting a sentinel laboratory proficiency testing exercise among Idaho's hospital laboratories. The exercise included specimens with the Sterne strain of B. anthracis, a nonvirulent strain. […] This report is the first to describe cross-contamination of clinical specimens with B. anthracis during laboratory proficiency sample testing. The Idaho Bureau of Laboratories regularly conducts proficiency testing surveys with participating sentinel laboratories.” (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; 12Sep08) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5736a3.htm

[Governor Sonny] Perdue [R-GA], lawmakers press Georgia's case for biolab
“Gov. Sonny Perdue joined with most of Georgia's congressional delegation to present a united front in the state's bid to win a national biodefense lab near the University of Georgia. […] In a press conference on Capitol Hill, the leaders said Athens [Georgia] will win the project if the competition is judged on merits. The $450 million Homeland Security project would house at least 300 lab-related jobs, with research focused on some of the most lethal biological threats, including deadly animal diseases and bioterrorism threats through the nation's food supply.”
(Ledger-Enquirer; 11Sep08; Source: AP)
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/251/story/438481.html

Senator [Pat] Roberts [D-KS] secures $268,305 in funds to improve food security
“Senator Pat Roberts [Kansas] today announced the Ford County [Kansas] Sheriff's Office will receive $268,305 in funding he secured in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2008, to improve food security. The funding will allow the Ford County Sheriff's Office to assess and strengthen terrorism prevention activities and response capabilities. Additional attention will be given to criminal activity in agriculture, especially those incidents that could represent potential indicators of terrorist activity.” (Cattle Network; 11Sep08)
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=251690

[Lone Star] College to offer free flu shots at drive-through event [Montgomery, Texas]
“Free flu shots will be available to adults who push up their sleeves and roll down their car windows on Saturday, October 11, at a drive-through flu shot clinic at Lone Star College-Montgomery [Texas]. […] The department’s public health preparedness division plans and coordinates the response to adverse events like disease outbreaks and bioterrorism attacks. ‘Events like the drive-through flu shot clinic are great opportunities to see how well we’re prepared to respond to health emergency in our county,’ said Emily Llinás, assistant director at the health department. In addition to helping the public, the drive-through event will serve as an exercise for health department staff and volunteers. Volunteers are a major component of public health preparedness plans, Llinás said.” (Woodlands Online; 11Sep08; Steve Scheffler)
http://woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=26822

Suspicious Powder Found on Eve of 9/11: Coleman A. Young Municipal Building Quarantined [Detroit, Michigan]
“A suspicious package made its way to the executive suite on the 11th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building – The Office of the Mayor. Could it be Anthrax? City staffers were quarantined for just under 3 hours after the envelope was found in the executive suite of outgoing Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. […] The general manager of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Greg McDuffee said that the Detroit Fire Department was called on Wednesday evening following the discovery of the dubious package. McDuffee said that fewer than a dozen staffers were quarantined inside the 11th floor suite. He also said that Mayor Kilpatrick wasn’t inside the building […].” (My TV 20; 11Sep08) http://www.tv20detroit.com/news/local/28255504.html

White powder found in letter to Star-Banner [Ocala, Florida]
“A Star-Banner receptionist opened an envelope addressed to the newspaper Thursday morning to find a line of white powder in the bottom but no letter inside. The envelope - reminiscent of anthrax attacks and scares from 2001 and 2002 - could be a ‘copycat’ item, said Ocala police Lt. Dan Wilson. […] Ocala Fire Rescue paramedics responded and were treating the receptionist, Eliud Rodriguez, at his desk in the Star-Banner foyer. The police Department Intelligence Unit was on scene. Wilson said the small orange envelope - which lay for a time outside the building in a plastic bag - would not be handled by evidence technicians until the Health Department had taken it for testing. Fire Rescue officials soon packaged the envelope in larger bags and a white bucket for the Health Department.”
(Gainesville Sun; 11Sep08; Joe Byrnes, Star-Banner) http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080911/NEWS/809110241/1014/entertainment02&title=Envelope_with_white_powder_delivered_to_Star_Banner

Center for Health and Homeland Security Hosts Forum to Discuss Anthrax Case [at University of Maryland] “A forum held Sept. 10 at the University of Maryland School of Law shed light on the case from the perspectives of science and journalism. The event, ‘Did the Researcher Do It? The FBI's Anthrax Case Against Dr. Ivins,’ was the eighth annual Sept. 11 commemoration presented by the Center for Health and Homeland Security (CHHS). Scott Shane, a reporter from The New York Times, and Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) and the director of the Institute of Genome Sciences at the SOM, served as panelists.”
(University of Maryland News; 11Sep08; Nick Alexopulos)
http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/communications/news/?ViewStatus=FullArticle&articleDetail=4535

