Government Security


TSA: New Scanner Software Provides More Generic Outline of Passengers

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John S. Pistole recently announced that TSA will begin installing new software on TSA’s millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines -- making upgrades designed to enhance privacy by eliminating passenger-specific images.

FEMA Encourages Americans to Participate in Sept. National Prepardedness Month

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready Campaign, in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council, recently announced the launch of new web tools that will make it easier for individuals and organizations throughout the nation to join the 2011 National Preparedness Month (NPM) coalition and pledge their support to help prepare their families, businesses and communities for emergencies of all kinds.

USCIS Wins International Innovation Award for Its U.S. Green Card Manufactured By HID Global

HID Global announced that the U.S. Permanent Resident (“Green”) Card manufactured under its LaserCard brand has won the ACT Canada “International Innovation Award” for identity management.

State of Tennessee Names L-1 Identity Solutions as Exclusive Provider of Digital Fingerprinting Services

The $40 million, three-year contract with the Tennessee Applicant Processing Services program includes two additional one-year renewals for a potential combined contract duration up to five years.

United States and India Sign Cybersecurity Agreement

The United States and India recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote closer cooperation and the timely exchange of information between the organizations of their respective governments responsible for cybersecurity.

Terror Attacks Underscore Need for Cohesion, Deeper Strategic Ties

A provocative series of deadly blasts in Mumbai, occurring just days prior to the arrival in India of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, underscore the urgency to share technology, intelligence, as well as to resolve the war on terror, says USIBC.

Experts Respond to Defense Department Cyber Strategy

The U.S. Department of Defense recently unveiled declassified portions of its long-awaited strategy for handling cyberattacks, declaring publicly for the first time that it would treat cyberspace -- just as land, sea, and air -- as an "operational domain."

Crystals Detect Threats to National Security

Using a crystal ball to protect homeland security might seem far-fetched, but researchers at Wake Forest University and Fisk University have partnered to develop crystals that can be used to detect nuclear threats, radioactive material or chemical bombs more accurately and affordably.



NAV Awarded Security and Surveillance Service Contract for Denver Light Rail

North American Video (NAV) has been awarded a long term contract to service all camera, access control, alarm and e-phone systems for Colorado’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) Light Rail system.

ESA Advocates Balanced Approach to Fire Safety

The Electronic Security Association's (ESA) Government Relations Department is requesting Congress include amendments to H.R. 1792 and S. 1035, the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2011 that would provide a balanced approach of Fire Suppression + Detection = Fire Protection.

CDW G Supports Law Enforcement Information Sharing Initiative

Forty law enforcement agencies in the Texas Panhandle collaborate to improve officers’ access to information.

Thermal Imaging

With Thermal Cameras, Image Matters

Adoption of thermal cameras has been growing rapidly, and new vendors are coming onto the field at a rapid clip. This can make getting the camera or collection of cameras you need more problematic rather than less so.

SightLogix CEO Receives Security Industry Association Statesman Award

The award recognizes John Romanowich's leadership of the chemical security working group and his support of the government relations program.

HID Global Delivers Multi-Technology National ID Cards to Saudi Arabia

Multi-technology smart cards are meeting government ID needs.

A Conversation with Frank Pisciotta

Frank Pisciotta is the president of Business Protection Specialists Inc., a security consulting firm that works in a number of different verticals, including chemical security. We sat down with him to find out the on-the-ground view of CFATS compliance.

Second Bipartisan Chemical Security Bill Clears House Committee

Just weeks after the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a seven-year extension of the current chemical security standards, the House Homeland Security Committee recently followed suit, approving H.R. 901 by a bipartisan vote of 26 to 5.

Stanley CSS Expands Lenel/UTC Fire & Security Strategic Partnership

The Picture Perfect and FC Wnx product lines are now supported.

SIA Presents Three Key Awards

The Security Industry Association honored Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., Congresswoman Candice Miller, D-MI, and John Romanowich, President/CEO and founder of SightLogix, with industry awards.

