Biometrics and security in Iraq | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Biometrics and security in Iraq Tech news blog - CNET News.com: "As state-level officials and other critics push back hard against the federal Real ID mandate here at home, the U.S. government is reporting success abroad with a biometric ID system it has installed in Iraq. The automated biometric identity system being used by the Iraqi government now holds more than 350,000 sets of fingerprints, photos and retina scans, and 'we increase the database by 4,000 or 5,000 each week,' Army Lt. Col. John W. Velliquette Jr. said in a teleconferenced briefing this week. Velliquette runs the fingerprint and retina scanning center in Baghdad's International Zone. Iraqis are expected to assume full operation by next summer. The system is used to verify the identity of members of the Iraqi police and military, prisoners and prison guards, and authorized gun owners. (The guns must be kept in homes; they're not to be carried out in the streets.) It's also used to identify criminals and suspects in criminal cases, Velliquette said. 'We will get criminal hits; we get 10 to 20 a week from the minister of Interior.'"

Senate rejects extra $300 million for Real ID | CNET News.com

Senate rejects extra $300 million for Real ID CNET News.com: "Action by a divided U.S. Senate on Thursday raises new questions about the fate of a contentious plan to outfit Americans with new digital identification cards by 2013. By a 50-44 vote mostly along party lines, the chamber set aside a Republican-backed amendment to a homeland security spending bill that would have spread $300 million across the states to help them implement the so-called Real ID Act. The Senate also agreed unanimously to adopt an amendment, proposed by vocal Real ID critic Max Baucus (D-Mont.), which prohibits the use of any of the spending bill's funding for 'planning, testing, piloting, or developing a national identification card.' The votes leave just $50 million in additional Real ID grants for states in the the final bill, which passed by an 89-4 vote late Thursday and is now headed to the president's desk. President Bush has previously vowed to veto the entire measure, but it was not immediately clear whether that was still the case."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Bluetooth helps Facebook friends

BBC NEWS Technology Bluetooth helps Facebook friends: "A team of UK researchers is combining the power of social network Facebook with communications tool Bluetooth to learn more about human interactions. Bath University scientists have created a tool which can use the unique ID of Bluetooth devices, like a mobile phone, to build new friendship networks. Users register with the Facebook tool, called Cityware, that tracks encounters in the real world via Bluetooth. It is part of a wider project A team of UK researchers is combining the power of social network Facebook with communications tool Bluetooth to learn more about human interactions. Bath University scientists have created a tool which can use the unique ID of Bluetooth devices, like a mobile phone, to build new friendship networks. Users register with the Facebook tool, called Cityware, that tracks encounters in the real world via Bluetooth. It is part of a wider project "

ABC News: I Spy: Inside an Air Force Spy Plane

ABC News: I Spy: Inside an Air Force Spy Plane: "At virtually any moment — day or night — you can look up and know that somewhere over Earth there's a U-2 pilot at the edge of outer space, watching and listening. The U-2 is the most famous spy plane in history. Developed in secret for the CIA more than 50 years ago, the U-2 first detected the movement of Soviet nuclear weapons into Cuba, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the U-2 is not just a piece of Cold War history; it has been quietly brought into the space age and is now flying more than ever."

At Issue on College Campus: The Right to Bear Arms @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com

http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11933&siteSection=305: "RICHMOND, Virginia -- Some U.S. college students want the right to carry guns on campus, saying they should have the ability to protect themselves in the event of a shooting like the one that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech this spring Andrew Dysart, a George Mason University senior, has organized a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which hopes to convince state legislators to overturn a Virginia law that allows universities to prohibit students, faculty and staff members with gun permits from carrying their weapons on campus."

FTC Leaks Whole Foods' Corporate Strategy @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com

http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12018&siteSection=305: "WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators filed court documents Tuesday outlining concerns that stores in competitive markets would close and consumers would face higher prices if Whole Foods Market Inc.'s $565 million purchase of Wild Oats Markets Inc. is completed. The Federal Trade Commission documents revealed that Whole Foods plans to close 30 or more Wild Oats stores, a move that the company believes would nearly double revenue for some Whole Foods stores."

Registered Traveler Program Launched at San Francisco International Airport - Government Technology

Registered Traveler Program Launched at San Francisco International Airport - Government Technology: "Aug 16, 2007, News Report Mayor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced the opening of a new airport security fast-pass program that will help registered passengers speed through screening check points at San Francisco International Airport safely and securely. "

ABC News: A City's Eyes: Do Cameras Reduce Crime?

