Public Matters

So, I had a chance to sit down with Bob Hellmuth, the director of the department of school safety and security for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. This guy has quite the job. He's in charge of ensuring that the county's 200 schools are protected and its 21,000 employees and 138,000 students are kept safe. I asked him about the biggest challenges he faces, which of course involved technology (we were at TechSec after all, so technology was on the minds of all in attendance) and funding issues, but the point I found most interesting and perhaps often overlooked was the challenge of working with the community. He said about half of parents and community members want to see more security in schools and think schools aren't doing enough to protect their children, while the other half doesn't understand why the school has to video tape their children. Hellmuth said trying to communicate with the public about his security program is a balancing act between addressing the security needs of the school system and the concerns of the community. Look for a video interview with Bob on sdnTVnews as well as a more comprehensive article in our newswire and April edition.

I just read this article in USA Today that the Tulsa International Airport has begun an "experimental" program replacing metal detectors with full body scanners. The article also said that airports in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Albuquerque and Salt Lake City will join the test in the next two months.

The $170,000 full-body scanners will replace the $10,000 metal detectors, although passengers who don't feel comfortable bearing it all for the sake of security can opt to go through an old fashion metal detector and surrender to a pat down.

I must admit, I'm feeling very conflicted about this technology. The security side of me acknowledges that body scanners are more advanced than metal detectors and can more readily detect hidden objects, but the business side of me wonders if it's really $160,000 better. And, on a personal level, I certainly have some hesitation about allowing a stranger to see my naked image. I know, I know, it's not suppose to be that revealing, but let's face it, that image leaves little to the imagination. [I tried posting a picture, but no luck. Just google images "full body scanner" and you'll see what I mean.] And, the TSA better be 100 percent confident that none of these images get saved, because the first time Britney Spears walks through a body scanner and it gets sold for gobs of money to some celebrity magazine, there will be rioting in the streets and the TSA will have to eat $170,000 times who knows how many machines. That would not contribute to efforts to economize the TSA and Napolitano will not be happy. I promise.

So more news keeps coming in about the economic stimulus package. The House and Senate have reconciled the two versions of the bill and settled at $789 billion (less than the amount approved in either the House or the Senate), but it's still not clear what the final numbers are regarding security-related projects.

I've been in close contact with the folks over at the American Association of Airport Executives and they expect the reconciled numbers to stand at $1 billion for explosive detection equipment and $1.1 billion for airport improvement projects (although they were lobbying for $1 billion in EDS and $3 billion in AIP).

Also included in the bill are enhancements to seaports which the Senate passed for $40 billion and the House for $35 billion, but of course, the final numbers aren't known for that either.

Other security related projects expected to be included are funds for a new DHS headquarters (see earlier blog) and a couple hundred million for a border security fence, infrastructure and technology upgrades.

I'll keep you updated as reports are released.

So not only is Janet Napolitano, the newly-appointed Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, charged with keeping the country safe, she may also have to prove her decorating skills.

In January, the National Capital Planning Commission approved a master plan to develop a new headquarters for various departments in the Department of Homeland Security. I'm sure they won't make Napolitano pick out curtains or review paint swatches (she has far too many pressing matters and perhaps those details have been hashed out anyway, since this project has been in the works for three years), but, I do wonder if this project meshes with Napolitano's efforts to make her department more lean and efficient?

According to a CCN article:

Napolitano said she will be seeking areas where her department can save money but still accomplish its mission. She cited expenses for facilities and vehicle fleets as possible examples. "Are we as lean as we can be?" she asked. "My perception is, overall we're lean."

The new headquarters are slated to be developed from a 176-acre abandoned psychiatric hospital compound into a massive Homeland Security Department headquarters complex in southeast Washington, which will house 14,000 of Homeland Security’s 218,000 employees, according to this article in the Federal TImes.

The General Services Administration, which acquired the property in 2004, has spent $13 million to stabilize the buildings and protect them from further disrepair. But the facilities suffered from years of neglect and will require tens of millions of dollars in fixes.

The GSA has requested $346 million for the first phase, a new headquarters for the Coast Guard, and future phases will construct new facilities for the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I don't know if that actually translates to being "lean," but I guess everyone has to live somewhere, right?