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From LA Times

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'Dear Santa' letters in Southern California will be answered, postal official says

Yes, Los Angeles. There is a Santa Claus.

Richard Maher, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, assured the Los Angeles City Council on that letters in Southern California addressed to Santa Claus would be answered despite new restrictions designed to protect children.

Concern had been raised after a registered sex offender in Maryland last year “adopted” a letter under a popular program begun in 1912, in which businesses, charities and other volunteers respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year, and in some cases send gifts to the writers.

“An alert postal service employee caught that, and there was no contact between this person and the child,” Maher said.

However, the program, dubbed Operation Santa, was temporarily shut down while new rules were developed to prevent members of the public from accessing a child's personal information. Volunteers were already required to present valid photo identification and complete a form that includes a list of the letters being adopted.

This year, they will no longer receive the original letters. Instead, participating post offices will prepare a copy with all personal details redacted, including the child's last name and address. Each letter will be assigned a numeric code, so that when a response is brought back to the post office, employees can locate the address and forward it to the child's family.

“This is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process,” Maher said. And it comes at a difficult time for the postal service. “Our volume is down; our revenue is down, and we have had to make cuts across the board,” he said.

Many post offices, including all those in the Greater Los Angeles area and Orange County, are opting out of Operation Santa to concentrate on their “core mission” of delivering the mail. But that does not mean letters to Santa will go unanswered.

“Our employees, who have for almost 100 years been answering these letters, will be stepping up to the plate and answering ‘Dear Santa' letters in Los Angeles, Orange County and throughout Southern California,” Maher said.

Parents and guardians may also obtain a North Pole postmark for letters they write and receive from Santa. The letters must be placed in an envelope addressed to the child with first-class postage affixed, and the following return address: “From Santa, North Pole.”

The envelope should be sent to: North Pole Holiday Postmark Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998.

Members of the public wishing to participate in Operation Santa can still do so at the following California post offices: Sacramento District Office, 545 Downtown Plaza, Suite 1031, Sacramento, CA 95814; San Francisco P&DC Office, 1300 Evans St., San Francisco, CA 94124; Bay-Valley District Office, 201 13th St., Oakland, CA 94612.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/letters-to-santa-to-be-answered-in-southern-california-.html#more

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12 arrested after authorities discover tunnel from Mexico into San Diego

Mexican authorities discovered a large cross-border tunnel today and arrested more than a dozen men inside the passageway that extended about 860 feet into San Diego, U.S. authorities said.

The tunnel, which was not complete, featured lighting, electrical and ventilation systems, and an elevator to move materials and workers to depths reaching 100 feet, authorities said. They estimate it was under construction for about two years in a warehouse district just west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

Mexican authorities in Tijuana were acting on information provided by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which includes agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It was the latest in a series of tunnel discoveries in recent weeks under the California-Mexico border. The passageways are used by Mexican organized crime groups to ferry drugs into the U.S.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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L.A. synagogue shooting might be tied to Israeli organized crime

LAPD detectives are investigating whether the shooting of two men at North Hollywood synagogue in October is the work of Israeli-connected organized crime.

The Oct. 29 shooting ignited fear that it was a hate crime, but Los Angeles police officials quickly ruled that out.  In the last few weeks, LAPD investigators have concentrated their resources on the idea that the shootings were designed to silence someone.

"It is something we are looking at, but we have made no definitive conclusions," Deputy Chief Michael Downing, chief of the LAPD's Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, told The Times. 

Downing in recent days on a trip to Israel was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying, "The two victims had been kneecapped. That's not indicative of terrorism. It resembled a targeted, surgical strike," the Post reported. "They were targeted as part of a stern warning linked to a criminal organization."

But in an interview with The Times, the deputy chief said no one has absolutely decided the shootings were related to organized crime. Several law enforcement sources, however, say the investigation into the shootings has been focused  on criminals within the Israeli immigrant community. They say that one of the men shot in the attack was believed to be the target of the shooting, and the other was shot because he was in wrong place at the wrong time. 

The shooting occurred at 6:19 a.m., after the victims parked their cars in the underground garage of Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue, a small congregation on a quiet residential street. Morning services were underway. A young gunman, dark-skinned and wearing a dark hooded sweat shirt, approached one man near a stairwell and tried to shoot, police said, but his gun jammed.

The second congregant noticed the commotion and approached the gunman, who then shot both men in the legs.

LAPD sources, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because the investigation is ongoing, said that the shooting has sparked fear in the temple community and that detectives are struggling to get cooperation from some parties.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/synagouge-shooting-might-be-tied-to-israeli-organized-crime.html#more

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Former Compton basketball coach won't be retried on charge of meeting a minor for a lewd purpose

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced in court today that it will not seek a retrial of former Compton Dominguez High School boys' basketball coach Russell Otis on a felony charge of meeting a minor for a lewd purpose.

A Compton jury, after more than 10 days of deliberations, last month deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting Otis on the charge, which would've left the ex-coach facing up to a three-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors alleged that Otis had met a former member of his 2008 CIF Southern Section-championship team at the player's home and offered the then-16-year-old boy $1,500 in cash if he'd let the coach sexually arouse him.

The two holdout jurors said there wasn't enough evidence presented to prove Otis actually visited the boy's home. “It's always a victory when prosecutors decide to drop the most serious charge,” Otis' attorney, Leonard Levine, said after today's hearing. 

The jury did convict Otis on a misdemeanor child-molesting charge for barraging the boy with text messages that continued into the early morning hours in August 2008. Otis was acquitted of felony grand theft and forgery after prosecutors alleged he used a forged authorization letter to deposit into his personal bank account a $15,000 check from shoe company Nike, Inc. that was written to the Compton Unified School District.