ABC News: A City's Eyes: Do Cameras Reduce Crime?
The New York Police Department is creating a web of surveillance in lower Manhattan that will eventually include 3,000 public and private security cameras to track terrorists. By the end of this year, 116 license plate readers will monitor cars moving through the area, which is the city's financial district. (AP Photo)

The Exploding Market for Video Analytics

"The Exploding Market for Video Analytics"Access Control & Security Systems (07/01/07) Vol. 50, No. 7, P. 12
Frost & Sullivan research analyst Dilip Sarangan predicts that the market for video analytics technology will increase to more than $400 million by 2012, nearly a sevenfold increase from the $60 million posted in 2005. "The market for video analytics is poised to explode," says Sarangan. "The explosive nature of the market is tied to the increased need for more proactive surveillance, the elimination of human error, the convergence of physical and electronic systems, and increased scalability." Alan Lipton, CTO of ObjectVideo in Reston, Va., concurs, saying, "[Video analytics] has already become table stakes in the world of government security and quasi-government security…and now, for the first time, we're seeing analytics becoming a requirement in the commercial world."(go to web site)

**** My technology preference is Vidient, www.vidient.com Mark Steffler and I are working closely together, offering product briefings. Call me to schedule a briefing at your office! 917-596-3037, Laurie Venditti. If you call Mark directly please mention that you were referred from my site. Tks, Laurie

Michael McCann -President, McCann Protective Services, LLC

I had the pleasure of meeting with Michael McCann, the former Chief of Security of the United Nations, In addition to serving as a Security Subject Matter Expert appearing on the Network News like MSNBC & CNN, Mike also serves as a personal and trusted advisor in New York City and beyond. His company McCann Protective Services LLC delivers discreet and customized security services for the diplomatic community, corporate executives, celebrities and their families.

Mike McCann's Bio
President of McCann Protective Services, LLC. Mike served as Chief of Security for the UN, McCann was responsible for the protection of delegates, staff, visiting dignitaries, and other visitors at the United Nations headquarters and at conferences and meetings organized by the United Nations held in the United States and overseas. In addition to his responsibilities for the safety of the Secretary-General and other senior UN officials, McCann provided strategies and executive direction for UN security operations, including emergency preparedness, crisis management plans and the development of uniform security standards and practices for UN offices globally. The UN Security and Safety Service are recognized internationally for its diversity, professionalism and ability to carry out its mission under challenging circumstances. McCann is a former senior ranking officer from the New York City Police Department. Prior to working at the UN, McCann was a Commanding Officer of Investigative Support for the New York City Police Department where he led the Intelligence Division’s international officials visiting New York City. http://www.mccannprotectiveservices.com/about/profile_michael_mccann.php

Jack J. O’Connor Co-Founder - John J. O’Connor is the Co-Founder of McCann Protective Services, LLC. In 1970 Mr. O’Connor founded OCS Security, a company that provided security services to the New York tri-state region. Over the course of 35 years, OCS grew to 1500 employees with an annual revenue of 30 million dollars. OCS was recognized as a leading security firm providing high quality security services. It was recently acquired by Initial Security. Prior to co-founding McCann Protective Services and being the CEO of OCS Security, O’Connor also had a distinguished career with the the NYPD. His career included many challenging assignments as a Detective Sergeant. He supervised many sensitive criminal investigations, provided protection for foreign dignitaries and presidential candidates

News Clips - CNN, MSNBC, etc.
http://www.mccannprotectiveservices.com/news/viewmedia?id=3852

NYPD EYES NEW RADICALIZED WAVE

Bookstores, cafes and the Internet are breeding grounds for a new wave of free agent, homegrown terrorists who are every bit as deadly as the foreign operatives behind the 9/11 attacks, according to a chilling NYPD intelligence report released today.
"A dangerous radicalization process is turning frustrated young Muslim men into potential killers who easily blend into society," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after releasing the report.
"The people who take this path come from all walks of life," Kelly said at a news conference. "We cant know who for certain will take the radicalization process to its ultimate end, but we can trace their movement through distinct phases along this path."
Kelly's assessment was backed by an intelligence assessment by NYPD terror analysts, which examined domestic plots thwarted since the 2001 World Trade Center attack. http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152007/news/regionalnews/nypd_eyes_new_radicalized_wave_regionalnews_philip_messing_and_leonard_greene.htm

Buffalo, N.Y., Announces Security Camera Pilot Program - Government Technology

Buffalo, N.Y., Announces Security Camera Pilot Program - Government Technology: "Buffalo, N.Y., Mayor Byron W. Brown this morning announced the installation of a security camera pilot project that will test the technology prior to the installation of a citywide system. Mayor Brown was joined by Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson, Deputy Commissioner Dan Derenda, BPD Chief of Staff Joseph Strano and Captain Mark Makowski, who oversees all City Homeland Security matters."