At UCF [University of Central Florida], genetically modified plants show promise as vaccine
“The University of Central Florida researcher [Henry Daniell] is working on a new kind of vaccine grown inside plant cells, crushed into powder and swallowed as a capsule. He recently had success in animal tests of his vaccine for bubonic plague. […] ‘What we have developed is a totally new platform; it's a revolutionary approach,’ said Daniell, who receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and others for his research. […] most [vaccines] are expensive and hard to manufacture. In rare cases, the vaccines themselves cause the disease or severe reactions. That's why Daniell and others are working on new types that reduce the risks and expense. The need has become more urgent in recent years amid fear of bioterrorism and natural outbreaks such as bird flu. Daniell's approach relies on selected genes from the bacteria or viruses -- not the whole pathogens. At a basic level, genes are the recipes for proteins. Researchers have found that the immune system can be provoked by just a few proteins from the invader.” (Orlando Sentinel; 10Sep08; Robyn Shelton) http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-vaccines1008sep10,0,1419005.story

State checking powder in letter [Peabody, Massachusetts]
“A powder found in an envelope received by a resident of 17 Page St. has been sent to a state laboratory for analysis. Fire Chief Steve Pasdon called in the regional hazardous-materials team to handle the contents of the letter after police and fire officials responded to the Page Street home around 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for Fire Marshal Stephen Coan, yesterday did not know how long it would take for the lab to identify the material. police Lt. Dennis Bonaiuto said yesterday that the hazmat team tested the air inside the home and no hazardous material was detected.” (Salem News; 10Sep08; Matthew K. Roy) http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_253231822.html

Germ attack worries [U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff
“Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said he doesn’t think an attack with a weapon of mass destruction is imminent, ‘but is one I think remains out there, particularly a biological threat.’ He said a biological attack would be especially problematic because ‘it can’t be necessarily detected. It can be carried in a very small vial. You could theoretically infect somebody and send an infected person to a country and create a biological weapon that way.’” (Journal Gazette; 11Sep08; Sylvia A. Smith) http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/NEWS03/809110328/1002/LOCAL

Diluted nerve agent to be destroyed at Blue Grass depot [Davenport, Kentucky]
“The government next month hopes to begin destroying diluted nerve agent at Kentucky's Blue Grass Army Depot. The 157 gallons of agent, known as GB, was involved in the depot's largest leak of chemical weapons material last year. The chemical neutralization of the GB, called ‘Operation Swift Solution,’ will mark the first destruction of chemical weapons material at the facility near Richmond.” (Courier-Journal; 11Sep08; James R. Carroll)
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/NEWS01/809110407/1008/NEWS01

[Veterans’] illness 'due to stress, not Gulf War syndrome'
“Many of the nearly 2000 Australian veterans of the first Gulf War came home complaining of myriad strange illnesses: chronic fatigue, headaches and dizziness, memory problems and muscle and joint pain. The troops have consistently argued that their health problems were caused by a chemical cocktail of pesticides used to kill sand flies and pills they were given to protect them against nerve gas. But according to research from Monash University's Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, the evidence from several countries, including Australia, does not back up veterans' claims. Adelaide psychiatrist and trauma expert Sandy McFarlane, who was part of the original study team, said there was no evidence of a unique syndrome in those veterans compared with troops from other campaigns. […] Professor McFarlane said Gulf War veterans had suffered significantly more physical and psychological symptoms than other veterans. This indicated the soldiers […] had a condition known as somatic distress -- where their psychological illness brought on by extreme stress made them physically sick -- not Gulf War syndrome.” (The Australian; 12Sep08; Julie Ann-Davies) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24332917-31477,00.html

Berlin protests comments by US ambassador to Sweden
“According to the Friday issue of the daily Handelsblatt, a senior German Foreign Ministry official presented an official protest to the US embassy in Berlin about an op-ed piece written by US ambassador to Sweden, Michael M Wood, that was published in a Stockholm newspaper. Citing the example of Russian-energy consumer Ukraine, the article suggested that the pipeline posed a security threat to the region in that it would allow Moscow to use energy as a means to gain political leverage. The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the Handelsblatt report. In Sweden, the project has also been criticized by some lawmakers over environmental concerns, including potential hazards posed by chemical weapons dumped in the sea after World War Two.” (Earth Times; 11Sep08; Source: Handelsblatt) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/231214,report-berlin-protests-comments-by-us-ambassador-to-sweden--summary.html

