Security Briefs - May 22 - May 29
The Latest Headlines:
- Mexican Police Recover 8 Tons of Missing Cyanide
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Seen Protecting Highways
- U.S. DOT Issues Fuel Truck Alert
- FBI Reorganizing to Fight Terrorism
- Added Security Slows Priority Mail
- DOT Issues Warning About Rail Attacks
- Anti-Terror Funding Package Passes House
- L.A. Closes Roads Near Airport
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Seen Protecting Highways
Mexican Police Recover 8 Tons of Missing Cyanide
With the FBI in Mexico to investigate the disappearance of a shipment of sodium cyanide, Mexican police found 8 tons of the deadly chemical, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.Earlier in the week, officials on both sides of the border conceded that the missing cyanide posed a security risk, news services said.
Even with the recovery of most of the chemical, nearly a half-ton of the shipment is still missing, Bloomberg said. The cyanide was in a truck that was stolen May 10 in central Mexico.
Intelligent Transportation Systems Seen Protecting Highways
Government and industry officials see new intelligent transportation systems as a key to decreasing the damage from or even preventing future terrorist attacks, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported Wednesday.Growing concern over U.S. highways, bridges, tunnels and seaports, as well as new intelligence about threats to use trucks as vehicles of mass destruction, has led officials to consider several high-tech applications for highway security, the story said.
Gamma-ray detection devices can quickly scan large cargo containers for nuclear materials, bomb detection sensors on highways can alert authorities before trucks reach their destinations and tracking devices can alert officials as soon as a truck steers from its course, the Times reported.
The San Francisco Bay area currently uses a network of 200 traffic cameras and embedded bomb detectors to monitor the safety of its highways, the paper said.
A two-day caucus for transportation officials to discuss national technology security, particularly in the counterterrorism fight, was held Tuesday and Wednesday in California. Transport Topics
U.S. DOT Issues Fuel Truck Alert
The Department of Transportations Office of Intelligence and Security issued a warning that fuel trucks and oil transfer facilities could be targeted by terrorists.DOT based its alert on "unconfirmed information from detained terrorists," the memo that contained the warning said.
American Trucking Associations said two attacks on fuel trucks in Israel a week earlier underscored the threat. In the first, an attempted hijacking was foiled. But in the second, a bomb was successfully planted on a diesel tanker running on its normal route.
DOT, which issued the memo May 24, has advised the trucking industry to be particularly vigilant while moving hazardous materials, especially fuel and petroleum products. Transport Topics
(Click here for a related story.)
FBI Reorganizing to Fight Terrorism
The FBI announced plans Wednesday to redirect its focus to the nation’s new number one priority, fighting terrorism, news services reported.The plan calls for the bureau to reassign some agents and hire as many as 900 new federal and state workers, upgrade computer systems and create a new official position to oversee intelligence-gathering operations
The new counterterrorism force will be made up of 3,718 FBI agents as well as federal, state and local law enforcement officials, Reuters reported. This new force will include 480 FBI agents who will be shifted from fighting drugs, white collar and violent crimes, and some of the 900 new agents to be hired, who will specialize in foreign languages, computers and sciences, the Associated Press said.
The FBI plans to work more closely with the CIA, as it improves analytical and intelligence capabilities. A CIA agent will head the FBI’s new Office of Intelligence, Reuters said.
The massive restructuring of the crime fighting organization began last fall following the attacks, but may be due in part to the new wave of criticism regarding Sept. 11. Transport Topics
Added Security Slows Priority Mail
The latest statistics from the U.S. Postal Service say that added layers of security have slowed its Priority Mail, oftentimes making it slower than using a first-class stamp, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.Long billed as the cheaper alternative to package shippers like UPS and FedEx Corp., Priority Mail often arrives a half-day behind first-class mail, the Journal reported, at more than 10 times the cost.
Postal officials pointed to new air cargo security policies that require cargo carried on passenger planes to be screened for explosives for the cause of the slowed Priority Mail delivery, the Journal said. As a result of the new restrictions, some Priority Mail has been forced onto slower-moving trucks.
The cheapest Priority Mail offering costs the mailer $3.50, the Journal said, compared with a 34-cent first-class stamp. One-third of all Priority Mail packages are not delivered before the three-day deadline they are advertised to meet. Transport Topics
DOT Issues Warning About Rail Attacks
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a warning to many railroad systems on Friday about possible terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reported.Although a spokesman said the information is "unconfirmed, non-specific reports that indicated attacks," DOT’s warning included freight companies. Trucks both compete with freight rail companies for business, and are used to pick up and deliver cargo shipped by freight trains.
A source told AP such attacks most likely would involve explosives. Transport Topics
Anti-Terror Funding Package Passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $29 billion anti-terrorism package early Friday morning that includes additional funding for beefing up security at airports and seaports, the Associated Press reported.Trucks transfer goods to and from these ports, so additional security measures could affect the way the industry does business.
The measure passed by a 280-138 vote, highlighting members’ resolve to pass a counterterrorism bill before the Memorial Day recess, the AP said.
The Senate is working on its own version of the bill, but Republicans blocked debate until Congress returns next month.
The Senate bill, which has been approved by the appropriations committee, includes $31 billion -- $2 billion more than the House bill and $3.9 billion more than President Bush requested in March. Transport Topics
L.A. Closes Roads Near Airport
Los Angeles authorities have ordered the closing of four roads that border Los Angeles International Airport, Reuters reported Thursday.The closures could create additional congestion for vehicles trying to get to the airport. LAX is the third-largest cargo airport in the world, according to its Web site, so there are many trucks in the area.
An airport police official told Transport Topics that all entry roads into the airport were currently open, despite these road closures.
Authorities said there are no specific threats to Los Angeles, but officials were closing the roads as a precaution, Reuters said. Transport Topics
