Boston transit camera system pays off in crime reduction
More than 450 security cameras watching for potential terrorists on Boston's rapid transit railways are now helping catch alleged criminals, according to a report by the Boston Globe.
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Transit Police recently arrested a 27-year-old man accused of robbing a passenger at gunpoint at one of its stations. Such cases have often gone unsolved, officials tell the newspaper, and the arrest would have been far less likely without digital images from a surveillance camera at the station....
"Dumb terminals" may be smart for security
A new generation of simplified devices -- most often called "thin clients" or "simple terminals" -- is gaining popularity with an increasing number of companies and other computer users in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The stripped-down machines enable users to perform such tasks as word processing or accessing the Internet at their desks just as they did with their personal computers.
The difference? These simple terminals generally lack features such as hard drives or DVD players, so they cannot run most software or store data on their own. Instead, the software applications used on a thin terminal's screen are actually running on a server, often in a separate room....
Specialized security at the Super Bowl
A task force of 50 local, state and federal agencies has spent the better part of a year getting ready for the week of the Super Bowl in Miami, leading up to Sunday's game. They have been planning for eight months -- trying to walk a tightrope between keeping the fans safe, and trying not to spoil the party....
Best practices for use of RF technology in ID management
Using radio frequency (RF) technology for identity management has become a balancing act between security and privacy. The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council has released guidance regarding best practices for organizations implementing the technology in identity management systems....
4th annual Security Summit planned for June
The Security Network has announced plans for the 4th annual The Security Summit, which will take place in San Diego on June 6-7.
More than 60 companies are expected to enter this year's Exposition and Competition...
New report details sectors within security industry
Security sectors particularly well positioned over the next five years include video surveillance, private prisons, physical services and identification -- including background, automated and biometric -- according to the Lehman Brothers' 2006 Security Industry Annual Report....
HAZMAT tank cars to undergo security makeover
In a move designed to aid in the development of new federal design standards for stronger and safer hazardous materials tank cars, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is joining forces with rail and chemical industry leaders to create the tank car of the future, FRA administrator Joseph H. Boardman says....
HID, Fujitsu, Panasonic to demonstrate at technology expo
HID Global, Fujitsu and Panasonic will demonstrate security technologies at the 10th Annual Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Kickoff Reception and Technology Exhibition, January 31, 2007. The Tech Exhibition event will highlight some of the key issues driving policy-making in the 110th Congress....
Port authority spending its own funds on security
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has spent nearly $2.7 billion on security-related expenses since the Sept. 11 attacks -- most of it from its own pocket, the authority's deputy director has told a New Jersey legislative panel.
Jamie Fox told members of the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee that the bi-state authority has been forced to be self-sufficient because overall federal assistance is inadequate and because public authorities are eligible for funds only for port security...
NASCAR addresses security at annual summit
Representatives from NASCAR race tracks across the country met this weekend with security specialists to improve crisis management strategies at the 2007 NASCAR Security Summit in Concord, N.C.
Officials say that the key to race-track safety is better communication among the dozens of different agencies, all of whom are first responders....
Registration begins for ASIS International 2007
Registration has begun for the ASIS International 2007 Conference and Expo. The 53rd annual show is scheduled for Las Vegas, from Sept. 24-27....
GE Security, Smiths Detection partner to offer Homeland protection
Smiths Group plc and General Electric Co. have agreed to form Smiths GE Detection, which will combine Smiths Detection with GE Homeland Protection to create a global business serving the fast-growing detection and Homeland protection markets....
Convergence 101: New curriculum to examine integration
Convergence in the security industry is more than a passing trend, according to security experts. In fact, the concept has now become the basis of a university curriculum at Lund University's School of Economics and Management....
Americans still wary of biometrics use in retail sector
Americans are becoming more comfortable with the idea of using biometrics in identification; however, the majority still do not feel comfortable with the retail industry using the technology, according to a recent survey conducted by TRUSTe and market information group TNS.
Three out of five Americans support adding biometric data to credit cards (64 percent) and debit cards (62 percent), but are much less likely to want that information on a retail store loyalty card (27 percent)....
Giving police powers to private security may solve crime problems
Private security guards have outnumbered police officers since the 1980s, predating the heightened concern about security brought on by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. What is new is that police forces are increasingly turning to private companies for help, the Washington Post reports.
Private-sector security is expanding into arenas once reserved solely for official law enforcement, such as complex criminal investigations and patrols of downtown districts and residential neighborhoods....
Casinos must stay vigilant against document fraud
From a personal safety standpoint, the casino environment is arguably the most protected among all entertainment venues what with the omnipresence of security personnel and video surveillance of virtually every inch of the property.
But in a business enterprise dominated by transactions not only involving currency but also paper and plastic instruments which have cash value, casino owners must be on constant vigil against forgery and fraud....
Pa. school security goes to head of the CLASS
School security concerns have created a whole new meaning for the word CLASS at Greencastle-Antrim elementary and primary schools in Pennsylvania.
The schools have developed a $6,000 program called "Children Leaving a School Safely," or CLASS, which creates "simpler and safer sign-out" of grade school children at the end of the day, Pa. Director of Elementary Education Greg Hoover tells the Waynesboro Record Herald....
Mall guards to be instructed in terrorism prevention
Starting this month, malls across the country will begin training guards to fight terrorism. The 14-hour program is being developed by the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group, and the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University at a cost of $2 million. It is the first standardized anti-terrorism curriculum written for the nation's estimated 20,000 mall security guards...
ASIS seeks comment on information asset protection guide
ASIS International has released the Information Asset Protection Draft Guideline, which seeks to help organizations develop and implement a policy and comprehensive risk-based strategy to protect their intellectual property, proprietary information and other intangible assets....
Mobile security, RFID to have largest impact on IT security
IT security managers may want to take heed: emerging technologies like mobile security and RFID should be making a significant blip on your radar screens.
According to David Strom's article in InformationWeek, mobile security and RFID are two of the top five technologies projected to have a major impact on IT managers in 2007 and beyond....
Security concerns influence school design
A 2005 school security and land price study has prompted school officials in Collier County, Fla., to change the way they build new schools.
Officials sought a new design for schools to keep students in a more enclosed space, according to a report in the Bonita Daily News. Veterans Memorial Elementary School, scheduled to open in the fall, will be the last one-story, open-air school built in Collier County, says Alvah Hardy, executive director of facilities management for the district....
InfoSecurity tops list of executive worries
The compromise of corporate information systems is the number-one worry of business executives, according to a survey of 197 senior executives at corporations with $1 billion or more in annual revenue.
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, revealed that 61 percent of the executives cited data breaches as their biggest worry. Terrorism (55 percent) and corporate malfeasance (40 percent) round out the top-three potential crisis situations....
Will the rapid rise of cyber-crime continue in 2007?
Computer security experts say 2006 saw an unprecedented spike in junk e-mail and sophisticated online attacks from increasingly organized cyber crooks. Few of them believe 2007 will be any brighter for the millions of fraud-weary consumers already struggling to stay abreast of new computer security threats and avoiding clever scams when banking, shopping or just surfing online...
Railroad security plan announced
The release of deadly chemicals from a rail car in a densely populated city could have catastrophic consequences, whether it's caused by a terrorist attack or a derailment.
Last week, transportation and Homeland security officials proposed ways to make it harder for terrorists to attack rail cars -- and less likely that an accident would result in mass casualties....
IACP calls for alarm panels with CP-01 standard
Reinforcements have arrived for the battle against false dispatches. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has passed a resolution urging municipalities and ...