U.S. to scan incoming air cargo
“The Homeland Security Department will put all incoming air cargo through radiation detectors at the nation's airports to try to prevent terrorists from smuggling radioactive bombs into the U.S. […] The new initiative aims to close what the 9/11 Commission's final report called a major security vulnerability -- cargo on airplanes as a potential avenue for terrorism. Any cargo shipped on passenger planes will also be scanned. Detectors will begin checking packages this week at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. Arriving cargo -- whether from Pakistan or Peoria -- will be driven through giant detectors called Radiation Portal Monitors. […] There is no specific threat information indicating terrorists are trying to smuggle radiological material into the country on commercial or cargo planes. But Secretary Michael Chertoff says he is concerned about weapons of mass destruction getting into the country by air or by boat.” (Daily Record; 11Sep08; Mimi Hall)
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/UPDATES01/809110403

terrorism: What the next President will face
“On the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, what is the nature of the terrorist threat against the United States and other nations of the world and how should the next President address that threat upon taking office in January 2009? These questions are at the center of a special volume of The Annals edited by Richard A. Clarke, as well as in a series of interviews with terrorism experts featured in the volume conducted by Philadelphia Inquirer foreign policy columnist Trudy Rubin […] On September 11, 2008, the Philadelphia Inquirer will post the series of in-depth podcasts of columnist Trudy Rubin interviewing several of the volume's authors.” (Red Orbit; 11Sep08) http://www.redorbit.com/news/politics/1551954/terrorism_what_the_next_president_will_face/

Book by Brian Michael Jenkins explores nuclear terrorism
“In a new book, Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?, leading terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins explores both the risks and history of nuclear terrorism, and warns that terrorist may not even need to acquire such weapons to order to perpetrate ‘nuclear terror. Upon close examination, nuclear terrorism turns out to be a world of truly worrisome pieces of truth,’ Jenkins says. ‘It also is a world of fantasies, nightmares, hoaxes, scams and stings where it is hard to separate truth from myth. I wrote the book to help the public identify where the myths end and the reality begins.’ […] A nuclear attack by terrorists is not inevitable and the nation must do all that is rationally possible to prevent such an event by improving intelligence, international cooperation and teaching the public how to react should such a dreadful event occur. But, Jenkins argues, the fear of nuclear terrorism should not cause the nation to become intolerant and frightened.” (Eureka Alert; 10Sep08; Warren Robak) http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/rc-bbb091008.php

Nuclear threat from terrorists rising, ex-senator [Sam Nunn, D-GA] says
“The likelihood that terrorists will be able to target the United States with a nuclear weapon is increasing, a former senator testified before a congressional committee Wednesday. Former Sen. Sam Nunn says he's concerned about nuclear materials in Pakistan, citing political instability. ‘The risk of a nuclear weapon being used today, in my view, is growing and not receding,’ former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn told the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terror, a bipartisan panel that aims to prevent terrorist attacks. The commission met in New York, just a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center […] ‘Terrorists are clearly seeking nuclear weapons,’ said Nunn, who heads the Nuclear Threat Initiative. ‘There can be little doubt that if they acquire weapons, they will use them.’ […] ‘Russia has the greatest quantity of nuclear weapons and material, but Pakistan, in my view, is the greatest danger because of the great instability in that country,’ Nunn said. Nunn said Pakistan keeps its nuclear arms under heavy guard, but political instability in the country and beliefs that al Qaeda has reconstituted itself in the Pakistani mountains raise concerns.” (CNN;
10Sep08)
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/10/wmd.congress/

Orem [Utah,] man's [Castor] bean plant investigated
“A startled homeowner [Lincoln Fuqua] got a visit from Orem police Tuesday afternoon. They were interested in a plant that he was growing by his mailbox in the front yard. They were so interested that they put a call into Homeland Security. No, it wasn’t marijuana. It was a castor bean plant. […] And when he saw the castor bean seeds this spring at his favorite nursery in Orem, he remembers snapping some up and thinking, ‘Hey, I’m going to grow some this year because they’re beautiful.’ Fuqua has a background in chemistry and is well aware that terrorists have used them to make Ricin. But he never dreamed that someone would think that he might be a terrorist. […] Orem police have not given us their verdict on the castor bean plant, but it is not illegal. In fact, only the District of Columbia ‘strongly discourages’ the sale of castor bean seeds.” (ABC 4; 10Sep08; Brent Hunsaker) http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f2396fa3-c730-457d-825c-257c263a831c