The misdemeanor conviction against Otis, 47, will force the ex-coach to register as a sex offender and will bar him from coaching and teaching minors, prosecutors said.

Ryan King, one of the deputy district attorneys who prosecuted Otis, said his office opted not to retry Otis because a felony conviction likely would not result in a more severe sentence.

“The lifetime [sex offender] registration will prevent him from being so close to so many young men again," King said. "Based on what came out in court, that is the most important thing we accomplished. We don't believe any school district will touch him. And we'll still be requesting substantial jail time.”

Otis is due back in court Jan. 6 for sentencing, facing a maximum one-year sentence in county jail.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/famed-compton-basketball-coach-wont-be-retried-on-lewd-conduct-with-a-minor-charge.html#more

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EDITORIAL

In Mike Huckabee's defense

While governor of Arkansas in 2000, he played a role in the early release of the suspected killer of four Seattle-area police officers. But he could not have anticipated the slayings.

December 3, 2009

According to many pundits, the four police officers shot to death Sunday in Parkland, Wash., aren't the only victims of alleged killer Maurice Clemmons. Also wounded in the attack, perhaps fatally, was Mike Huckabee's political career.

Huckabee, a presidential candidate last year who was considered a front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2012, is one of the reasons Clemmons was on the street Sunday. While governor of Arkansas in 2000, Huckabee commuted Clemmons' 108-year sentence. That has prompted comparisons to Willie Horton, a convicted Massachusetts killer who escaped while participating in a weekend furlough program that had been championed by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis, later committing rape and assault. Dukakis' opponent in the 1988 presidential race, George H.W. Bush, missed few opportunities to invoke Horton's name.

It would be a shame if that happened to Huckabee. He made some questionable decisions about clemency for inmates during his term as governor, in some cases ignoring the objections of legal experts. But in Clemmons' case, he seems to have had legitimate grounds for concern about whether justice was being served.

Clemmons was 16 years old when he committed the string of robberies and burglaries that resulted in his 1989 conviction, and his sentence was astonishingly harsh for such a young perpetrator. A county circuit judge supported Clemmons' application for clemency a decade later. Huckabee made Clemmons immediately eligible for parole by cutting his sentence in half, but the decision to set him free was made by the parole board. It's unreasonable to expect Huckabee to have anticipated the events in Parkland nine years later.

Releasing inmates before they've completed their terms is a politically risky decision, but that doesn't make it wrong. Sometimes sentences are unfair, or inmates cease to pose any threat to society. All too many governors are afraid to exercise their authority even in these cases. One such is former California Gov. Gray Davis, who during his five years in office vetoed parole for all but eight of 294 convicted murderers who had been deemed rehabilitated and fit for release by his parole board. We suspect Davis was more concerned with covering his political backside than protecting the public; the same goes for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who declined to halt the execution of a convicted arsonist in 2004 despite convincing evidence that he was innocent.

The attacks on Huckabee will only persuade more governors to imitate the likes of Davis and Perry. That won't improve the criminal justice system, nor further the cause of justice.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-pardon3-2009dec03,0,340598,print.story

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From the Daily News

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Immigrant rights group concerned about Salvation Army's toy giveaway policy

A national immigrants rights group expressed concern Wednesday over a toy-distribution policy by the Salvation Army which it said could discourage some needy immigrant families from seeking free holiday presents.

Salvation Army officials in Los Angeles say they have long required families of children who receive free toys to present identification when they register to take part in the giveaways, as a means of preventing double-dipping. But a similar policy in Houston - in which Social Security numbers were requested - recently caused some misunderstandings and accusations that the group was checking immigration status.

Members of Vamos Unidos USA say that while they haven't seen a similar trend in Los Angeles, they want to stop it from happening anywhere and discourage the Salvation Army and other charities from asking for any form of identification that suggests the recipient could face possible discrimination.

"The fact the Salvation Army and some of the other charities have the same policy, the fact that they did not come out from the get-go and say their whole intent to ask for identification was to prevent fraud, led us to believe that there was more to the story," said, Juan Jose Gutierrez, president of Vamos Unidos USA.

Gutierrez was referring to an article from the Houston Chronicle, which found that one Salvation Army command in the area asked for a Social Security number from families when registering children for its gift program. A representative said in the Tuesday edition of the paper that they do so to deter fraud.

Other commands, including in Los Angeles, also ask for identification - but do not always require it.

"Yes, we do ask for some documentation and we do accept Social Security cards, food stamp information, driver's licenses, school registration cards, but if they have no documentation, we still serve them," said Robert Brennan, spokesman for the Salvation Army Southern California division.

"The reason we ask for some form of documentation is we have limited resources and we want to make sure that more toys get to more children," he said. "We want to make sure families who register in one part of town don't register in another part of town. We don't have enough toys. We don't want one child to have seven toys, we want seven children to have a toy each."

Gutierrez said he hopes his organization and the Salvation Army can come to some compromise about requesting identification.

"The question for us is, if they were willing to register families without identification from the get-go, and they were clear about discouraging fraud, why institute the policy to begin with?" Gutierrez said. "As far as we're concerned it's simply to intimidate."

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13909668

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Family of missing woman wants federal probe into her disappearance

The family of a Watts woman, who has been missing more than two months since her release from the sheriff's Malibu-Lost Hills Station, has launched a campaign day for a federal investigation into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Mitrice Richardson's family plans to seek support for a federal probe from U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, whose 35th Congressional District includes much of South Central Los Angeles and adjacent communities, according to an announcement from a family spokesperson Wednesday morning.

Wednesday is the 76th day of her disappearance, according to Richardson family spokeswoman Jasmyne Cannick.

