Aviation warning issued over Al Qaeda, small planes

The FBI and Homeland Security say there is no specific threat, but issue a bulletin saying precautionary steps are being taken.

The FBI and Homeland Security have issued a nationwide warning about Al Qaeda threats involving small airplanes, just days before the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Authorities said there was no specific or credible terrorist threat for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. But they have stepped up security as a precaution.

According to a law enforcement bulletin issued Friday, ahead of the travel-heavy Labor Day weekend, Al Qaeda was considering ways to attack using airplanes as recently as early this year.

The alert said terrorists have considered renting private planes and loading them with explosives.

"Al Qaeda and its affiliates have maintained an interest in obtaining aviation training, particularly on small aircraft, and in recruiting Western individuals for training in Europe or the United States, although we do not have current, credible information or intelligence of an imminent attack," according to the bulletin obtained by the Associated Press.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-aviation-warning-20110904,0,4395640,print.story

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McManus: The high cost of protecting America

There's no such thing as too much security. But there is such a thing as security that's too expensive.

Ten years ago, before 9/11 made terrorism our national preoccupation, the agencies that now make up the Department of Homeland Security spent about $22 billion a year on public safety and emergency management. Now Homeland Security is the third-biggest department in the federal government, with more than 230,000 employees and a budget of $55 billion a year.

Before 9/11, the United States spent about $30 billion a year on its civilian intelligence agencies; today, such spending has nearly doubled to about $55 billion, more than the entire State Department budget. Add in spending on military intelligence, and the intelligence budget comes to more than $80 billion.

How much additional security have we gained from all that spending? It's impossible to say.

As officials will assure us many times over the coming days, we're safer than we were on 9/11, and they're right. Al Qaeda's central leadership is crumbling. Its members still plot against the United States, but their plans have all been foiled so far. Only a handful of extremist attacks on U.S. territory have succeeded since 9/11, all small-scale actions by American citizens with guns, not international terrorists on airplanes.

Does that mean we can consider de-escalating our massive internal security campaign?

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was asked that question recently, and she gave a crisp answer: "No."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-homeland-security-cost-20110904,0,6871499,print.column

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Sept 3, 2011

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Travel alert issued ahead of Sept. 11

The U.S. cites no specific threat from Al Qaeda or its allies, but urges Americans abroad to take precautions and register on the State Department's website.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has issued a worldwide travel alert ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The alert cautions Americans about the continued threat posed by Al Qaeda and other groups.

The State Department is not citing any specific threats to the United States that have been identified from Al Qaeda or its allies.

But the department says U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad should take precautions because terrorist groups can attack anywhere.

Friday's alert notes that previous attacks were planned for significant dates, presumably to gain maximum public attention.

The U.S. says Americans abroad should register on the State Department's website, or at an embassy or consulate. This makes it easier for embassies to reach people in case of emergency.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-travel-alert-20110903,0,4500357,print.story

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Nearly 40% of North Hollywood, Sun Valley homeless found at risk

Of the 271 people surveyed, 106 were found to have health conditions associated with a high mortality risk, said organizers from the San Fernando Valley Homeless Coalition, a network of service providers.

About 60 volunteers took part in the effort, fanning out in the early morning hours Monday through Wednesday to interview people living on the streets and in shelters about their health status, institutional history, length of homelessness and other issues.

The survey found that 199 people -- about 73% -- met the definition of chronically homeless, meaning that they have a disabling condition and have been homeless for at least a year, or had four episodes of homelessness in the last three years. Studies have shown that this population accounts for a disproportionate share of government spending because of their frequent use of hospital emergency rooms, other crisis services and jail cells.

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

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Some Officers Criticize DPD Patrol Plan

Program rotates hundreds of nonpatrol officers back on streets for two weeks

A Dallas police program that puts detectives and other nonpatrol officers back on the streets for two weeks has hundreds of officers in an uproar.

Chief David Brown implemented the Community Policing 2.0 this week to increase police presence in the city's highest crime areas and reduce crime. The program puts nonpatrol officers on two-week, in-uniform patrol rotations every six months.

Brown said property crimes, including theft and burglaries, account for 88 percent of the city's crime.

"We want to establish relationships so that we can have an outcome of reducing crime, particularly burglary and theft," he said. "They happen in the daytime predominantly and they happen in the neighborhoods."

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Some-Officers-Criticize-DPD-Patrol-Plan-128916448.html

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Sept 2, 2011

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White House received emails about Fast and Furious gun-trafficking operation

Three national security officials were given some details about the operation. But an administration official says the emails do not prove that anyone in the White House was aware of the covert tactics of the program.

