Morning Roundup - June 23rd
From the Associated Press, on Administrator Fugate's roundtable in Denver:
From the Orlando Sentinel, on funding for baggage screening upgrades at the Orlando International Airport:The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency visited Denver Monday to help kick off President Barack Obama's campaign to promote public service.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate (FEW'-gate) met with firefighters and other emergency workers at Fire Station 8. He said the emergency responders he spoke with are inspiring because "you forget a lot of them are coaching Little League" and helping in other ways.
"They're one of the busiest fire stations in the state," Fugate said of Station 8. "People sometimes have the tendency to see them as just firefighters, but they are working and doing a lot of stuff on their off duty hours."
Fugate began his emergency management career as a volunteer firefighter before becoming emergency manager in his Florida county for 10 years. He became Florida's state director of emergency management in 2001. He said he was inspired by the extra community work the emergency workers do.
"Sometimes it's simple things," he said, "being able to read to a child or helping a student with their homework."
He said Obama's campaign, called United We Serve, goes back to the president's early days of community service, when he took action and didn't assume someone else would.
Orlando International Airport will receive $15 million to finish overhauling its checked-bag screening systems to make them quicker, more secure and simpler for passengers.
With the money, a federal grant presented Monday by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority can finish its four-year, $178 million program of replacing free-standing TransportationSecurity Administration baggage-inspection stations with machines that can screen bags placed on conveyors at ticket counters.
The airport has installed three such systems, serving most of its airlines. Monday's check will pay for the final two, mostly for AirTran Airways and Delta Air Lines.
"What it means is a more secure, more efficient and higher-tech way to screen passenger-checked bags," Napolitano said. "What it means for the traveler is you will no longer have to walk your bag to the screening location."
From the LA Times, on the suspension of the Clear Program:
A major vendor that fast-tracks fliers through airport security for an annual fee of $199 will end operations tonight, according to its website and a former employee, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers in the lurch.
The website of the so-called Clear program, launched by New York-based Verified Identity Pass Inc. four years ago, today carried this message: "At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear's parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations."
No one answered the company's phone this evening, which simply carried the recorded message, "You've reached Clear Registered Traveler." But in a phone interview, Cindy Rosenthal, former vice president of media relations for the Clear program, confirmed that it is shutting down.
Leadership Events
9:30 AM EDT
Secretary Napolitano will deliver remarks at the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) Conference
Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center
Third Floor Ballroom
1950 Eisenhower Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Public Events
8:30 AM EDT
The Privacy Office will host a Government 2.0: Privacy and Best Practices Workshop
The Washington Court Hotel Atrium Ballroom
525 New Jersey Avenue
Washington, D.C.
10:30 AM EDT
Office of Cybersecurity and Communications Chief Technology Officer Peter Fonash will participate in a panel discussion at the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) American Council for Technology (ACT) Executive Session.
The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City
1250 South Hayes Street
Arlington, Va.
10:00 AM CDT
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Public Affairs Manager Jon Allen will participate in a media availability about the instillation of CT-80 EDS equipment
Alexandria International Airport
1611 Arnold Drive
Alexandria, La.
Labels: Events, Morning Roundup, News
posted by DHS @ 9:21 AM
1 Comments:
At June 23, 2009 2:04 PM ,
Phil said...
It would be good to see this blog comment on a recent court ruling that is likely to have an effect on the way TSA's searches of airport travelers are conducted (United States v. Fofana, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45852, S.D. Ohio June 2, 2009).
Much discussion of the ruling is happening on FlyerTalk Forums. In particular, see comment #13, by "PTravel", which appears to be a good analysis of the ruling. A TSA Blog and FlyerTalk regular has posted a PDF of the ruling.
My understanding is that because TSA very clearly went beyond its administrative search for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries, evidence of crime (passport or identity fraud) found was not admissible in court. In the name of safety, we give TSA special permission to perform searches of us and our belongings that would otherwise be illegal. I believe that it is unacceptable for TSA to exploit that opportunity by turning the search for dangerous items into a fishing expedition. It seems that the District Court shares that opinion.
Following is an excerpt from the ruling:
"The evidence also established that before the envelopes were opened, Fofana's bags had already been thoroughly searched and that opening the envelopes containing the passports did not serve safety-related ends. By the time the envelopes were opened, the bags had been examined through the x-ray machine, tested for explosives residue, and emptied during a thorough hand search by Stroud. Stroud had also already manipulated the envelopes by hand, discovering that they were thin and unbendable. Although Mirow testified that a bulky "mass" of paper, such as 100 one-dollar bills or a book, would need to be investigated to ensure that nothing dangerous was disguised within the mass, his testimony suggests that something as thin as a passport would not be bulky enough to trigger that concern. (5/13/2009 Hr'g Tr. 40-42 (testifying that 5 bills would not be bulky enough to require scrutiny).)
"The Government argues that Stroud's subjective intent is irrelevant because, in the context of administrative searches, the purpose driving the search is assessed at the programmatic level. Edmund, 531 U.S. at 44-47 (explaining that cases dealing with administrative searches "have often required an inquiry into purpose at the programmatic level"). But, the Government failed to establish through evidence that opening the envelopes containing the passports was necessary to serve the programmatic purpose of an airport screening search, i.e., to unearth weapons or explosives. As already explained, the bulk of the evidence presented suggests that it was not. While it is conceivable that, as the Government argues, an envelope containing a passport-sized item might need to be opened, despite the use of other screening technologies, to detect a small prohibited item hidden inside, the Government has not supported that argument with evidence. For example, the TSA did not present, or submit for in camera review, SOPs or other regulations stating that all items, including non-bulky business-sized envelopes, must be opened as part of a secondary screening to ensure that there are no prohibited items are contained within. It is equally conceivable to the Court that a combination of x-ray screening and external manipulation would be sufficient to exclude the presence of weapons or explosives in the envelopes Fofana was carrying. In fact, Stroud testified to that effect. (5/13/2009 Hr'g Tr. 97-99.)"
--
Phil
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