"I spent Thanksgiving without my only daughter -- my only child, Mitrice," Michael Richardson said in a statement. "Congresswoman Waters has always been willing to speak up for the under-served and mistreated and today that includes Mitrice and her family.

"Mitrice deserves better and we need Congresswoman Waters' help," Michael Richardson said.

Mitrice Richardson, 24, was arrested Sept. 16 at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu, where the owner said she was acting strangely and was unable to pay her $89 bill.

Sheriff's deputies also found a small amount of marijuana in her car, and the Cal State Fullerton graduate, who passed a sobriety test, was booked at the sheriff's station for failing to pay her bill, then released about 1:25 a.m., according to the sheriff's department.

Her 1990 Honda Civic was impounded, and she walked away from the station with no purse or cell phone.

A homeowner on Cold Canyon Road reported a woman resting in her yard about 6:30 a.m., but when deputies arrived, the woman was gone.

The missing woman's mother said she believes her daughter was in a "manic state of mind" because she was sending "erratic" text messages to family and friends the afternoon of Sept. 16.

Richardson is black, 5 feet 5 inches and about 125 pounds with tattoos on her lower abdomen and behind her neck. She was last seen wearing a brown Bob Marley T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with more information as to her whereabouts was asked to call Los Angeles police at 213-485-2531.

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13907500

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From the Wall Street Journal

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NATO Allies Welcome and Defend New U.S. Strategy

BRUSSELS -- America's European allies welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to send a further 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, saying the extra U.S. contribution would shake out further military commitments from other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The statement is expected to be released Friday at the end of a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels to be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It will say the U.S. move "underlines our commitment to help build lasting security and stability in Afghanistan, which remains the alliance's key priority," according to the text agreed to Wednesday.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said U.S. allies in 2010 will send "at least 5,000 more soldiers to this operation, and probably a few thousand on top of that."

The U.S. currently has more than 68,000 military personnel in the country, while the 27 other members of NATO and 15 non-NATO partner nations have 38,000.

European diplomats said Mr. Obama had managed to show strong U.S. support for the Afghan mission, while his decision to limit the troop surge to 18 months had managed to avoid what one called a "Vietnam-style slippery slope."

Diplomats said the message would be welcomed in Europe, where opinion polls suggest the conflict is increasingly unpopular. U.K. politicians had been irritated by the slow pace of Mr. Obama's deliberations, but on Wednesday Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed Mr. Obama's announcement.

However, opposition Conservative politicians criticized Messrs. Brown and Obama for setting deadlines. Patrick Mercer, a member of Parliament for the opposition Conservative Party and a former British army officer, said deadlines "go against all the maxims of counterinsurgency. You don't talk about deadlines, you talk about goals. When you start to link them to time you give strategic advantage to your enemies," he said.

Mr. Rasmussen, the NATO chief, said the alliance wasn't talking about an "exit strategy" but a "transition strategy" under which responsibility for security would be transferred to Afghan forces, starting in 2010, where and when it was warranted.

Because of troop rotations, calculating national contributions at any one time can be tricky.

A number of governments have already announced they would boost troop numbers to back the new U.S. commitment, including Britain, Poland, and Slovakia. Some countries, such as Italy, are expected to further increase numbers beyond extra troops already there for the Afghan elections. Turkey has increased its troops in the country by 1,000 in recent weeks to 1,700, having taken over the NATO regional command in Kabul.

These commitments put added pressure on Germany and France to increase troop numbers, but both governments have indicated that they aren't inclined to do this before an international donors' meeting on Afghanistan scheduled to take place in London on Jan. 28.

Military commanders gather Dec. 7 at NATO's military headquarters in Mons, Belgium, to start talking about the extra troop commitments and how they might be deployed.

Diplomats said they expected the extra troops would be mostly deployed where their existing national contingents are already stationed, with the possible exception of the Southwest. Many insurgents flee to this region, around Farah, when they come under military pressure in the South, and a new U.S. command may be created there as recommended by Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Some governments are expected to come under renewed pressure to reduce the number of exclusions -- known in NATO jargon as "caveats" -- that limit the number and type of operations that some national forces are permitted to join.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125975214496972641.html#printMode

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From the Department of Homeland Security

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Secretary Napolitano Announces New Study to Protect Against Chemical Attacks and Bolster Emergency Planning Efforts

Study is part of Department's focus on protecting the nation's critical infrastructure

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) today announced a new DHS Science & Technology Directorate-led study that will examine the behavior of airborne contaminants if they were to be released into the subway—reflecting Secretary Napolitano's emphasis on preparedness and the shared responsibility of protecting the nation's critical infrastructure.

“Proactively studying and preparing for possible threats is one of our most effective strategies for fortifying our critical infrastructure,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This study is one of many efforts the Department is undertaking across the country to inform our emergency response planning in preparation for chemical or biological terrorist attacks.”

“This project—combining the resources and expertise of scientists from around the world—will refine best practices for responding to the release of toxic gas or chemicals in public transportation systems,” said Under Secretary for Science & Technology Dr. Tara O'Toole.

“We appreciate the opportunity to work with DHS on this initiative,” said MBTA Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillan. “This study will help the MBTA make informed decisions regarding the safety and security of its passengers.”

The study will involve the release of common, harmless tracer gases used for indoor and outdoor air testing; an inert particle tracer tagged with a biologically inert, non-toxic organic dye used in medical imaging applications; and a common optical brightener often used in laundry detergents and paper manufacturing. The study will help scientists understand the airflow characteristics for smoke or unintentional spills of chemicals or fuels—providing data that will help guide the design of next generation detection systems and enable transportation systems to strengthen evacuation, ventilation and other incident response strategies.

