IACP Recommends New Homeland Security Strategy
The nation’s current homeland security strategy, by failing to sufficiently incorporate the advice, expertise or consent of state, tribal and local public safety organizations, is fundamentally flawed, according to a new report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The report, titled From Hometown Security to Homeland Security: IACP’s Principles for a Locally Designed and Nationally Coordinated Homeland Security Strategy, identifies five principles that are keys to developing a successful homeland security strategy and protecting our communities.
Source: “Police Chiefs: Homeland Security Strategy Fundamentally Flawed,” IACP press release, 17 May 2005, online at http://www.theiacp.org/documents/index.cfm?fuseaction=document&document_id=686
DHS Announces CEDAP Awards
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced the first round of awards, totaling $2,044,680, under the new Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). The awards provide equipment for communications interoperability, information sharing, chemical detection, sensor devices, and personal protective equipment to 214 jurisdictions throughout the nation.
Source: "U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program Awards," DHS press release, 19 May 2005
Denver Police Purchase Interoperability Equipment
The Denver, Colo. Police Department has ordered a $2 million piece of equipment that will allow officers and firefighters throughout the metro area to talk to each other over previously incompatible radios. Thanks to a federal homeland security grant, the equipment will be installed in Denver's 911 center in the next 90 days, and then officers will be trained to use it.
Source: Ann Imse, “High-Tech Radio to Clear Up Mixed Signals; Federal Grant Helps Denver Police Order $2 Million System,” Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colo.), 17 May 2005: 4A
DOJ Expands Support to LInX Database
In an April 22 memorandum, the U.S. Deputy Attorney General has ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the federal Bureau of Prisons to join the FBI in sharing their investigative files with local police agencies through the Law Enforcement Information Exchange, known as "LInX." The State of Washington system - initially created by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) - will be the first in the nation to have comprehensive participation from federal investigative agencies, acting as a regional pilot plan for improved information sharing.
Source: Paul Shukovsky, “State Law Enforcement to Get Feds' Help; Puget Sound Police Database is First to Share Information with the FBI,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 13 May 2005: B4
Nassau County, N.Y. Buys Traffic Ticketing Software
The Nassau County, N.Y. Police Department is outfitting officers in 44 of Nassau's 206 patrol cars with laptops and printers to produce tickets and accident reports, courtesy of a $500,000 grant from New York State. The system, currently used by 36 agencies statewide, stores information and makes it available for use by local, state and federal officials studying traffic patterns, accidents and racial profiles of those ticketed.
Source: Michael Rothfeld, “Traffic cops' new weapon: laptops,” Newsday (New York), 19 May 2005: A4