SightLogix CEO to Moderate Infrastructure Protection Panel at SIA Government Summit

Expert panelists will discuss 'Emerging Threats and Infrastructure Protection Mandates.'

Genetec’s Omnicast Certified As Approved Product For U.S. Homeland Security

Genetec, announced recently that its video surveillance system, Omnicast, has received both a designation as a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology and certification as an Approved Product for Homeland Security from the United States Department of Homeland Security.

General Dynamics To Support DHS Headquarters Relocation

General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a task order through the U.S. General Services Administration's Alliant Contract to support the relocation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's headquarters.

Army Health Center Deploys Network-Centric Mass Notification System

AtHoc Inc. recently announced that Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center has deployed AtHoc IWSAlerts, the third-generation alerting system for the protection of physicians, nurses, technicians and their patients. The Army Health Center is located at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

OTI Receives $6 Million Order in Support of Next Stage Expansion of National eID Program

OTI's secured ID solution supports both online and offline communication, thereby allowing every citizen, living in cities and rural areas, to apply for an ID card regardless of the area's communication infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Interoperability Project Reaches Milestone

EnerNex, prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded Lemnos project, announces cybersecurity interoperability testing, June 1-2 at the Electric Power Research Institute Smart Grid Substation Lab in Knoxville, Tenn.

Smiths Detection Wins $30 Million Order for Enhanced Joint Chemical Agent Detectors

The latest order takes the JCAD program total to more than $350 million.

Charlotte, N.C. Chooses Intergraph Incident Management Software

Intergraph, a provider of incident management solutions, announced recently that the City of Charlotte, N.C., has chosen Intergraph's incident management solution to enhance emergency response and interoperability between their public safety agencies.

Bin Laden’s Death Comes at Fortuitous Time for U.S. Security

Osama bin Laden's death in a mansion-like compound in Pakistan last week came at a time when much of the Middle East is in turmoil amid democratic protests against long-seated monarchies. Two Hudson Institute senior fellows say his death not only makes the United States more secure, but also underscores the importance of these protests.

Colorado City Uses NVMS To Protect Courts, Jail

DVTel Inc. recently announced that the city of Aurora (Colorado) Municipal Justice Center successfully deployed the DVTel Latitude Network Video Management System (NVMS) solution, significantly improving the safety and security of the city’s court and jail complex.

Biometric Associates Partners with SteelCloud to Deliver DoD-approved Bluetooth Headset

The blueARMOR 100 headset is the only commercially available Bluetooth headset to pass all of the tests required by National Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency.

Moog QuickSet Receives Award from Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

Raytheon recognizes its suppliers based on on-time delivery measures, sustained performance on quality and commitment to continuous process and quality improvement.

Pennsylvania City Uses Sony Technology To Reduce, Prevent Crime

Allentown, Pa. strives to be a safe place to live, work and play. That’s why the city’s administration and police department decided to deploy surveillance cameras to assist the police department in reducing and preventing crime throughout the city.

Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems Achieves CMMI-DEV Level 5 Rating

The CMMI model measures business process maturity levels and provides Raytheon customers with a way to assess risks and determine the level of process maturity a company has achieved.

Report Reveals Dramatic Increase In Cyberattacks, Sabotage On Critical Infrastructure

McAfee and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently revealed the findings from a report that reflects the cost and impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such as power grids, oil, gas and water.

Wyatt Starnes of Harris Corp. Selected as CLOUD2 Commissioner

The panel will provide the Obama administration with recommendations on cloud computing deployment and innovation.

FBI Launches Next Generation Identification System

MorphoTrak (Safran group), along with the FBI and Lockheed Martin recently announced the successful launch of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. NGI incorporates the Morpho Biometric Search Services (MBSS) as the core processing and matching capability using 10 fingerprints.

Keeping First Responders And Citizens Safe

Imagine that a fire breaks out as a result of a highway traffic accident, which quickly turns into a multi-car pileup with a hazmat spill. Multiple organizations, including the department of transportation, fire department, police department, and hazmat teams will all need to respond to the emergency to prevent the fire and hazardous materials from spreading, and additional casualties from resulting.