Particle and gas concentrations will be sampled in more than 20 stations and in subway cars in the underground portion of the MBTA subway system from Dec. 5-11. Although commuters may notice the presence of equipment and researchers, the study will not disrupt normal activities or inconvenience the public.

The research team will include scientists from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) of Argonne, Ill.; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) of Berkeley, Calif.; ICx Technologies of Arlington, Va.; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory of the United Kingdom; and Chemistry Centre of Australia.

Critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) include physical and digital assets, systems and networks that play significant roles in America's safety, economy and public health. Their incapacitation or destruction could debilitate the overall stability of the United States and threaten national security.

CIKR is comprised of 18 unique sectors. The sectors represent key areas such as transportation and communications systems, food and water, manufacturing, energy, and emergency services. DHS coordinates security efforts with the full range of CIKR partners—state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector—via a network of Government and Sector Coordinating Councils.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov .

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1259790815577.shtm

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Remarks by Secretary Napolitano at the Interagency Council for Applied Homeland Security Technology's Counter-IED Symposium

Release Date: December 1, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Secretary Janet Napolitano: Thank you all very much. It's a pleasure to be here. I must say I think it's my first time out at this particular venue, and I'm glad to see it. I have not yet gone into the ice sculpture room yet. Have you seen that? Do you know what I'm talking about? Okay. But in any event, thanks for the welcome. And I'd like to thank the Interagency Council for Applied Homeland Security Technology [ICAHST] for inviting me to speak today.

I was joking the other day that the homeland security arena has a lot of acronyms, and they seem to be multiplying and getting longer each day. But I think when we add it all together—NCCIC, which is the National Cybersecurity Communications Integration Center, when we have ICAHST, et cetera, et cetera—what we basically are saying is we have a lot of very intelligent people working on a number of difficult security challenges facing our country.

So today I want to recognize our many federal, state, tribal and local partners who have come together to speak about and talk about one of the most serious threats to the homeland—the threat of an attack via an improvised explosive device [IED].

Now, we all know that IEDs come in many forms, and that building them does not require a lot of technical sophistication or materials—that they can be used and have been used on land, sea, or in the air. And as we know all too well, they can cause extensive damage and loss of life as well as chaos and disorder.

So this is a threat that we take most seriously at DHS [Department of Homeland Security], and as I know everyone in this room does. And it is a threat that the Obama administration is fully committed to protecting against, whether here at home or overseas, in support of our nation's military and our own allies. Simply put, the IED threat warrants our sustained attention as well as our best thinking.

The recent arrest and indictment of Najibullah Zazi on a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction—in this case, with explosive bombs—against persons or property in the U.S. serves as a vivid example of the kind of threat we continue to face.

And because this threat ties directly to events in the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater, we must continue to put additional pressure on al Qaeda and ultimately diminish the threat that they pose to the United States and to the international community—a plan that the President will detail in his strategy this evening when he addresses the nation about Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So today I want to talk with you about what we can do collectively and individually to protect against the threat of IEDs right here at home.

I want to talk about the kind of public-private partnerships, technology, information sharing and public education that I believe are necessary at all levels to achieve our aims. And I want to talk about how our efforts fit into a larger but no less significant challenge, which is protecting our nation's critical infrastructure from a range of threats, whether from terrorist attack, natural disaster, cyber attack, or infectious disease.

So I know that over the next three days, you will delve into many of the technical and organizational aspects of this difficult issue. But let's step back just a bit and talk about IEDs as one very serious threat among a range of threats we face from terrorism and radical extremism. I also want to address how this threat fits within the great need we have to secure the nation's critical infrastructure.

Now, there are often a lot of “terms of art” and jargon used in this field, but we shouldn't necessarily assume that everyone is comfortable with all of it. So let's speak in simple terms about what is at stake.

We have all seen the horrible toll explosive devices have taken in battle in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. We've witnessed the terror of Oklahoma City, the Madrid and London bombings—to name just a few incidents. But beyond the human, economic and psychological toll of these horrific events is the effect such attacks can have on our critical infrastructure.

Critical infrastructure is defined as something our society depends upon such that if it were damaged or destroyed, it would have a significant impact on our ability to function.

So let me repeat that—critical infrastructure is defined as something our society depends upon such that if it were damaged or destroyed, it would have a significant impact on our ability to function.

Think of the nation's power grid or banking system. The Internet. Water treatment facilities. Nuclear power plants. Transportation. Our food supply chain and agriculture.

A terrorist attack—or even a natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake, against or in the vicinity of any of these things—can significantly disrupt the functioning of the government, the private sector, and produce cascading effects that go far beyond the physical location of the particular incident.

Accordingly, we all have a stake in the protection of these vital assets and key resources. It follows, then that all of us have a role and responsibility to do our part in ensuring their resilience. And everyone has a role to play—government, private sector, nonprofits, communities, individuals.

At DHS, we have been saying again and again that making our nation more secure and more resilient is a shared responsibility. No one government department can do it all.

As individuals, we need to exercise a greater sense of vigilance, to say something if we see something, and a stronger commitment to the preparedness of our families, communities, and businesses. This means all of us having an awareness of what to look out for, of how to spot suspicious packages or individuals, of whom to call in emergencies.

These are not hypotheticals. Attentiveness by store clerks has led to bomb plots being foiled. Vigilance by border guards has kept bomb-making materials out of the United States and put those who sought to bring them in jail.

Now, let me talk about the Department's exact role. As members of government, we have a major role to play in making our nation more ready and resilient. Indeed, this is the central mission of the Department of Homeland Security. But at DHS, we also know that we are not “the team.” We are part of the team. And our private sector—in whose hands the vast majority of the nation's critical infrastructure rests—must play an absolutely critical role as well.