Newly obtained emails show that the White House was better informed about a failed gun-tracking operation on the border with Mexico than was previously known.

Three White House national security officials were given some details about the operation, dubbed Fast and Furious. The operation allowed firearms to be illegally purchased, with the goal of tracking them to Mexican drug cartels. But the effort went out of control after agents lost track of many of the weapons.

The supervisor of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation in Phoenix specifically mentioned Fast and Furious in at least one email to a White House national security official, and two other White House colleagues were briefed on reports from the supervisor, according to White House emails and a senior administration official.

But the senior administration official said the emails, obtained Thursday by The Times, did not prove that anyone in the White House was aware of the covert "investigative tactics" of the operation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-atf-guns-20110902,0,5775412,print.story

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FBI Seeks Assistance in Solving a '81 Domestic Terrorism Case

The FBI is asking for the public's assistance in locating Donna Joan Borup. Borup is wanted for her alleged participation in the violent disruption of an anti-apartheid demonstration at JFK International Airport in Queens, New York, on September 26, 1981.

Borup allegedly tossed an acidic substance into the eyes of Port Authority Police Officer Evan Goodstein. As a result, Goodstein was partially blinded. At the time, Borup was a member of the 19th Communist Organization, a Marxist-Leninist Organization that advocated the armed revolution and violent overthrow of the United States government. Borup was arrested and released on bail pending a trail in May 1982.

“Borup has been on the run for too long and deserves to be brought to justice for her alleged attack against a law enforcement officer. We're asking the public to look at these photos and to contact the FBI if they recognize Borup," said Supervisory Special Agent Tim Flannelly.

Read more | Wanted poster | 'Wanted by the FBI' podcast

http://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/fbi-seeks-public-assistance-in-solving-a-1981-domestic-terrorism-case

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Orange County Man Who Admitted Hacking Into Personal Computers Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for ‘Sextortion' of Women and Teenage Girls

LOS ANGELES—A Santa Ana man who hacked into dozens of computers to obtain personal data—and in some cases demanded sexually explicit videos from female victims in exchange for not distributing other images—was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison.

Luis Mijangos, 32, an illegal alien from Mexico, received the six-year prison term from United States District Judge George H. King, who said the defendant engaged in “psychological warfare” and “cyberterrorism.”

Mijangos pleaded guilty in March 2011 to computer hacking and wiretapping. When he pleaded guilty, Mijangos specifically admitted that in late 2009 he used malicious software to hack into a teenage girl's computer, which gave him control over the victim's webcam and allowed him to surreptitiously obtain naked photos of her. He also admitted that in April 2009, through the use of malware, he intercepted portions of a private conversation by listening through the microphone on a victim's computer.

In sentencing papers filed with the court this summer, prosecutors said Mijangos is a “computer hacker who infected the computers of hundreds of victims by sending Trojan e-mails and instant messages embedded with malicious software that gave him complete access to and control over the victims' computers.” In addition to stealing financial information, Mijangos “read victims' e-mails and IMs, watched them through their webcams, and listened to them through the microphones on their computers. Often, he then used the information he obtained to play psychological games with his victims.”

http://www.fbi.gov/losangeles/press-releases/2011/orange-county-man-who-admitted-hacking-into-personal-computers-sentenced-to-six-years

State Senate OKs part of California Dream Act

The measure would allow college students who are illegal immigrants to receive public financial aid.

The college dreams of thousands of students who are illegal immigrants moved closer to fulfillment Wednesday after the state Senate approved a bill that for the first time would give them access to public financial aid.

Part of a two-bill package known as the California Dream Act, the measure would allow undocumented students who qualify for reduced in-state tuition to apply for Cal Grants, community college waivers and other public aid programs. To be eligible, they must be California high school graduates who attended schools in the state at least three years, and demonstrate financial need and academic merit.

The Senate vote brought relief to Brian Lee, a UCLA undergraduate who was brought to the U.S. at age 4 from South Korea and fell out of legal status when his mother did not renew their visas. Lee, a biology major who hopes to become a dentist, said the chance to apply for financial aid would help him finish school more quickly and alleviate the stress of working multiple under-the-table jobs. As it is, he has worked for two academic quarters to pay for each term he attends.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dream-20110901,0,5022114,print.story

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Editorial: Pricey homeland security

Protecting the nation at any cost has resulted in unnecessary and eccentric responses. More wisdom must be employed.