Lockheed Martin Team Begins Development on Third Phase of FBI's Next Generation Identification System

Critical design review for latent fingerprint, palm print matching capability completed just weeks after system's fingerprint matching capability goes live.

Visa Launches Web-Based Solution for Business Card Compliance, Control

Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management converts commercial card transaction data into information that card program managers at government agencies and private sector enterprises can use to minimize and deter commercial card misuse, such as using cards for personal expenses.

Researcher Works with Carbon Fiber to Reinforce Buildings from Explosions (With Video)

Most buildings are not constructed to withstand an unexpected explosion or impact. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri is working with the U.S. Army to test a method of retrofitting buildings to protect them in the case of a terrorist attack.

Unisys Stealth Solution for Networks Certified by NSA to Protect Classified Government Data

This qualifies Stealth to protect U.S. Defense Department data classified up to the "secret" level.

Raytheon Awarded $42 M for Next-Generation Standard Missile-3 Interceptor

Raytheon Company was awarded $42 million for the initial concept development and program planning for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIB, which is the Missile Defense Agency's next-generation Aegis missile.

TiaLinx Launches Breathing Detector for Live Objects Hidden in Cargo Containers

The lightweight handheld sensor system with remote display screen provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio frequency beam that can detect a variety of live objects concealed inside a container.

Duane DeCouteau Joins Jericho Systems as Software Managing Director

He will lead product development for Jericho’s EnterSpace Decisioning Service and will ensure that it continues to align with both industry standards and the needs of Jericho’s major clients such as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Department of Defense.

Winners Of Security Products' Govies Government Security Awards Announced

Security Products magazine, the only integrated product magazine reaching the entire security market, announced the winners in the 2011 Security Products’ Govies Government Security award competition today. The awards honor outstanding government products in a variety of categories.

Codebench Integrates PIVCheck with Quintron's PACS

Codebench has formed a partnership with Quintron Systems Inc. to provide the federal government and its agencies with a high-assurance access control solution that meets guidelines as outlined by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology.

machine gun

School Shooting Changed Police Response Tactics

After the school shootings at Columbine High School in 1999, police had to re-think their strategies in dealing with active shooters. That killing spree changed the way law enforcement approaches armed killers.

FLIR Systems Wins MultimillionDollar Subcontract with Northrop Grumman

As part of this contract, FLIR has developed a new medium-range ground-based radar designed specifically for desert environments, the LSR-5000.

NiSCA Plans to Unveil High-Speed Card Printer

The single-sided card printer has an optional magnetic stripe 3-track encoding as well as a more advanced IC contact chip and IC contactless encoding.

SoBran Announces SafeMail Training in Support of the Government-Required Annual Review Process

Mailroom managers can now get the needed training to ensure their facilities are fully prepared to pass the annual review process, as well as have the required on‐site inspections, with SoBran.

millimeter wave scan

Millimeter Wave “Camera” Has Potential to Reduce Need for TSA Pat-Downs

A professor at the University of Missouri has created a millimeter wave scanning device that can create and display images in real time. It has the potential to ease the stress of airport security lines, speeding them up and reducing the number of pat-downs.

L-3 Security and Detection Systems Supplies Systems to Latin American Airports

Six airports located throughout Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica have selected L-3 to address their passenger, hand-carried and checked-baggage screening requirements.

Minnesota City Selects Pivot3 Storage Solution For Video System Expansion

Maple Grove, located in the growing northwest region of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, replaced its analog video system with a network-based surveillance solution to improve the protection of residents and city employees, secure community events and future-proof overall security.