Bulgaria keeping 'umbrella killing' probe open: Chief [Investigator Boiko Naydenov]
“Bulgaria is to keep open its probe of the ‘umbrella killing’ in London of dissident Georgy Markov in 1978, the head of the country's investigation service, Boiko Naydenov, told AFP Wednesday. Initially, the investigation was to have been closed this week when a 30-year statute of limitations expired. But Naydenov said that, because the probe concerned both Markov's death and an attempt the same year to kill another Bulgarian dissident in Paris, Vladimir Kostov, a lengthier timeframe could be applied, allowing the case to remain open. He said that where there is a killing or attempted killing of two or more people, ‘then there is a 35-year statute of limitations, which can be prolonged further if the case has been interrupted.’” (Agence Presse France; 11Sep08) http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jbwyP6kEgBpglz7FmckQPdf_DCzg

Fresh intrigue surrounds a Cold War murder [of Georgy Markov]
“A Bulgarian journalist, Hristo Hristov, is releasing a book - ‘The Double Life of Agent Piccadilly’ - that he says demonstrates how the communist regime eliminated one of its most eloquent opponents. […] Based on the first outside look at previously classified state security documents, Hristov concludes that Markov was killed by one Francesco Gullino, a sometime smuggler arrested twice in Bulgaria and given the choice of jail or becoming an agent. Based in Copenhagen with cover as an art dealer, Gullino was active until 1990 and received two Bulgarian state medals ‘for services to security and public order,’ Hristov says. In 1993, Gullino was briefly detained and questioned by the British and Danish police in Copenhagen, and has not been seen or heard of since. […] the Bulgarian authorities have officially broadened the inquiry to include a suspected assassination attempt on Vladimir Kostov, a Bulgarian defector in Paris who suffered a poison pellet attack two weeks before Markov - and survived. The murder investigation by Scotland Yard also remains active, with British police officers traveling abroad to make several known inquiries this year.” (International Herald Tribune; 10Sep08; Matthew Brunwasser)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/10/europe/sofia.php

Pakistan accuses US military over cross-border terror campaign
“In an unusually tough statement, General Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of Army Staff, said that there was ‘no agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border’. Pakistan would defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity ‘at all costs’, he said. […] Seven years on from 9/11 the failure to find bin Laden — combined with increasing awareness that the terrorist group is spreading its influence into North and East Africa and is pressing ahead with trying to develop chemical, biological and radiological devices — is forcing a rethink of how to confront the threat. […] Al-Qaeda remains obsessed with using commercial airliners for attacks, but of greatest concern are the signs of its interest in developing chemical, biological and radiological devices. The terrorists have already used lorries packed with explosives and chemicals in attacks in Iraq, and are known to be experimenting with anthrax.” (Times Online; 12Sep08; Michael Evans & Zahid Hussain) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4735471.ece

Fox Valley [Wisconsin] Fire Department evolve following events of 9-11
“At Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue's main station on Columbia Avenue in downtown Neenah, firefighters were checking apparatus, doing maintenance and replenishing supplies as officers set the weekly training schedules that can consume up to 15 percent or more of the firefighters' work each year. […] Since 9-11, there are more perceived threats than ever before. Training has changed markedly since the terrorist attacks. Hansen said the basic firefighting class now includes sections on a wide and ominous range of hazardous materials. Training used to focus on chlorine gas, ammonia leaks and gas spills. Now, nerve gas, blister agents and biological weapons also are included. All department members, including the 43 paid on-call firefighters at Grand Chute, must have a minimum 150 hours of training a year. [Michael] Sipin [Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue] said the 68 firefighters on that department average 330 hours of training a year.”
(Post-Crescent; 11Sep08; John Lee)
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/APC0101/809110482/1003/APC01

Universal Detection Technology to Present at the 3rd Annual Gulf Coast terrorism Conference [Sarasota, Florida]
“[…] [T]he 3rd annual Gulf Coast Terrorism Conference [is] scheduled to be held in Sarasota, Florida. The presentation will cover the latest detection technologies for the detection of CBRN threats. The attendees of the conference include local, state and federal first responder and law enforcement officials. […] Security Solutions International (SSI), the host of the conference, is committed to bringing the know-how of the world's leading experts in counter-terrorism and security to practical application in a wide variety of custom seminars and courses. The event is attended by participants from the US Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, New Orleans Police Department, Orlando Police Department, Lebanon Police Department, Florida Department of Health, and the US Supreme Court.” (Earth Times; 10Sep08)
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/universal-detection-technology-to-present,536208.shtml

Progress seen in Maine plan to fight terror
“Seven years after terrorists embarked from the Portland airport on their mission to fly into the World Trade Center, top federal and state officials say Maine is better prepared for a terrorist attack, but no one thinks it is fully ready. […] [Governor John] Baldacci [D-ME] kicked off National Preparedness Month in Maine at a training session held in the Emergency Operations Center at the Maine Emergency Management Agency. He urged Mainers to plan for any sort of disaster, man-made or natural, by creating their own individualized emergency supply kit and developing a plan of what they would do to cope with a disaster. […] Baldacci said MEMA [Maine Emergency Management Agency] has developed a Web site, www.maineprepares.com, that has information on what a disaster plan should include and a checklist for developing a disaster preparedness kit.” (Bangor Daily News; 10Sep08; Mal Leary)
http://www.bangornews.com/detail/50422.html

