Security Briefs - Sept. 4 - Sept. 10
The Latest Headlines:
- Security Questions Raised After Man Ships Self in Crate
- GAO: Motor Vehicle Departments Vulnerable to Fraud
- U.S. Warns Terrorists Could Hijack International Airliners
- Poll: Americans Concerned There Could be Another Attack
- GAO: Motor Vehicle Departments Vulnerable to Fraud
Security Questions Raised After Man Ships Self in Crate
A New York man successfully stowed himself in an air cargo crate that was delivered to his parents' home near Dallas. A homeland security official said the incident shows that America must do more to strengthen cargo security, news services reported.The man was delivered at the front steps of his parents' home in a box marked as containing computer parts, Reuters reported. He was spotted by a deliveryman who noticed a pair of eyes staring at him through the wooden slats in the crate and then called police.
Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for transportation security, said the incident showed that more must be done to improve cargo security, the Associated Press reported.
GAO: Motor Vehicle Departments Vulnerable to Fraud
State motor vehicle departments are too vulnerable to fraudulent applications for driver's licenses, posing an ongoing national security threat, the General Accounting Office said in a report released Tuesday.GAO's undercover operation discovered that in nearly half the states, motor vehicle employees relied solely on visual inspection of documents to verify an applicant's identity, the Washington Post reported. Out-of-state driver's licenses, which can be forged, often sufficed for identification without an electronic check with the issuing state.
Several terrorists involved with the 9/11 attacks had obtained Virginia driver's licenses, in part by exploiting a provision that allowed applicants to claim residency by using a notarized statement that they lived in the state, the Post said.
Linda Lewis, president of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, said that states need more agreement on what documents qualify as proof of identity, more information sharing between state computer systems and more money to do the work, the Post said. Transport Topics
U.S. Warns Terrorists Could Hijack International Airliners
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that al-Qaida is working on plans to hijack airliners flying between international points that pass near or over the United States, CNN reported Thursday.Passenger planes often carry cargo in their bellies. Trucks are used to transfer that cargo to and from airports.
A Department of Homeland Security official told CNN most of the flights fitting this description originate in Canada, and that the United States has been working with Canada to ensure it is improving security measures.
However, the United States does not have authority to require security measures of non-U.S. carriers whose flights originate outside the United States. Transport Topics
Poll: Americans Concerned There Could be Another Attack
Two years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 58% of people surveyed by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press said they are worried there would soon be another terrorist attack, the Associated Press reported Thursday.However, the survey found that the only 13% are "very worried" about that threat. In addition, Pew found the economy has replaced terrorism as the public's top priority.
If people are concerned about their current situation, they might spend less money, thus hurting the economy and the demand for trucking services.
About 75% of those surveyed said they have come to accept that acts of terrorism will be part of life in the future, while about 40% said they often worry about the chance of a nuclear attack by terrorists. Transport Topics