OHS Magazine to Host Twitter Conversation on Japanese Nuclear Disaster

Security Products’ sister publication, Occupational Health and Safety magazine, is hosting a one-hour Twitter conversation Tuesday, March 29, from 1p.m.-2p.m. CST on "Lessons from the Japanese Disaster" with nuclear experts, including Nate Ames, director of the Nuclear Fabrication Consortium at EWI, James W. Satterfield, president and COO of Firestorm Solutions LLC., and Barry R. Weissman, Weissman Consultants

Government Security Vital Part of Tradeshow

Next week a group of our staff heads out to Washington, D.C. to attend GovSec 2011. The focus is on government security -- this includes everything from federal government to local law enforcement.

States Seek to Criminalize Some TSA Pat Downs

Workers could be charged with sexual assault, labeled sex offenders.

HID multiCLASS Magnetic Stripe Readers Get FIPS 201 Certification

The listing enables U.S. government organizations to purchase HID Global's latest physical access reader products as they begin to implement migration programs from legacy magnetic stripe cards to contactless 13.56 MHz FIPS 201 credentials, for both single- and two-factor authentication scenarios.

Addison Police

Texas City Expands Business Surveillance Capabilities

The police department in the Dallas town of Addison, Texas, is the first in the country to partner with Stealth Monitoring, a surveillance monitoring company that "pushes" video from its customers to the police department when it detects suspicious activity.

ADT, Brivo Implement Web-Based Access Control For Five Federal Facilities

ADT Security Services and Brivo Systems recently announced the implementation of a web-based access control solution for five federal facilities managed by the General Services Administration in Detroit and the Chicago area.

ManTech Names Daniel J. Keefe Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives

In his new role, Keefe will lead strategic initiatives and manage relationships between TSG and its customers, potential customers and strategic partners.

Adm. Thad Allen, "Border Wars" Producer To Keynote GovSec

U.S. Coast Guard Ret. Admiral Thad Allen, who served as the National Incident Commander during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Nicholas Stein, the award-winning producer of National Geographic Channel’s “Border Wars,” will be the featured keynote speakers at the free Expo during the 2011 Government Security Expo & Conference (GovSec) featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Exposition.

Featured

  • Achieving Clear Communications

    Achieving Clear Communications

    Technology within the security industry has adapted to numerous changes through the years, from the early days of analog devices to today’s IP-based solutions, networked cameras, and access control solutions, in addition to analytics, cloud-based products, virtual security guards, and more. Read Now

  • Taking Flight

    Taking Flight

    Airport security is a complex system that incorporates multiple technologies to ensure the safety and security of travelers, employees and the facility itself. Sound-based technologies are integral pieces of this system, providing means of communication, notification and monitoring. Read Now

  • Live From ISC West 2023 Preview

    Live From ISC West 2023 Preview

    ISC West 2023 is right around the corner! This year’s trade show is scheduled from March 28–31 at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Campus Security & Life Safety and Security Today staff will be on hand to provide live updates about the security industry’s latest innovations, trends, and products. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • A Break from Routine

    A Break from Routine

    It was three years ago right about now that COVID was bringing the world to its knees. In mid-March of 2020, the president put travel restrictions on all flights in and out of Europe, the NBA suspended its season, and Tom Hanks announced that he’d tested positive for the disease—all in the same night. It was officially a national emergency two days later. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

New Products

  • CyberAudit Introduced to Manage Systems, Intuitive Interface

    CyberAudit Web

    CyberLock, Inc. announces the release of CyberAudit Web 9.4! CyberAudit-Web (CAW), the software suite for managing CyberLock systems, provides an intuitive interface to assign keys, set expirations, monitor staff and configure access schedules. 3

  • ComNet CNGE6FX2TX4PoE

    The ComNet cost-efficient CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is a six-port switch that offers four Gbps TX ports that support the IEEE802.3at standard and provide up to 30 watts of PoE to PDs. It also has a dedicated FX/TX combination port as well as a single FX SFP to act as an additional port or an uplink port, giving the user additional options in managing network traffic. The CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is designed for use in unconditioned environments and typically used in perimeter surveillance. 3

  • Pivot3 Surety

    Pivot3 Surety

    Pivot3 has announced Surety, a new intelligent software framework to simplify the management and monitoring of physical security environments. 3