It was a natural reaction after 9/11: Protect the nation at any cost. But a survey of homeland security projects by Times staff writer Kim Murphy reveals that the "any cost" rationale has resulted in unnecessary and eccentric responses to the possibility of a terrorist act. Congress should block such projects in the future.

For example, Murphy told of a grant for anti-terrorism equipment to a county in Nebraska, which received thousands of dollars for cattle nose leads, halters and electric prods — in case terrorists waged biological warfare against cows. Closer to home, Glendale got a $205,000 grant, which it used to purchase a 9-ton BearCat armored vehicle, one of more than 300 deployed across the country. (Officials feared that terrorists might target DreamWorks Animation or the Disney creative campus.) In one case in New York, the connection of a $3-million grant to counter-terrorism was a mystery even to the beneficiaries.

It is hard to evaluate the efficacy of security arrangements — think of the elaborate airport screening by the Transportation Security Administration — because no terrorist act has occurred. Supporters also can always argue that the absence of incidents proves that the system works. (We're skeptical, though, about the deterrent value of cattle prods.) But the deterrent argument is more plausible in some places than in others. That's why planners should concentrate on the "where" of security precautions rather than the "what."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-911pork-20110901,0,5213090,print.story

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9/11 artifacts from FBI terror trials to go public

U.S. Counterterror Chief: Al Qaeda Now on the Ropes

On a steady slide. On the ropes. Taking shots to the body and head.

That's how White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan described Al Qaeda on Wednesday as he offered the first on-record confirmation that Al Qaeda's latest second-in-command was killed last week in Pakistan -- roughly four months after Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden there.

In an Associated Press interview, Brennan said the death of Atiyah Abd al-Rahman in Pakistan's tribal areas last week was a "huge blow" to the group, damaging the network and keeping Al Qaeda's leadership too busy trying to hide to plot new attacks. Al-Rahman reportedly was hit by a CIA drone strike.

The former CIA officer described that as proof that the White House has found the right formula to fight Al Qaeda, by pairing U.S. intelligence and counterterrorist forces with host nations from Pakistan to Iraq to Yemen, fighting beside them or sometimes through them. The goal is to keep Al Qaeda off balance, unable to replace the seasoned terrorists the U.S. campaign is taking out.

Policing in the Post-9/11 Era

In America's largest Arab community, police are pioneering a new way to fight terrorism by strengthening neighborhood ties

Just minutes after American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Ron Haddad's phone rang. It was his boss, Detroit Police Chief Charles E. Wilson, who was in the Pentagon when the plane hit. “He called me right away,” says Haddad, who at the time was a precinct commander. “He said, ‘What do you think we should do?'”

Haddad and Wilson were hardly alone. In cities across the country, the question on every law enforcement professional's mind at that moment was a very local one: “What do we do now?”

Their worlds had turned sideways. Rumors and uncertainty about possible follow-up attacks were sweeping the nation. A backlash against American Arabs was brewing. Little solid information about the attack was available. Yet police departments found themselves catapulted into a new role: front-line defenders in the fight against domestic terrorist attacks, a job that had long been considered the purview of the federal government.

http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/homeland-security-disasters/policing-post-911-era.html

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Kiosks and digital displays assist in community-oriented police efforts

According to the Tulare (Calif.) Advance-Register, Tulare police recently accepted a $37,667 grant to buy three computer-aided dispatch monitors and a computerized kiosk to be displayed at the department's lobby.

The Tulare police chief said funds from the grant received must be spent on equipment, technologies and projects that promote community-policing programs.

The dispatch monitors will show supervisors data from police calls as they go into the system, allowing resources to be better coordinated to reported incidents.

The computerized kiosk will display and stream crime trends and statistical data to include contact and resource information, and will also interface with the department's under-construction website, which will provide information and schedule of events furthering the department's community-oriented policing efforts.

For more information about public-sector kiosk deployments, visit our Government research center

http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com/article/183930/Kiosks-and-digital-displays-assist-in-community-oriented-police-efforts

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August 31, 2011

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Post-9/11 assessment sees major security gaps

Among the issues, warn the former heads of the panel, is the unreliability of the system to keep airline passengers from smuggling explosives onto a plane.

Despite the outlay of hundreds of billions of dollars and a vast reorganization of federal agencies since the Sept. 11 attacks, major gaps remain in the government's ability to prevent and respond to a terrorist strike, according to an assessment by the former heads of the 9/11 Commission.

The report, which will be released Wednesday, warns that the nation's ability to detect explosives hidden on passengers boarding airplanes "lacks reliability." It describes emergency communications used by first responders in urban areas as "inadequate." And it calls efforts to coordinate rescues "a long way from being fully implemented."