This means that government and industry, as well as the many small businesses who may have connections to the 18 critical infrastructure sectors, must work together to build trust and learn from each other.

Here is an example: DHS has in the past, and will be again next week, worked with officials from the hotel and retail industries on strategies for getting frontline workers some basic training on spotting suspicious behavior. This is precisely the kind of training that has helped us disrupt threats in the past.

Threats to critical infrastructure: these partnerships are critical, given what we know about the current threat environment. Now, as you know, the consensus view of the intelligence community is that the terror threat to the homeland is persistent and evolving.

The recent FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigations] arrests of terror suspects in the United States further underscores that al Qaeda, its affiliates and those inspired by its ideology intend to attack us here at home. We must adapt quickly to new and emerging threats such as cyber crimes, attacks on critical infrastructure, and the rapid spread of pandemic disease.

Now, this administration has been forceful about engaging the whole range of threats using all the diplomatic, military, economic, technological, educational and cultural tools at our disposal.

But to ensure a streamlined and complimentary approach to threats, we have partners—and we've partners with the Department of Justice and other agencies—to develop important national-level planning documents, including the national strategy for combating terrorist use of explosives in the United States, as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 19.

At DHS, the Office for Bombing Prevention is responsible for coordinating this participation. And under the HSP-19 framework, DOJ, DHS, Department of Defense, and other partners have created a joint program office to lead and coordinate the execution of policy and programs to combat the terrorist use of explosives in the United States.

Our goal is to create a national framework focused on five key areas to combat the IED threat: prevention, detection, protection, response, and research and development. In each of these key areas, we coordinate with state and local partners, especially those with specialized responsibilities such as bomb squads, dive teams, and explosives detection canine squads. Let me go through each five.

Prevention: our first task is to focus on prevention, and that starts with providing tools and resources to our state and local partners to build capabilities and countermeasures to reduce our overall risk. The $1.7 billion homeland security, transportation security, and infrastructure protection grant programs are a primary means for building our prevention capacity. For the past two years, counter-IED capabilities have been highlighted as priorities in these homeland security grant program guidance documents.

Another key to prevention is information sharing. Our Office of Bombing Prevention developed and launched the technical resource for incident prevention know as the TRIPwire—a secure information-sharing portal to provide intelligence and analysis on terrorist IED tactics, techniques, and procedures—and to provide those to qualified officials and law enforcement authorities. TRIPwire is currently used by over 8,000 users.

To address the need of the private sector for access, to focus information, we created a similar portal tailored to the private sector called TRIPwire Community Gateway. So you have TRIPwire for law enforcement; for the private sector, you have TRIPwire Community Gateway.

We also are sharing information with the public and suppliers of precursor chemicals so that they can be better informed and prepared. And we are educating private sector suppliers and employees, through our Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program, to help them identify the materials used to build IEDs. Acting Under Secretary Bart Johnson will be here later on Wednesday to address some of these and other activities in which the Department is engaged—to better share information and intelligence with our state and local partners so that they can better assist us in the prevention factor of our work.

Detection: we are working to increase our detection capabilities by expanding our explosives detection technology in several ways. For example, TSA [Transportation Security Administration] has deployed over 1,500 explosives detection systems and 7,500 explosives trace detection machines at airports across the country to screen checked and carry-on baggage.

TSA has also established the Bomb Appraisal Officer program at over 100 airports to increase the accuracy and efficiency of screening operations and IED detection. With the Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques—SPOT—program, TSA officers are focusing on passenger behavior for signs of malicious intent.

And we also have approximately 700 explosives detection canine teams deployed throughout the country—providing an increased layer of security at airports, mass transit systems, border crossings, and federal buildings.

Third, protection: a significant part of our protection effort centers on critical infrastructure, as I've mentioned before. The National Infrastructure Protection Plan, the NIPP, lays out the partnership approach, and the Government and Sector Coordinating Councils work together to develop priorities for government and the private sector to protect our critical infrastructure across the 18 critical infrastructure sectors.

Our Office of Infrastructure Protection has deployed over 90 protection security advisors throughout the nation. They in turn have supported state and local responders, and owners or operators of critical infrastructure, by coordinating protection efforts including planning, training, assessment and incident management support.

The Office of Infrastructure Protection has developed more than 2,000 buffer-zone protection plans to extent terrorism prevention and protection efforts, including those for IEDS, into the communities that surround our most important infrastructure sites.

So you have the 18 sectors, and they in turn have developed 2,000 buffer zones, all of which now have approved plans.

Of course, we want to reduce the risk posed by the use of dangerous chemicals in IEDs or other attacks, and ensure that we protect the chemical facilities themselves. And we're doing that through the Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism Standards—CFATS. And those rules now are out, and they're being implemented right now for the larger or Tier 1 and Tier 2 facilities.

The Office of Infrastructure Protection is also responsible for enforcing CFATS, among its other obligations, and we are in the process of establishing the workforce necessary to inspect facilities and work with owners and operators throughout the country.

Fourth, response: to strengthen our response in a potential attack, we have focused on response planning, capabilities analysis, and planning across jurisdictions. Specifically, we have conducted onsite response capability assessments for over 175 state and local bomb squads and dive teams. This has given us a better understanding of the nation's overall preparedness, and we will guide it and use it to guide future investments and track current progress.

Fifth, research and development: finally, and perhaps most significantly, our Science & Technology Directorate has established a counter-IED program to focus our nation's research, development, testing, and evaluation community on reducing the risk of an IED attack.

I know that Ruth Dougherty, the program executive officer for counter-IED, has already discussed some of our specific efforts. But the range of technologies supported by our Science & Technology Directorate is aimed at early detection and effective response, and that is with respect to multiple types of IEDs—some that have already been deployed, some that are only deployed in our imaginations. But we always have to be working to think ahead of the terrorists.

