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Nov 3, 2013

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Security analysts: Nearly impossible to harden ‘soft belly' of airports

When a gunman opened fire Friday at a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport, many travelers wondered how it could happen at such a closely guarded facility. But many security consultants thought differently. They questioned why shooters don't enter airport public areas more often.

“When you have so many people concentrated in one place, you are going to have a high probability of an unlikely event,” said Harvey Molotch, a professor at New York University and author of “Against Security — How We Go Wrong at Airports, Subways and Other Sites of Ambiguous Danger.”

“This was very mild compared to what happened in the past and what could happen. Anyone could mow people down in a shopping mall with a car, or put a bomb in a department store. There are so many ways of creating mayhem. It's all a testimony to how routinely safe and secure we are in the United States.”

LAX officials outlined plans Saturday to provide extra police presence, but experts questioned whether any security efforts could deter a lone gunman on a mission. So many elements of airport security, they say, are designed to ensure no one enters an airplane with a gun or a bomb. But on the other side of security screening, in ticketing lobbies and near checkpoints, airports are not much different from schools, movie theaters and nightclubs.

It is difficult to keep a shooter from firing the first rounds. The key, experts say, is to neutralize the intruder quickly. By most accounts, that happened Friday, with airport police locating the gunman within seconds and chasing him through the terminal. Officers eventually shot and wounded him.

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131102/security-analysts-nearly-impossible-to-harden-soft-belly-of-airports

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New York

Suits claim Love Canal still oozing 35 years later

Love Canal, the infamous polluted neighborhood of Niagara Falls, may be repeating history. New residents say toxic pollution is also making them ill.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Thirty-five years after Love Canal's oozing toxic waste scared away a neighborhood and became a symbol of environmental catastrophe, history could be repeating itself.

New residents, attracted by promises of cleaned-up land and affordable homes, say in lawsuits that they are being sickened by the same buried chemicals from the disaster in the Niagara Falls neighborhood in the 1970s.

"We're stuck here. We want to get out," said 34-year-old Dan Reynolds, adding that he's been plagued by mysterious rashes and other ailments since he moved into the four-bedroom home purchased a decade ago for $39,900.

His wife, Teresa, said she's had two miscarriages and numerous unexplained cysts.

"We knew it was Love Canal, that chemicals were here," she said. But when she bought the house, she said she was swayed by assurances that the waste was contained and the area was safe.

Six families have sued over the past several months. Lawyers familiar with the case say notice has been given that an additional 1,100 claims could be coming.

http://news.msn.com/us/suits-claim-love-canal-still-oozing-35-years-later

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Fugitive CA rapist caught after publicized search

A citizen who recognized Dennis Michael McKenzie, 58, from photos in the media tipped off deputies, and a SWAT team took him into custody.

LOS ANGELES — A publicized search for a paroled rapist who authorities say cut off his ankle monitor and harassed the family of his 80-year-old victim ended Wednesday after he was spotted on a Palm Springs street.

A citizen who recognized Dennis Michael McKenzie, 58, from photos in the media tipped off deputies, and a SWAT team took him into custody, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.

Police had asked for the public's help to find McKenzie, who disappeared from a Long Beach halfway house after getting rid of his GPS tracking device.

McKenzie's parole agent received a tamper alert Oct. 1 and immediately requested a warrant for his arrest, said Luis Patino, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.

Over the past month McKenzie made more than 50 threatening and obscene phone calls from the Long Beach area to the victim's family home in the San Bernardino Mountains, Miller said. She said the victim's family discovered the threats, which were "graphic, very harassing" on a voicemail machine last week and alerted sheriff's officials.

The calls amplified the push to find McKenzie.

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/fugitive-ca-rapist-caught-after-publicized-search

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Massachusetts

Opinion

Cops hailed for LAX takedown It could have been worse

The arrest of a crazed shooter authorities said killed one TSA agent and wounded three others at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday is being hailed as a somber victory for airport security officers who subdued the gunman before he could take more lives.