[Mayor Michael] Bloomberg [R-New York City]: New York short-changed on terrorism prevention funds
“‘The federal government needs to do more to help us protect our city,’ New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the first public hearing of the nine-member Congressional Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and terrorism Wednesday in New York. […] The mayor said New York City is still the number one target of terrorists from around the world, yet for bioterrorism prevention funding it ranks 21st out of 54 eligible states and cities in the amount of funding provided in 2008. […] ‘Because of the anthrax episodes in 2001, New York is one of only a handful of places in the nation that's ever experienced a bio-terror attack. Yet in Fiscal Year 2008, we received $2.72 per capita, putting us an incredible 21st out of 54 eligible states and cities.’ [said Mayor Bloomberg].” (Environment News Service; 10Sep08) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2008/2008-09-11-01.asp

Terrorism: Intelligence the weak point in defeating Al-Qaeda, says expert [Abdel Bari Atwan]
“Penetrating Al-Qaeda is the key challenge for American and other western intelligence services, according to author and commentator Abdel Bari Atwan. […] ‘The United States is well prepared against an Al-Qaeda attack in terms of security at airports and other sensitive sites,’ Atwan told Adnkronos International (AKI). ‘But intelligence remains a real problem - penetrating Al-Qaeda is extremely difficult, because of geography, loyalty and ideology,’ Atwan stated. […] ‘Al-Qaeda's field commanders are under the direct supervision of its leadership. So it could go back to outside attacks,’ said Atwan. ‘It is now more capable of carrying out similar attacks (to the 9/11 attacks on US cities), but with different means. ’ Dirty bombs, chemical or biological weapons - these are easier than hijacking aeroplanes,’ he said. […] Pakistan's new President, Asif Ali Zardari, is ‘too weak’ to have a major role in the US-led fight against militants believed to be hiding out in the region bordering Afghanistan.” (Adn Kronos International; 11Sep08)
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2476639575

U.S. scrambles for N. Korean clues
“Following his failure to show up at a parade Tuesday marking North Korea's founding 60 years ago, U.S. officials said Tuesday that they believe Kim has suffered a stroke. While his condition is unclear—as so many things in that closed society are—they are scrambling to figure out what is actually going on there and make contingency plans. […] ‘The bottom line is, if Kim dies, we potentially have a serious problem,’ said Joel Wit, a former U.S. diplomat and one of the authors of the 1994 nuclear agreement with Pyongyang. ‘There could be the collapse of the central government, civil war between different factions, large-scale refugee flows, increasing instability of the security of weapons of mass destruction and pressures on all surrounding countries to intervene.’ […] The biggest worry for the U.S. if the North Korean government were to collapse: What would happen to the regime's cache of weapons of mass destruction? Pyongyang, which test-fired a nuclear weapon in October 2006, is believed by U.S. intelligence agencies to have enough fuel for several nuclear weapons and is also thought to have an arsenal of chemical weapons.” (Chicago Tribune; 10Sep08; Bay Fang) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-korea-kim_nu_10sep10,0,5223701.story

CNS ChemBio-WMD terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.

Law Enforcement Technology

Editor's Note: Many of the technologies in this summary are being used by state and local police departments for domestic counterterrorism and homeland security.

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, July 26, 2007

"NOPD Unveils New Crime Maps"
New Orleans Times-Picayune (07/20/07) P. 1; McCarthy, Brendan

On July 19, the New Orleans Police Department launched an upgraded Web site mapping tool that lays out crimes on a map. The tool, located at the bottom of the police department's Web site, permits users to enter any address in New Orleans. At that point, they can look for particular crimes, zoom in and out of certain neighborhoods, and locate incidents going back to the start of 2005. The mapping tool was published on the Web site in early May and got poor reviews from users, who contended that crime information was missing, the maps were difficult to read, and directions were bad. Since then, police department technology head Maj. Michael Sauter and the Mayor's Office of Technology have redone the model and included numerous features. Users can now look by police district boundaries, neighborhoods, ZIP codes, and other information. In addition, they can email maps and transfer the information onto spreadsheets. Sauter notes that around 95 percent of all uniform crime events will be included in the mapping database.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/
base/news-8/118491566289730.xml&coll=1

"Do Tasers Save Lives? DeKalb Takes Another Look"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (07/23/07); Simpson, David

