To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. A NEW DAY FOR MASS TRANSIT Congress called on the [Bush] administration to move quickly to reinforce our nation’s rail and mass transit systems to prevent such an attack from happening on American soil. Yet, nearly a year later, DHS and the TSA have failed to produce a comprehensive strategy to secure America’s rail and mass transit systems.” The report said DHS “made excuses for this failure by stating that mass transit security is a shared responsibility between federal, state and local partners, and that the federal government has provided significant support for the past three years. … This ‘partnership,’ however, has long left state and local governments paying the check without really knowing what they are paying for and why.” In July 2005, a week after trains and a bus were bombed in London, UK, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said it made more sense to spend more money on air security because a fully fueled passenger jet could kill 3,000 people while a bomb in a subway car might only kill a couple of dozen. Meanwhile, TSA chief Kip Hawley assured the committee that “effective measures are in place” to protect rail systems. However, former DHS inspector general Clark Kent Ervin told the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection in April 2008 that “TSA has devoted its resources, personnel and attention almost entirely to aviation-related matters,” and that it’s way “past time for TSA to devote considerably more resources, personnel and attention to securing other modes of travel, especially mass transit.” Seconding Ervin, C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., former assistant secretary for Border and Transportation Security Policy and Planning, told the subcommittee, “I would argue that TSA already consumes far too large a portion of our scarce security resources.” As CIA counterterror veteran Faddis put it: “The guys we are Effective use of cameras “Everything and anything that has to do with finding out [terrorists’] identities afterward may be important, but it does not count as a deterrent. Cameras fall into this category,” according to former senior CIA counterterrorist, Faddis. Faddis argued that while cameras “may help prevent less sophisticated and/or less dedicated terrorists from doing things—a local idiot who wants to stash a bomb in a trash can, for instance, might get nabbed by a camera system—when it comes to the day that the varsity shows up and a team of honest-to-God Al Qaeda pros, or their equivalent, shows up to pull off something like Madrid, cameras will not help. There will be nothing for them to see.” Tony Tarsia, director of business development for the public sector of Kore Telematics, Reston, Va., said closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) can be made more valuable when they’re teamed with software that recognizes suspicious behavior or unusual vehicular activity and can alert appropriate security personnel. Virginia Railway Express, for instance, using TSA grants, has widely deployed a CCTV system that uses this type of software. fighting are ruthless. Vicious. Evil. They are also smart, dedicated and adaptable. Now that we have spent billions on beefing up airport defenses and tightening procedures, the chances that terrorists are going to try some sort of frontal assault on those defenses is virtually nil.” Although lawmakers have complained that DHS had yet to produce the comprehensive rail mass transit security plan mandated by a 2003 White House executive order, it wasn’t until 2005 that Con- Borders aren’t imaginary lines. They’re the front lines. Mobile Defensive Fighting Position™ (MDFP) DS-190 Series The MDFP is designed to maximize security at customs crossings, security checkpoints and other entry control points where high-level threats may exist. The DS-190 series offers up to 12 square feet of viewing area and superior maneuverability on all types of surfaces. • NIJ Level IV Armor Piercing Resistant certification ensures protection from rounds up to and including .30 caliber armor piercing bullets • With Camography™ photo laminate, the unit can be customized to fit naturally into any setting • A variety of mobility and protection options are available to maximize the unit’s effectiveness Call 800-650-2921 or visit defenshield.com for more information. 14 Corporate Circle | East Syracuse, NY 13057 | Phone (800) 650-2921 | Fax (315) 448-0157 | www.defenshield.com Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters HSToday Magazine | April 2009 27