Security Briefing - Jan. 22 - Jan. 28
The Latest Headlines:
- FBI Official Says Seaports Are Vulnerable Targets
- Bush Expected to Boost Homeland Security Funds
- Survey Finds Many Cities Not Receiving Security Funding
- U.S. Moves to Implement Airline Background Checks
- Bush Expected to Boost Homeland Security Funds
FBI Official Says Seaports Are Vulnerable Targets
A FBI counterterrorism official told senators on Tuesday that America's seaports are vulnerable targets that have attracted interest from terrorists, the Associated Press reported.Gary Bald, inspector-deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, called the nation's 361 ports a "key vulnerability," AP said. Bald was speaking to the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on terrorism, technology and homeland security.
Also at the hearing, Robert Jacksta, executive director of border security and facilitation for the Customs Service, said 5.4% of cargo containers entering the nation's ports in the 2003 fiscal year were inspected.
Bush Expected to Boost Homeland Security Funds
President Bush will propose a 9.7% increase in homeland security funding in the budget he sends Congress on Feb. 2, Bloomberg reported.The White House said the increase would bring the homeland security budget to more than $30 billion from $28.2 billion.
A White House fact sheet distributed to reporters said Bush's fiscal 2005 budget will also propose increasing Justice Department counter-terrorism funds to $2.6 billion, a 19% increase over 2004 levels, according to Bloomberg. The money would be used to put more FBI agents to work on counter-terrorism activities. Transport Topics
Survey Finds Many Cities Not Receiving Security Funding
The U.S. Conference of Mayors said Thursday a survey of 215 cities that found that 76% have yet to receive any of the $1.5 billion in federal homeland security funds designated for "first responder" teams such as police and fire departments, the Associated Press reported.President Bush said he would work for the release of the money, which mayors said had become "stuck" further up the food chain, Reuters said.
The study, released at the conference, found 59% of cities said they lacked adequate opportunities to influence how the states, which receive the federal funds, distribute the money to cities.
Also, 46% said they had not been reimbursed for law enforcement costs associated with ramped-up airport security. Transport Topics
U.S. Moves to Implement Airline Background Checks
Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said a government plan to check all airline passengers' backgrounds before they board a plane could be implemented by this summer, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.Because a passenger planes can also cargo that is transferred on the ground by trucks, changes in airport security could affect the way those trucks do business.
Hutchinson told AP the testing of the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System should begin this spring.
CAPPS II would screen all passengers by checking that information against commercial and government databases. Each passenger would be given one of three color-coded ratings. Suspected terrorists or violent criminals would be designated "red" and forbidden to fly. Transport Topics