The DeKalb County, Ga., Police Department, which stopped using Taser stun guns in 2005 due to alleged fatalities, is reconsidering the device. Before DeKalb withdrew its Tasers, the guns had been employed 62 times without a reported injury or complaint by a civilian, notes Maj. J.E. Helms, who heads training for DeKalb police. Helms stresses he does not think Tasers by themselves cause fatalities. DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton has obtained the assistance of Southern Christian Leadership Conference president Charles Steele Jr. in facilitating the comeback of Tasers for DeKalb police. Steele states he is in favor of the decision, so long as officers and medical employees are correctly instructed. Meanwhile, R.K. de Graaf, the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police's DeKalb chapter, stresses the stun guns protect both officers and suspects from injuries. Nationally, Tasers have been marketed as a way to lower shootings, with varied results. Shootings in Miami are said to have significantly fallen when Tasers are employed, while Houston saw its shooting fatalities rise from two in 2004 to 11 in 2005 after Tasers were distributed to officers.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/
stories/2007/07/22/taser_0723.html

"Laconia Police Eye Use of TASERs"
Laconia Citizen (NH) (07/20/07)

The Laconia, N.H., Police Department is ready to wrap up another fiscal year and is thinking about employing Taser stun guns. The department has already bought one Taser. While both the Belknap Sheriff's Department and the Tilton Police Department employ Tasers, Laconia Police Chief Tom Oetinger said on July 19 that he wants Lt. Steve Clarke to perform an in-depth study of the guns' utilization across New Hampshire and nationally before they are implemented in Laconia. "While I'm always interested in being ahead of the curve in a lot of areas, technology involving the use of force is something where I tend to be conservative until there is some sort of ability to benchmark it and there has been significant street use by other organizations," Oetinger stated.
http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20070720/CITIZEN_01/107200345/-1/CITIZEN

"Cameras to Catch Street Action"
Capital Times (WI) (07/19/07) P. B2; Miller, Mike

Police in Madison, Wis., are using video cameras to better monitor a busy downtown area of the city heavily populated by bars and clubs. The department says they hope this new technology will provide a more efficient, cost effective way of monitoring the area. The city has spent an additional $100,000 to up police presence in the downtown district as a response to some recent robberies and disturbances caused by drinkers leaving the bars. One camera will be set up in the area on a trial basis. If the trial proves successful, eight more will be put in place by fall. These cameras will be hooked up to laptops in police cruisers allowing officers to monitor several areas at once. http://www.madison.com

"Homeland Security Grants Aid Vital Communications"
Omaha World-Herald (NE) (07/19/07); Stoddard, Martha

New grants announced on July 18 will provide Iowa and Nebraska significant help in offering police, fire fighters, and additional emergency responders the means to speak with each other. Iowa's 911 project manager, John Benson, explained the new grant will be crucial to his state's communications campaign. Nebraska Emergency Management Agency assistant director Al Berndt added that his state has employed a large percentage of its homeland security money to expand the communications network throughout Nebraska. Nebraska has evolved in enabling law enforcement and first responders to talk with each other within certain areas, he added. The initiative includes new radio equipment and technology. Berndt says the next phase is to expand that ability to the entire state and get state agencies on board. The U.S. government is offering $968 million for communications nationwide, utilizing money presented by Congress in a bill from 2005. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10081784

"A Full-Scale Immersion in Disaster Training"
Colorado Springs Gazette (07/22/07); Zubeck, Pam

The National Exercise Program's latest simulation center in Washington, D.C., conducted a nationwide emergency response training between April 30 and May 17, engaging emergency responders from 11 states and six federal agencies. The latest nationwide drill, Ardent Sentry, cost $20 million and forced responders to extend their resources as a Category 3 mock hurricane hit New England--affecting seven states--and several other disasters occurred within days. The national center is expected to provide written and electronic synopses of the training simulations involving various local and federal personnel to help local and state governments create their own training programs for emergency responders. The center also will offer tabletop exercises and other localized drill information. Officials at the center say that a nuclear disaster will overwhelm many local response teams and their ability to medically care for the injured and exposed.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/national_25130___article.html/pino_local.html

"La. State Police Crime Lab Shrinks Rape Kit Backlog"
Advocate (07/18/07) P. A1; Vetter, Kimberly

The backlog of sexual-assault kits in Louisiana that have not been examined for DNA evidence has fallen from 3,100 four years ago to 200. Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory director Capt. Jerry Patrick notes that kits between 2004 and this year exist, and that the remainder of the kits, many of them going back to the 1980s, have been taken care of. Patrick credits the lab's ability to lower its backlog to federal grant funds and an expansion in the lab's DNA program. He adds that processing a single rape kit for DNA information costs between $600 and $1,000. Being able to reduce Louisiana's backlog has created an increase in the ability to resolve cold cases. After a rape kit is processed, the results are studied and put in a database known as the Combined Index System (CODIS). The database employs a pair of indexes to produce investigative crimes in cases where biological proof is found at a crime scene. The Convicted Offender index lists DNA profiles of individuals found guilty of felony sex crimes and additional violent offenses. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/8566202.html