I would like to close by saying that at the end of the day, our success will hinge on our ability to work with our partners across the board at all levels of government and the private sector to monitor, protect against, and ultimately reduce the threat of an IED being used successfully. Our engagement with ICAHST is a good model for the kind of partnership that we seek to have.

I wish you a successful symposium. Thank you for the work that you are doing to keep our nation secure. And I would like to thank you—not just for what you have done, but for the work you are about to do.

Thank you very much.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1259764574405.shtm

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From the Department of Justice

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WASHINGTON – As part of the Justice Department's year-long commemoration of the 15 th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met today with teen leaders, their parents and program directors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships ( Start Strong ). The discussion around teen dating violence was held in conjunction with nationwide events as part of the 6 th It's Time to Talk Day, organized annually by Liz Claiborne Inc. to draw national attention to the importance of talking about domestic violence, teen dating violence and intimate partner abuse.

“We must engage the broadest spectrum of community partners in order to stem youth violence, and a cornerstone of that partnership is young people themselves,” said Attorney General Holder. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with young people to develop innovative solutions to help prevent teen dating abuse.”

“For too long we've been unwilling to face the reality that teen dating violence occurs,” said Secretary Duncan. “It's been a taboo subject folks would simply not talk about.  But we can't afford to do that any more: too many young people are getting hurt. We must all do our part to break the silence and work toward eliminating teen dating violence.”

Start Strong , the largest initiative ever funded to target 11-to-14-year-olds to promote healthy relationships as the way to prevent teen dating violence and abuse, is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention Fund . The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Blue Shield of California Foundation are investing $18 million in 11 communities across the country to identify and evaluate the most promising pathways to stop dating violence and abuse before it starts (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is funding 10 sites around the country and Blue Shield of California Foundation is funding one site in California.). The Family Violence Prevention Fund is the National Program Office for Start Strong. Youth representing four of the Start Strong east coast sites, including Boston Public Health Commission, Boston; Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, New York; RYASAP, Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Sojourner House; Providence, Rhode Island participated in today's discussion. 

Start Strong communities are working to create innovative prevention models that can be replicated across the country. Each community has developed a comprehensive plan that focuses on four core strategies involving e ducation, policy change, community outreach and cutting-edge social marketing campaigns to empower teens to develop healthier relationships throughout their lives. For more information, go to: http://www.startstrongteens.org .

Liz Claiborne Inc. has organized It's Time to Talk Day each year since 2004 to draw national attention to the importance of talking about domestic violence, teen dating violence and intimate partner abuse. Today's event in Washington, D.C. is one of many being held across the country in schools, communities and state and local governments. For more information, go to: http://www.loveisnotabuse.com .

Today's event is another segment of the Justice Department's effort to raise public awareness on issues around violence against women, to reinforce and build coalitions among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and victim services communities, and to reinforce the goal of ending domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking for men, women and children across the country. In addition to the organizations, activists and victim service providers in the field holding events today, the Department has encouraged the more than 100 celebrity allies who have lent their names in support of the Department's “Join the List” initiative to raise awareness with their fans, through web and fan sites, and social networking profiles. A list of celebrity allies is below:

Aaron Eckhart - Actor

Alexis Bledel - Actress

Amanda Beard - Olympic Gold-Medal Swimmer

Amy Poehler - Actress, Comedienne

Ashley Judd - Actress

Barbara Walters - Journalist, Author, Television Host   

Brian White - Actor

Chamique Holdsclaw - Atlanta Dream, WNBA

Chrisette Michele - Singer-songwriter

Christina Ricci - Actress

Common - Hip Hop Artist

Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Actor

Curtis Granderson - Detroit Tigers, MLB

Cynthia Cooper - Houston Comets, WNBA (Retired), Former NCAA and WNBA Coach, WNBA Hall of Fame Inductee

Daisy Fuentes - Television Personality

Dara Torres - 5-time Olympic Athlete

Debbie Allen - Actress, Choreographer, Director, Producer

Diane Keaton - Actress, Director, Producer

Dominique Dawes - Olympic Gold Medalist, Motivational Speaker, Activist

Ellen DeGeneres - Talk Show Host, Comedienne, Actress

Elisabeth Hasselbeck - Author, Television Host, Designer

Emily Blunt - Actress

Emmy Rossum - Actress, Singer-songwriter

Eva Mendes - Actress

Faith Hill - Singer, Actress

Fiona Apple - Singer-songwriter

Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon - Actress

Ginuwine - Singer

Idris Elba - Actor

Irene Bedard - Actress

Jaime Pressly - Actress

Jason Bateman - Actor

Jenna Fischer - Actress, Writer

Jennifer Love Hewitt - Actress

Joe Torre - Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Founder of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation

John Lithgow - Actor

Joy Behar - Comedienne, Author, Television Host, Actress

Judy Blume - Author

Kevin Spacey - Actor

Kristina Guerrero - Television Host

Kyra Sedgwick - Actress, Producer

Linda Fairstein - Author

Leeza Gibbons – Television/Radio Host, Producer

Leslie Morgan Steiner - Author

Lisa Leslie - Los Angeles Sparks, WNBA, Olympic Gold Medal Basketball Player

LisaRaye McCoy - Actress

Marcus Johnson -Musician

Mariska Hargitay - Actress, Founder and President of the Joyful Heart Foundation

Martina McBride - Singer-Songwriter

Matt Dillon - Actor

MC Lyte - Rap Pioneer, Songwriter, Actress, Activist

Melissa Joan Hart - Actress

Meryl Streep - Actress

Michael Bolton - Singer

Michelle Pfeiffer - Actress

Michelle Williams - Actress

Mira Sorvino - Actress

Nastia Liukin - Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast

NFL Players Association, in addition to the following players:

