Protecting the Texas Border with a Fusion Center
Citing what he called a "clear and present danger" of "narco-terrorism" along the Texas-Mexico border, Gov. Rick Perry has announced a plan to step up the state's border security. "Operation Rio Grande" would centralize border security under a homeland-security intelligence center in Austin, use Texas Army National Guard strategists and analysts for border operations, and redirect more manpower and resources from state agencies toward border safety.
Source: Karen Brooks, "Perry launches plan to bolster border security Officers, equipment moved to patrols; critics say area has other needs," The Dallas (Texas) Morning News, 10 Feb. 2006: 3A
Monitoring North Dakota Sex Offenders by GPS
GPS monitoring has become the most up-to-date technological tool law enforcement officials in North Dakota can use to keep track of sex offenders, and in Grand Forks, they intend to use it as early as this spring. The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (NDDOCR) has set up pilot GPS systems in four different areas across the state, including Grand Forks.
Source: Susanne Nadeau, "Tracking offenders -- GPS style: Police use Global Positioning System to monitor sex offenders," Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, 10 Feb. 2006
Checking for Illegal Aliens in North Carolina Jails
Sheriff's deputies in Mecklenburg County, N.C. will match the names of inmates entering North Carolina's largest jail against a federal database of illegal immigrants starting later this year. Ten deputies trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security also will interview foreign nationals as they enter the jail to help learn whether the detainees have had prior contact with the federal immigration system, with the hope the change will allow fewer illegal immigrants with criminal histories to be set free with a promise to appear in court, instead of being held for deportation.
Source: Tim Whitmire, The Associated Press, “Sheriff's deputies to screen for illegals among jail inmates,” Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, 6 Feb. 2006