"State Gears Up to Use Internet to Improve 911 Calls"
Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) (07/18/07); Jacobs, Don

Emergency Services centers are looking for ways to use the Internet to make responding to a crisis faster and easier. Tennessee is one state already looking to institute a new Web-based technology called Next Generation-911 (NG-911). This system will use a combination of Internet technology and fiber-optics that will allow callers to communicate visual as well as verbal information to dispatchers. The dispatchers will then be able to use the same system to send that message to personnel in the field. It will also allow emergency service workers from across the state to better coordinate their efforts. For example, police will be able to use the system to scan fingerprints during traffic stops. NG-911 can also be used to transmit a 3-D map of a building in a siege situation to help officers find the safest way to extract hostages.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/jul/18/state-gears-
up-to-use-internet-to-improve-911/

"State-Run Sites Not Effective Vs. Terror"
USA Today (07/23/07); Hall, Mimi

The 42 anti-terrorism "fusion" centers that have been created in 37 states have thus far proved inefficient at sharing information to combat terrorism, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. The fusion centers were created with the aim of increasing information-sharing among federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. But many of the centers have strayed from their central anti-terrorism mission and have instead "increasingly gravitated toward an all-crimes and even broader all-hazards approach," the report says. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided states with some $380 million in funding to create the fusion centers. One common problem plaguing the centers is that federal agents have resisted sharing information with local police, said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who believes there should be a requirement that federal analysts be posted at each center. One DHS official predicts that by the end of 2008, 35 DHS analysts will be working in the centers.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-23-intel-centers_N.htm

"Notification System Gives Status of Criminal Cases"
Reading Eagle (PA) (07/18/07); Young, Mary E.

Victims and witnesses of crime in Berks County, Pa., might be automatically informed in the near future by email or phone when the defendants in whose cases they had a part are to be set free from jail. Computer equipment would be made available within eight weeks after the county commissioners sanction county involvement in the system. A federal grant of $1.25 million will fund the equipment. Victims and witnesses who choose to be entered into the system will have to offer contact data and utilize a personal identification code to obtain information. The system would inform users when a certain defendant is set free on bail, has finished a jail term, or is sent to another facility. District Attorney Mark C. Baldwin believes the system will be helpful as well to law enforcement officials. The system will eventually have data on prisoners in all 53 of Pennsylvania's county prisons and possibly data on inmates in state jails. The system was scheduled to be voted on July 19. http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=50794


"New Lab Expands N.Y.'s Ability to Analyze DNA"
Newark Star-Ledger (NJ) (07/19/07) P. 32

New York City intends to expand its study of DNA evidence by over 17,000 cases annually, due to a new forensics lab that authorities claim is the biggest in the nation. On July 18, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city representatives met to formally launch the Forensic Biology Laboratory of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. New York City wants to begin studying DNA evidence in over 20,000 cases annually, up from the present 3,000 per year. The facility cost nearly $290 million, and has 75,000 square feet of lab room. Bloomberg explained that the lab would enable New York City to locate criminals, and also rule out innocent individuals and study DNA evidence in crimes beside murder cases, including burglaries. He added that the lab would be utilized as well by the Missing Persons agency and the unit that attempts to locate the remains of World Trade Center victims. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stated that police officers would be alternating their protocols to make obtaining DNA an element of more crime investigations. "We'll be increasing our obtaining of DNA samples and training people, our evidence collection teams," Kelly said. http://www.nj.com/news/ledger

"Digital Prints"
Idaho Falls Post Register (07/19/07) P. A1; Wells, Heather

The Rexburg, Idaho, Police Department has been pursuing those who are involved in child pornography with the aid of new software that permits investigators to acquire digital proof from storage devices in computers by making a copy of their hard drives. The software can find files that were rewritten or removed, helping to catch child pornographers and embezzlers, and breaking up drug rings. Rexburg police are now utilizing the Forensic Tool Kit to look into a pair of child pornography cases, and they hope to bring charges soon. Earlier in 2007, Rexburg Police Department Det. Supervisor Lt. Shane Turmin requested a federal grant for $14,000 to buy the tool kit. Though the Idaho Falls Police Department does not employ the kit, it does have access to related software. That department has been able to determine passwords on computers and obtain files as primary evidence in child pornography cases. Last year, 17,291 cyber-crime complaints were filed in this country. http://www.idahonews.com