The panel, formally known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, was created by Congress in late 2002 as an independent, bipartisan group to investigate the hijackings of four jetliners by Al Qaeda operatives. Its final report included numerous recommendations for reforms in the intelligence, law enforcement and domestic security communities.

The new assessment comes from the panel's former chairs, former Republican New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.).

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/september11/la-na-911-report-card-20110831,0,5954238,print.story

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9/11 children's colouring book angers US Muslims

The Kids' Book of Freedom condemned as 'disgusting' by Council on American-Islamic Relations

We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids' Book of Freedom has just been released by the Missouri-based publisher Really Big Coloring Books, which says it is "designed to be a tool that parents can use to help teach children about the facts surrounding 9/11". Showing scenes from 9/11 for children to colour in and telling the story of the attacks and the subsequent hunt for Osama bin Laden, "the book was created with honesty, integrity, reverence, respect and does not shy away from the truth", according to its publisher, which says that it has sold out of its first print run of 10,000 copies.

One page of the $6.99 book, which has been given a PG rating, shows Bin Laden hiding behind a hijab-wearing woman as he is shot by a Navy SEAL. "Being the elusive character that he was, and after hiding out with his terrorist buddies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, American soldiers finally locate the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden," runs the text accompanying the picture. "Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating radical Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/31/9-11-children-colouring-book-muslims

U.S. lags on 9/11 panel recommendations

The United States has failed to implement nine of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to keep the nation safe from terror, the former co-chairs of the panel said Wednesday in a new report.

The commission's former co-chairs, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, will issue a report today detailing what the U.S. has — and hasn't — done in the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal . Of the 41 recommendations from the commission, the report says that nine have not been fully put in place.

The government has failed to put into action a border screening process using biometric technology that checks individuals as they leave the U.S. and has yet to establish a standardized form of identification, the report says. In addition, terrorist detention guidelines remain unclear and the government has yet to create a proposed civil-liberties board.

These counter-terrorism actions need to be immediately enacted, the report says, since the “the threat from al Qaeda, related terrorist groups, and individual adherents to violent Islamist extremism persists.”

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August 30, 2011

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A key Sept. 11 legacy: more domestic surveillance

In one of the biggest changes to American life since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government now collects vast quantities of information about its citizens.

Internet entrepreneur Nicholas Merrill was working in his Manhattan office when an FBI agent in a trench coat arrived with an envelope.

It was fall 2004, and federal investigators were using new legal authority they had acquired after Sept. 11, 2001. Merrill ran a small Internet service provider with clients including IKEA, Mitsubishi and freelance journalists.

The agent handed Merrill a document called a National Security Letter, which demanded that he turn over detailed records on one of his customers. The letter wasn't signed by a judge or prosecutor. It instructed him to tell no one.

"Not even my lawyer? Not even my business partners?" Merrill asked.

The agent shrugged and left.

Merrill had gotten a rare glimpse of the secret domestic intelligence gathering that is one of the most significant legacies of Sept. 11. U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies now collect, store and analyze vast quantities of digital data produced by law-abiding Americans. The data mining receives limited congressional oversight, rare judicial review and almost no public scrutiny.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/september11/la-na-911-homeland-security-surveillance-20110830,0,7114660,print.story

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Get ready, California counties, here come the inmates

Where hopeful reformers see a new smart-on-crime paradigm, L.A. County supervisors sense an all-too-familiar inadequately funded offloading of state problems onto the counties.

Beginning Oct. 1, inmates from 33 California prisons who are released on parole will begin reporting to county probation officers rather than state parole agents. The new local authority over "post-release community supervision" will apply only to those whose convictions were for non-serious, nonviolent, non-sex-related offenses. On the same date, newly convicted "non-non-non" offenders will be remitted to county custody — to jail, or to community programs or other sentencing alternatives — instead of being sent to state prison. And newly accused defendants without outstanding warrants who need to be monitored until their trial dates may be required to wear electronic ankle bracelets in lieu of being incarcerated.

These three new approaches to dealing with criminal offenders and defendants are the primary components of AB 109, also known as public safety realignment. The bill, signed into law this year, is Sacramento's response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. Plata, which ordered the sharp reduction of the state prison population to reduce overcrowding and address medical inadequacies that were so severe as to violate the 8th Amendment's strictures against cruel and unusual punishment.