Adalius Thomas - New England Patriots

Brandon Moore - New York Jets

Darrell Green - Washington Redskins (Retired)

Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints

Erik Coleman - Atlanta Falcons

Gary Brackett - Indianapolis Colts

George Wilson - Buffalo Bills

Hank Fraley - Cleveland Browns

Jay Feely - New York Jets

Jerricho Cotchery - New York Jets

Kareem McKenzie - New York Giants

LaDainian Tomlinson - San Diego Chargers

Muhsin Muhammad - Carolina Panthers

Nate Kaeding - San Diego Chargers

Quintin Mikell - Philadelphia Eagles

Shaun O'Hara - New York Giants

Steve Hutchinson - Minnesota Vikings

Nia Long - Actress, Director

Nicole Kidman - Actress, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador

Omar Epps - Actor

Padma Lakshmi - Television Host

Patti LaBelle - Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Author, Humanitarian

Paula Zahn - Journalist, Producer

Peter Hermann - Actor

Phylicia Rashad - Actress

Rebecca Romijn - Actress, Model

Ricky Martin - Singer

Robin Givens - Actress, Writer

Rosie Perez - Actress, Dancer, Choreographer
S. Epatha Merkerson - Actress

Sally Field – Actress

Salma Hayek - Actress, Director, Producer
Sam Jones III - Actor

Scarlett Johansson - Actress, Singer-songwriter

Sherri Shepherd - Comedienne, Actress, Television Host

Steve Buscemi - Actor, Director

Stockard Channing - Actress

Susan Sarandon - Actress

Teresa Weatherspoon - Los Angeles Sparks, WNBA (Retired), Coach of Louisiana Tech Women's Basketball

Tim Roth - Actor

Tom Arnold - Actor

Tony Hawk - Skateboarder

U.S. Women's National Soccer Team

Victor Rivas Rivers - Actor, Author, Activist

Vivica A. Fox - Actress, Director, Producer

Washington Mystics - WNBA

Washington Nationals - MLB

Whoopi Goldberg - Actress, Comedienne, Producer, Television Host

Wynton Marsalis - Musician

Zoe Saldana - Actress

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/December/09-ag-1298.html

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From ICE

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Iranian arms procurement agent to be sentenced

WILMINGTON, Del. - David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, together with John Morton, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and James B. Burch, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, today announced the unsealing of indictments returned in Delaware and Massachusetts, and other documentation related to the prosecution of Iranian arms procurement agent Amir Hossein Ardebili.

In the indictments, Ardebili was charged with multiple violations of the Arms Export Control Act, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, smuggling, conspiracy and money laundering. The charges result from a three-year international undercover investigation which exposed Ardebili's role as a prolific arms acquisitions agent for the government of Iran. During the investigation, Ardebili negotiated the purchase and illegal export of a number of military components, including:

• QRS-11 Gyro Chip Sensors. The QRS-11s are solid-state gyro chips that can be used in thousands of applications to include numerous advanced aircraft, missile, space and commercial applications. The BEI GyroChip Model QRS11 Quartz Rate Sensor, Model No. QRS-11-00300-100, is listed on the United States Munitions List in Category XII(d), and therefore requires a license from the Department of State for export.
  
  
• MAPCGM0003 Phase Shifters . Phase shifters perform a key function in the active radiating elements of electronically steered antennae. They enable an antenna to point a radiated beam in specific directions. The six bit phase shifter sought by Ardebili is state of the art. Phase shifters have many applications including phased array radar, which is used in military target acquisition and missile guidance.
  
  
• Digital Air Data Computer (DADC-107) . The DADC-107 is a fully computerized Form/Fit/Function (FFF) replacement for the Central Air Data Computer installed on F-4 fighter aircraft. It calculates flight parameters including altitude, air speed, static pressure, mach number, and true angle of attack. Its high accuracy enhances weapons delivery system performance. The DADC-107 is a United States Munitions List Article under category VIII(h) and therefore requires a United States State Department license for export.
  

Ardebili's negotiations with undercover agents culminated in a face-to-face meeting in a Central Asian nation in October of 2007, after which Ardebili was arrested. Ardebili's laptop computer was seized at the time of his arrest and later searched pursuant to a federal search warrant. He was extradited to the United States in January 2008.

"America's most sensitive technology should never be allowed to pass into unintended hands. We work everyday to disrupt the illegal trade of sensitive technology and ICE continues to take aggressive action against those who violate our proliferation laws," said Assistant Secretary Morton of ICE.

"I applaud our law enforcement partners for their exceptional dedication in pursuing this major investigation," said U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss. "For years, the defendant was in the business of acquiring components, many with military applications, for the government of Iran. The government's investigation and prosecution has put the defendant out of business and removed this threat to our national security."

"The illegal export of U.S. military technology, particularly when placed in the hands of people suspected of providing support to our adversaries, is one of the most significant threats to our national security", said Deputy Inspector General Burch of the Department of Defense. "The charges unsealed today highlight the desire of elements not friendly to the United States to steal our most sensitive technology in an attempt to exploit the tactical and strategic advantages that our soldiers now hold. DCIS is committed to combating these threats in conjunction with our law enforcement partners and ensuring that DoD weapon systems and technologies are secure."

U.S. Attorney Weiss announced that Ardebili pled guilty to these indictments on May 19, 2008, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Gregory M. Sleet.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Hall

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0912/091202wilmington.htm

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U.S., Mexican authorities investigating cross-border tunnel near San Diego

Passageway equipped with lighting, ventilation and elevator systems

SAN DIEGO - Mexican authorities, acting on information provided by federal investigators from the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force, conducted enforcement actions Wednesday targeting a sophisticated, but still incomplete underground passageway that originates in Tijuana, Mexico, and extends more than 860 feet into the United States.

