FINGERPRINTING STUDENTS [more...]

NEW LASER WARNING AND REPORTING SYSTEM FOR PILOTS [more...]

PITTSBURGH CHAPTER OF ASIS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL CONFERNECE - SEMINAR & EXHIBITS [more...]

TRANSIT SECURITY INCREASED FOR INAUGURATION [more...]

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OFFERS HAZMAT SAFETY INFORMATION [more...]

THE FACTS ON FACTA [more...]

A nascent security trend in the U.S. is tracking schoolchildren when they get on and off school buses. Hoping to prevent the loss of a child through kidnapping or more innocent circumstances, a few schools have begun monitoring student arrivals and departures using technology similar to that used to track livestock and pallets of retail shipments. A school district in Spring, Texas, is using computerized ID badges to record this information, and wirelessly sending it to police headquarters. The system is supposed to help prevent the loss of a child, whether through kidnapping or accident. Tracking kids as they get on and off school buses is expensive, invasive, and doesn't increase security very much. Security is always a trade-off. Let's apply the five-step process to evaluate security countermeasures in this case.

Step 1: What assets are you trying to protect? Children.

Step 2: What are the risks to these assets? Loss of the child, either due to kidnapping or accident. Child kidnapping is a serious problem in the U.S.; the odds of child abduction by a family member are one in 340 and by a non-family member are 1 in 1200 (per year). These statistics are for 1999, and are from NISMART-2, U.S. Department of Justice. Very few of these kidnappings involve school buses, so it's unclear how serious the specific addressed risks here are.

Step 3: How well does the security solution mitigate those risks? Let's imagine how this system might provide security in the event of a kidnapping. If a kidnapper -- assume it's someone the child knows -- goes onto the school bus and takes the child off at the wrong stop, the system would record that. Otherwise -- if the kidnapping took place either before the child got on the bus or after the child got off -- the system wouldn't record anything suspicious. Yes, it would tell investigators if the kidnapping happened before morning attendance and either before or after the school bus ride, but is that one piece of information worth this entire tracking system?

Step 4: What other risks does the security solution cause? The additional risk is the data collected through constant surveillance. Where is this information collected? Who has access to it? How long is it stored? These important security questions get no mention.

Step 5: What costs and trade-offs does the security solution impose? There are two. The first is obvious: money. It's expensive to outfit every child with an ID card and every school bus with this system. The second cost is more intangible: a loss of privacy. We are raising children who think it normal that their daily movements are watched and recorded by the police.

So, finally: is this system worth it? The security gained is not worth the money spent and privacy lost. If the goal were to make children safer, the money is better spent elsewhere: guards at the schools, or education programs for the children and faculty.

Source: Bruce Schneier, January 15, 2005 CRYPTO-GRAM

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta on Wednesday, January 12, announced new measures designed to alert and better prepare pilots to handle incidents of lasers being shined at their aircraft and to speed notification about such crimes to law enforcement investigators. The measures are designed to respond to a recent increase in the number of reported laser incidents. The measures, which are outlined in an Advisory Circular from the Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), recommend that pilots immediately report any unauthorized laser events to air traffic controllers. As soon as personnel with the FAA get these reports, they will notify appropriate law enforcement and security agencies through the Domestic Events Network. The new measures also include requirements that air traffic controllers immediately notify pilots about the laser events. If pilots have a laser pointed at them, the circular strongly advises pilots and air crew to avoid direct eye contact given the health and safety risks posed by some types of lasers. "We are treating lasers in the cockpit as a serious aviation safety matter," the Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said. "We must act now before someone's reckless actions lead to a terrible and tragic incident."
Source: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot0805.htm

Fact: A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the distance of the Wright brother's first flight.

Join the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security's "Future of Security" Conference, March 18, 2005 at the Greentree Holiday Inn, just west of Pittsburgh PA. Walk through the exhibit area and see first hand the newest products and services available to security professionals. Learn from those in the know what's just around the corner in security. Attendance to this show is totally free (including lunch) to all pre-reregistered guests. To learn more about the seminar and to register visit the ASIS Pittsburgh Chapter web site at www.pghasis.org.

The Washington Metro Transit Police and the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are collaborating to enhance security and provide a safe environment at Metrorail stations and on trains in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the 55th Presidential Inauguration set for Thursday, January 20, officials announced Thursday, January 13. TSA canine teams will patrol Metro stations and trains, supplementing Metro's teams of officers and their explosive detection canines. TSA will also provide trained screeners and explosive trace detection equipment for inspecting items left unattended in the Metrorail system. "We are taking precautionary measures so our customers know we are doing everything we can to assure that they can use our system without incident," said Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. Special response teams of Metro Transit Police as well as Metro and TSA explosive detection canine teams will conduct sweeps of Metrorail stations and trains. "The presence of our special response teams and explosive detection canine teams along with the TSA presence does not indicate any specific threat," Hanson explained. "These are precautionary measures intended to add an additional layer of security."
Source: http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=44&content=090005198 00f25f6

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is offering a free brochure that provides key information aimed at educating the public on hazardous materials (Hazmat). In light of an expected increase in the transport of hazardous materials -- currently at 800,000 shipments per day -- and with the increased threat of terrorism, ASSE developed the "Hazardous Materials Safety Information Guide." Should an emergency occur, federal officials say the general public should first call 911 and, if they can identify the size and color of the placards on the transport vehicle without endangering their own safety, they should provide that information to the authorities. As for safety planning, there are State Emergency Response Commissions (SERC) that designate Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) in most communities across the U.S. LEPCs are made up of local emergency service personnel, occupational safety and health professionals and local officials who work to prevent and plan responses to accidental or deliberate chemical incidents. They are operated through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To locate a LEPC, check the EPA Website at www.epa.gov/ceppo/lepclist.htm. For around-the-clock reporting of chemical, radiological and etiological discharges call (800) 424-8802.
Source: http://www.occupationalhazards.com/articles/12844

Travel Tip: More U.S. companies are insuring key employees against kidnapping. Criminals here and abroad are increasingly targeting American business travelers and taking them for ransom. Coverage can be tailored to include death, injuries, and ransom money. A thousand dollars buys a $1,000,000 policy. HR professionals and CSOs should ask their risk managers for more information.

After seven years of tireless lobbying, a coalition of security groups lead by The National Council of Investigation and Security Services convinced law makers to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act and eliminate the requirement that employers obtain employees' permission before investigating suspected misconduct. In March 2004, the President signed into law the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). Among other things, FACTA amends Section 603 of the FCRA and eliminates the requirement that employers notify employees of their intention to conduct an internal investigation and obtain permission from those they intend to target. However, employers are reminded that these changes do not alter the requirements to receive permission from job applicants when ordering consumer reports or investigative consumer reports from consumer reporting agencies. CRAs must still obtain a certification of compliance from the requesting employer prior to receiving the request for a report. Please contact us if you would like more information about the FACTA or the FCRA.

The FTC's new rules regarding consumer rights become effective January 31, 2005. For more information about consumer rights and notices visit the FTC Web site.
Go to http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcrasummary.pdf to view a down-loadable PDF version of the Consumer's Summary of Rights.

Quote of the Month: "Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."
-- Lloyd Alexander