To reformers, realignment represents a landmark transition from a generation's worth of tough-on-crime policies to a new, less expensive, more enlightened and more effective "smart on crime" approach. Prisoners now get little in the way of rehabilitation behind bars and little in the way of "reentry" support — such as substance-abuse treatment and counseling, medical attention, mental healthcare and housing — when they are paroled. Thus unprepared for life as healthy, productive and contrite citizens, they re-offend at an astonishing rate of 67.5%. In theory — in theory, mind you — counties are better equipped than the state to supervise and support low-level offenders, and are prepared to do it for less money.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-re-entry-20110830,0,1366103,print.story

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TSA Remembers 9/11: Stories From Our Workforce

by Blogger Bob, TSA

Each individual employee's personal story is priceless to our legacy. It's important for an agency to know how far they've come and who has helped pave the way. TSA's Historian Project realized the importance of this and built an online tool called StoryLine to capture these stories. StoryLine allows our employees to share their stories via an internal page viewable by all TSA and DHS employees. The first installment of StoryLine stories are centered on 9/11 and how the day inspired people to make the decision to work for TSA.

The stories posted were so good that we wanted to share some of them with our readers.

We selected a total of 28 stories to share from all across the US and surrounding territories. You can read the rest of the stories here .

I could go on about how these stories are examples of the patriotism and dedication our employees share for TSA's mission, but I think the stories will speak for themselves.

http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/08/tsa-remembers-911-stories-from-our.html

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Tips for during and after a flood Posted by: Public Affairs

Tropical storm Irene continues to affect much of the East Coast, bringing significant rainfall and potential flooding/flash flooding to the affected areas. We encourage all those in communities that have been or may be impacted to follow the direction of local officials and take shelter inside during the storm.

As Irene continues through the East Coast, stay tuned to the radio and television for information, and remember that flash flooding can occur at a moment's notice. Here are some additional flood safety tips in case your community, or that of a friend/loved one, may be affected by the heavy rains of Irene.

During a flood

Hurricane Irene, government grants: Your weekly ScamWatch

Hurricane Irene -- Law enforcement agencies are forecasting that a wave of fraudulent charitable donation schemes will arrive in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. To make sure donations get to those who need them, the Internet Crime Complaint Center suggests that donors do not respond to unsolicited emails or telephone calls seeking donations. Instead, donations should go directly to recognized charitable organizations, the agency said.

Government grants -- The Federal Trade Commission, along with four state attorneys general, has obtained a court order shutting down a fraudulent organization that promised to provide government grants to the needy but instead sold worthless how-to books and coaching services. Under a settlement, Wealth Power Systems and Aria Financial Services were banned from marketing grant-writing programs and ordered to pay a fine of $265,000. Several other individuals and organizations were banned from marketing moneymaking opportunities, the FTC said in a news release.

When a “law firm” calls -- The Better Business Bureau is warning residents of Texas to be careful if they receive telephone calls from people claiming to be from law firms that are suing them on behalf of payday loan providers. The callers use the name of an existing law firm and ask victims to provide bank or credit card information. The bureau cautions that you should never disclose personal financial or identifying information to people you don't know.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/08/hurricane-irene-government-grants-your-weekly-scamwatch.html

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Alabama

Alabama Voices: Civil rights, wrongs

Before taking the oath of office to protect and to serve, every Montgomery police officer completes at least 18 weeks of training at the Montgomery Police Academy. There, they learn the essentials of their jobs, including firearms, emergency vehicle operation, criminal law, constitutional law, ethics, investigative techniques, and other law enforcement coursework.

Montgomery police officers are now learning another essential part of their jobs with the introduction of a new, forward-leaning history lesson, "Policing in a Historic City: Civil Rights and Wrongs in Montgomery." The curriculum focuses on cultural diversity and bias-based policing in an examination of policing in Alabama's capital city, with its dual identities as both the Cradle of the Confederacy and the Birthplace of Civil Rights.

Why is a history lesson important for police officers? I believe the answer lies in law enforcement's understanding of its role and relationship with the community it serves. It lies in the understanding that as a department and as a city, we are not defined solely by the present. We also must understand the past and look to the future.

Our intent was to develop training that examines policing within the historical and cultural contexts of Montgomery. "Policing in a Historic City" opens with Dred Scott and continues with an examination of landmark civil rights cases and events in the United States. The focus then narrows to Alabama. From the Scottsboro Boys and Recy Taylor to the Rev. James Reeb and Bull Conner, the curriculum reviews the people and events that have shaped the struggle for civil rights in our state.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110828/OPINION0101/108280303/Alabama-Voices-Civil-rights-wrongs

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