The tunnel, which measures just under 1,000 feet in length overall and reaches a depth of 90 to 100 feet, did not have an entry point in the United States. The passageway has lighting, electrical and ventilation systems and is equipped with an elevator. When Mexican authorities entered the passageway Wednesday morning on the Mexican side, they encountered more than a dozen individuals who were subsequently taken into custody. All of those arrested are believed to be Mexican citizens.

Initial reports indicate the tunnel has been under construction for approximately two years. So far, there have been no arrests in the United States, but the investigation is ongoing.

Here in the United States, the investigation into the tunnel is being spearheaded by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which is made up of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Border Patrol, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. The enforcement efforts in Tijuana are being led by the Government of Mexico.

"The fact we found this tunnel before it could be completed is a testament to the extraordinary work of the Tunnel Task Force," said Michael Carney, acting special agent in charge for the ICE Office of Investigations in San Diego. "As a result of our proactive efforts, we are detecting more and more of these tunnels before they can be finished and put to use by criminal organizations involved in smuggling drugs and other contraband."

"The discovery of this unfinished tunnel bears witness to the extraordinary cooperation between all agencies involved in the task force and the Government of Mexico," says DEA Special Agent in Charge Ralph W. Partridge. "It is extremely important to the San Diego area and the entire United States that this cooperative effort stopped the completion of this drug smuggling corridor before even an ounce of drugs could be transported through it."

"This result clearly reflects the commitment put forth by the government of Mexico to confront cross-border threats and build upon the bilateral partnerships established with U.S. law enforcement agencies," said San Diego Border Patrol Sector Chief Michael Fisher.

The Task Force uses an array of high-tech equipment and intelligence information to pinpoint the location of underground passageways along the border in the region. To date, federal authorities have discovered more than 120 cross-border tunnels along the Southwest border.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0912/091202sandiego.htm

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Californians sentenced in Seattle-area sex trafficking scheme

SEATTLE - A California man who was the subject of a long-term investigation into a prostitution ring and money laundering conspiracy in the Seattle area was sentenced today to 22 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jesus "Jesse" DeLeon, 47, of Irvine, Calif., pleaded guilty in July 2009 to conspiracy charges of transporting individuals in furtherance of prostitution. He and his co-conspirators operated several brothels housed in massage parlors and tanning salons in the greater Seattle area.

A second defendant in the case, Donald Kerry Frey, 38, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., was sentenced earlier this week to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the conspiracy. He assisted DeLeon with running the brothels, and picking up large cash payments from the individual who managed the businesses.

ICE's investigation showed that Frey knew the women working at the brothels had been recruited and transported from out of state to provide sex acts to customers. The three businesses involved in the scheme were the Aloha Tanning Resort on Sunset Avenue in Renton, Wash., the Avalon Spa on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle, and the Malibu Tanning Spa on Interurban Avenue South in Tukwila, Wash.

The prosecutor in the case wrote to the court that DeLeon "created and developed a fairly sophisticated scheme of operating prostitution-front businesses…and made concerted efforts to conceal the criminal proceeds through the use of multiple bank accounts. When he believed law enforcement may discover these accounts, he closed them and initiated the physical transportation of thousands of dollars from Washington to California to avoid law enforcement detection."

"The exploitation of women in this manner for the sole purpose of turning a profit is not only criminal, it is an unacceptable way to treat other human beings," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Seattle. "ICE will aggressively investigate these crimes to deter this type of activity in the future."

As part of his sentence, DeLeon was ordered to forfeit more than $152,000. He was also directed to surrender 11 luxury watches including four Rolexes and two Swiss-made TAG Heuers.  During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that DeLeon had already served 22 months in a California state prison for a similar scheme in Sacramento County. The federal sentence handed down today is in addition to the state prison time.

ICE was joined in the investigation by the Seattle Police Department, the King County Sheriff's Office and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0912/091202seattle.htm

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Convicted sex offender sentenced to 10 years on child pornography charges

PORTLAND, Ore. - A previously convicted sex offender was sentenced in federal court Wednesday morning to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

David Lee Kemery, 55, of Portland, Ore., was convicted in Multnomah County Circuit Court of encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree in November 2003. At that time, he was in possession of child pornography.

He was sentenced to nine months in jail, four years of probation and required to register with as a sex offender. According to court records, Kemery completed his term of probation in November 2007.

ICE investigators learned that Kemery began collecting child pornography again, paying for subscription access to commercial child pornography web sites. In early March, investigators served a federal search warrant at a home he shared with relatives.

That search resulted in the seizure of two computers, which were found to contain more than 20,000 illegal images of child pornography. Investigators discovered handwritten notes pertaining to commercial child pornography Web sites and the login information for those sites.

The search also revealed newspaper articles on other cases where individuals had been charged with or convicted of child pornography offenses. ICE agents arrested Kemery March 30 on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.

"This case illustrates the serious criminal offense that is committed when images of innocent children being sexually exploited are illegally collected and viewed," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigation in Seattle. "ICE remains committed to investigating and identifying child predators so they can be brought to justice."

The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Kent Robinson, lauded the sentence imposed on Kemery and said, "By paying for access to commercial child pornography Web sites, offenders like Kemery fuel the demand for child pornography, and thereby promote the continuing sexual abuse of children."

This case is being investigated as part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign national predators who crimes make them deportable. Launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 11,600 individuals under Operation Predator.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0912/091202portland.htm

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