“It's tragic anytime anyone is killed, but it could have been a lot more tragic,” said Tom Nolan, a senior homeland security adviser, former veteran Boston police lieutenant and longtime Boston University criminal justice professor.

The suspected gunman, Paul Ciancia, 23, of Pennsville, N.J., was wounded in the firefight with police, authorities said.Ciancia was found to be carrying a hand-written note that said he “wanted to kill TSA” and “pigs” when he was taken into custody, they said.

“Logan airport is maintaining an appropriate level of security and is monitoring the situation in Los Angeles with our law enforcement partners in the intelligence community,” Massport spokesman Matthew Brelis said. “Our security is multi-layered and we tend not to talk about it in any detail.”

Nolan said airports across the U.S. take quick action after an attack like this, but the response is rarely evident to passengers traveling through.

“What happened at LAX could have happened at any airport in the country,” Nolan said. “We can't blanket airports with security because it would completely immobilize travelers.”

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/west/2013/11/cops_hailed_for_lax_takedown

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Homeland Security workers routinely boost pay with unearned overtime, report says

Federal employees at the Department of Homeland Security call it the “candy bowl,” a pot of overtime money they have long dipped into to pad their pay even if they haven't earned it, whistleblowers say.

This practice, which can add up to 25 percent to a paycheck, has become so routine over the last generation that it's often held out as a perk when government managers try to recruit new employees, according to these accounts.

In a report submitted to the White House and Congress on Thursday, the federal Office of Special Counsel http://www.osc.gov/ (OSC) details what it calls a “profound and entrenched problem” at DHS and a “gross waste of government funds.” Based on the testimony of seven whistleblowers, the OSC concludes that the pervasive misuse of overtime pay in six DHS offices, including four within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), comes to $8.7 million a year.

At issue is Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime, known as AUO, which is meant only to compensate for urgent and unanticipated work like that often undertaken by law enforcement agents.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/homeland-security-workers-routinely-boost-pay-with-unearned-overtime-report-says/2013/10/31/3d33f6e4-3fdf-11e3-9c8b-e8deeb3c755b_story.html

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Nov 2, 2013

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California

LAX shooting: Suspect Ciancia was suicidal, father says

A reportedly suicidal man carrying an assault rifle stormed into a Los Angeles International Airport terminal on Friday, killing a Transportation Safety Administration agent and wounding six other people until police officers critically wounded him.

Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, reportedly carried a handwritten rant about killing TSA workers, and carried dozens of rounds of ammunition.

“There were more than 100 rounds that literally could have killed everybody in that terminal,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

The TSA agent, identified late Friday as Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, was the first to die in the agency's history.

FBI and Los Angeles Airport police officials released few details about the gunman's intentions and did not confirm reports he was suicidal.

A law enforcement official, who was briefed at LAX on the investigation but not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Ciancia was wearing fatigues and carrying a bag containing a note that said he “wanted to kill TSA and pigs.” The official requested anonymity.

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131101/lax-shooting-suspect-ciancia-was-suicidal-father-says

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The TSA Found 29 Firearms at Airports This Week, Before the LAX Shooting

Guns at airports, even loaded ones, are more common than you may think.

Shots broke out at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday morning, wounding multiple people including at least one Transportation Security Administration officer who reportedly has died. The scene is obviously horrific, and it's the exact sort of nightmare that every traveler dreads to face.

But, it turns out, loaded weapons get stopped at security checkpoints all the time. Over the last week, the TSA discovered 29 firearms—27 of which were loaded. the TSA, (The breakdown of what kinds of guns were found is on the site.)

All of this of course happened before an armed suspect made it into LAX on Friday. And the last week wasn't an outlier. The week before, 39 firearms were discovered. Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 15, the TSA collected 84 loaded arms.

Oh, and in 2012 as a whole, airport screeners found more than 1,500 guns at checkpoints. That was up from a total of 1,320 guns in 2011. Of course, not everyone who brought a gun to an airport intended to do harm. But the sheer number of firearms points to a potential for violence far greater than most people may think.