"Sheriff Welcomes Statewide Role"
New Orleans Times-Picayune (07/19/07) P. 1; Scallan, Matt

The newly elected president of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association says adding technology to the sheriff's department will be a priority for him. St. Charles Parish's Sheriff Greg Champagne says technology is an integral part of the department's operations and should be readily available. "The law says we have to register sex offenders, but about half the departments in the state are still filing paper documents and fingerprints with State Police," Champagne states. To remedy the problem, Champagne says efforts are underway to "get all the departments on the same sex offender [reporting] program." As part of the effort, all of the departments will move to new 700 MHz radio systems so that first responders from various agencies can communicate, and email alert systems will be implemented for residents to let them know when criminals are in their area.
http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/
base/news-4/1184833711296930.xml&coll=1

"Watching You: Downtown Camera Proposal Gains Momentum"
Daily Progress (07/18/07); Rosen, Seth

Charlottesville, Va., law enforcement are backing an approximately $300,000 proposal that would install cameras downtown to monitor high-crime areas. Police say aside from circumventing potential crimes in the area, the cameras would also assist in investigations. Councilors say that they need more information about the placement and monitoring of the cameras before reaching a decision, but in light of eight assaults that have taken place downtown in the span of two months, the proposal is gaining momentum. "Whether [the public's safety concerns] are real or perceived, we have a responsibility to try to address it in as many ways as we possibly can," said Police Chief Timothy J. Longo. Although councilors noted that some residents might cite privacy issues as reasons for preventing the surveillance, they say public safety should rank above those concerns. The exact method for monitoring the cameras is still up for discussion, but Longo said the surveillance footage would only be used by law enforcement. Longo also said real-time should be used to stream the footage, yet such technology is also more costly. Charlottesville has no current deadline for receiving the bids or voting on the cameras.
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP/MGArticle/
CDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352040076&path=

"Pepper Spray: Is the Hot Stuff Still Relevant in Our High-Tech Electronic World?"
Police and Security News (06/07) Vol. 23, No. 3, P. 65; Ijames, Steve

The use of pepper spray made with Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) became widespread among the majority of U.S. law enforcement agencies by 1992, and its use is still relevant today. Tests conducted in the late 1990s by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the University of North Carolina found that OC-based sprays are generally safe and effective and that just two of 63 proximal deaths over a period of five years could be attributed to pepper spray. The report also concluded that pepper spray helped reduce injuries among officers as well as suspects, slashed complaints of excessive force, and was used to successfully handle resistance in 85 percent of the cases where it was used. Compared to TASERs, pepper spray is more affordable, priced at about $12 per officer. The newer versions are also more effective, based on evidence that pain is a result of the portion of capsaicinoid in the product and that cone-shaped delivery units require less accuracy compared to conventional spray tools. Pepper sprays are also effective for cases that go beyond the TASER and when multiple suspects are present. One of the newest pepper spray products is the TigerLight, which features a super-bright light and a concealed blast of pepper spray on the handle end. The device is intended for one-handed use and a study by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office indicates that compliance among suspects was achieved by deputies in 98 percent of the cases when it was used. http://www.policeandsecuritynews.com

"Interoperability: A 21st Century Name for an Evolving Requirements in Ocean City, Maryland"
Sheriff (06/07) Vol. 59, No. 3, P. 11; Dimaio, Bob

For Ocean City, Md., the meaning of interoperability indicates being able to instantly communicate with people from other agencies, departments, or areas via dependable and high quality service. For example, the governments of Ocean City and Worcester County, Md., distribute separate radio systems that link together via a system-to-system network connection. The radios' programming allows them to work on either system. Every Ocean City radio also features extra channels from the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) designed to let incompatible radios communicate. A countrywide initiative has been launched to build repeater coverage using these channels, and Maryland is spearheading the effort through projects such as the Maryland Eastern Shore Interoperability Network (MESIN). MESIN provides interoperability to counties through such 800 MHz NPSPAC mutual aid channels as 8Call, 8TAC-1, 8TAC-2, 8TAC-3, and 8TAC-4. MESIN is an IP-based network that features gateways, routers, and a fully redundant switch, utilizing 12 tower sites across Maryland's Eastern Shore for disparate personnel with 800 MHz equipment. In 2006, Ocean City added a self-contained Mobile Command Vehicle that has a stand alone 4 channel trunked radio site that can work in conjunction with or in place of the Ocean City Trucked System. More than 100 portable radios are stored ready for use. Another system that enables interoperability is the ACU1000 Interconnect System that can link low band, VHF band, UHF band, military band, 800 MHz band, and wireless phones; modifications in the field for radios can be made as needed using onboard hardware and software. http://www.sheriffs.org