The Transportation Safety Administration has failed to properly oversee airport perimeter security, making the entire U.S. commercial aviation system vulnerable, a government watchdog said.
By Josh Hicks Washington Post Federal buildings are unprepared for potential cyber attacks on their security systems, elevators, heating and cooling networks and other critical operations because the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t have a handle on the risks. At stake are thousands of vulnerable facilities, including the offices of federal employees and structures that house high-risk items such as drugs and…
By Amanda Palleschi Government Executive The FBI needs to develop a long-term strategy for filling counterterrorism division vacancies, a government watchdog found. Although the FBI has made some progress addressing a 40 percent vacancy rate — first reported in 2005 — in certain parts of its counterterrorism division, the bureau has yet to establish sufficient…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Most of nation’s border-anxiety seems to be focused on Mexico. But in northern states like Michigan, it’s a different story. Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, responding to a Government Accountability Office report pointing to potential threats from smugglers and terrorists, called for meetings to improve security at the Detroit-Windsor border, MLive.com reported….
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A government report found that U.S. Attorney’s Offices declined 50 percent of the cases from American Indian reservations from 2005-2009, the Associated Press reported. The Government Accountability Office report found that Federal prosecutors resolved 9,000 of the 10,000 cases they got during that period. Half were declined for prosecution…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com By the FBI’s account, the anthrax case that triggered a wave of panic in this nation in 2001 with the death of five people, has been solved. But not all are as convinced as the FBI that the real culprit is government scientist Bruce Ivins, who committed suicide in July 2008…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A behavior-protection program designed to spot suspected terrorists and others who pose dangers at U.S. airports doesn’t appear to be working all that well. The Boston Globe reports that at least 16 people who were later tied to terror plots passed through U.S. airports without being detected by federal…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ (D-Calif) expressed concern Wednesday about the need for better cooperation between DEA and border agencies to fight drug cartels. Responding to a Government Accountability Office report, the California Congresswoman said: “A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighting the lack of interagency cooperation between our leading border and…