American airports have never been gun-free. They have only been largely violence-free because of the TSA.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/the-tsa-found-29-firearms-at-airports-this-week-before-the-lax-shooting-20131101

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Nov 1, 2013

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FAA relaxes rules to allow use of smartphones, electronic devices on planes

The Federal Aviation Administration moved Thursday to considerably relax restrictions covering the use of electronic devices on airplanes, a shift that should allow passengers to tap away on smartphones and tablets during all phases of flight as soon as today.

Passengers still will not be permitted to transmit data below 10,000 feet, so devices such as iPhones and iPads will need to be placed on “airplane mode” at lower altitudes. Making phone calls remains banned at all times.

Carriers cannot make the policy change unilaterally, however, as they must prove to federal officials that the new electronic device policies will not impact flight operations. The FAA originally was expected to move relatively quickly on the airline applications, and JetBlue signaled it hoped to make the change as soon as Thursday afternoon. But the FAA was not prepared to approve proposals so fast.

“JetBlue is in the final stages of gaining FAA's approval on our implementation plan that will allow personal electronic devices through all stages of flight,” JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said in an email. “We will implement the policy as soon as the FAA gives us their approval.”

All airlines are expected to alter policies soon, but some will move faster than others. Officials at Delta Air Lines also said a policy change could come also come as quickly as Friday. Officials with Southwest, American, US Airways and United said they also were seeking FAA approval, though their applications could take slightly longer than JetBlue and Delta, which both made quick policy changes a priority.

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131031/faa-relaxes-rules-to-allow-use-of-smartphones-electronic-devices-on-planes

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West Philadelphia Community-Police Partnership Recognized with $20,000 National Safety Award

MetLife Foundation honors University City alliance reducing crime and revitalizing neighborhood

University City District (UCD) and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) will be honored by MetLife Foundation for their extraordinary partnership to improve community safety on Monday, November 4, 10am at the UCD office and Philadelphia Police 18th District substation located at 3940 Chestnut Street. MetLife Managing Director David Fleisher presented the partners with the award.

This partnership was selected from more than 540 applicants nationwide for a MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award, a program administered by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). The partners' collaborative approach to revitalize the community through a place-based and data-driven approach caught the attention of the national selection committee comprised of police commanders, community development executives and LISC staff.

"Collaboration between community-based groups and police departments can reduce crime, stimulate housing and business activity, and improve the quality of life in lower-income neighborhoods," added Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "The Philadelphia partnership is an exemplary model for groups nationwide facing similar challenges and opportunities."

The work of UCD and the PPD has grown significantly over the years and has sustained crime declines for their target area. This is the second time the partners are being honored by MetLife Foundation and LISC. In 2004, UCD and the PPD were recognized for their successful revitalization and safety work for the Baltimore Avenue Commercial Corridor Initiative. They are now being recognized with an award in Neighborhood Revitalization and Economic Vitality for the Multi-Institution and Police District Public Safety Partnership.

http://ucreview.com/west-philadelphia-communitypolice-partnership-recognized-with-nati-p4344-1.htm

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Violence by al-Qaida prompts Iraq to ask US for help 2 years after kicking us out

A bloody resurgence of al-Qaida in Iraq is prompting Baghdad to ask the U.S. for more weapons, training and manpower, two years after pushing American troops out of the country.

The request will be discussed during a White House meeting Friday between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Barack Obama in what Baghdad hopes will be a fresh start in a complicated relationship that has been marked both by victories and frustrations for each side.

Al-Maliki will discuss Iraq's plight in a public speech Thursday at the U.S. Institute for Peace in Washington.

“We know we have major challenges of our own capabilities being up to the standard. They currently are not,” Lukman Faily, the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S., told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. “We need to gear up, to deal with that threat more seriously. We need support and we need help.”

He added, “We have said to the Americans we'd be more than happy to discuss all the options short of boots on the ground.”

“Boots on the ground” means military forces. The U.S. withdrew all but a few hundred of its troops from Iraq in December 2011 after Baghdad refused to renew a security agreement to extend legal immunity for Americans forces, which would have let more stay.

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131031/violence-by-al-qaida-prompts-iraq-to-ask-us-for-help-2-years-after-kicking-us-out

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