The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a crowdsourcing challenge to spur new methods to ensure that important public safety data sets can be de-identified to protect individual privacy. The Differential Privacy Temporal Map Challenge includes a series of contests that will award a total of up to $276,000 for differential privacy solutions for complex data sets that include information on both time and location.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) joined with public and private-sector partners to conduct an interagency Tabletop Exercise (TTX) called “National Harbor 2020 – Recovery Phase Exercise,” September 29 – 30, to test the processes and plans required by regional government and business partners following a notional catastrophic incident at National Harbor outside of Washington, D.C.
On September 1 and 2, DHS Policy’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention program (TVTP) hosted the 5th Digital Forum on Terrorism Prevention for approximately 60 mostly Atlanta-based civil society leaders. This year’s Forum gave these leaders an opportunity to learn directly from technology and marketing experts on how to combat terrorist use of the internet. Community leaders attended multiple sessions over the two-day Forum, including: “The Threat—Narratives & Recruitment in the Online Space;” “Responses to Terrorism;” “Research, Trends & Data;” “Tech Talk & Toolkit;” and “Online to Offline Interventions & Referrals.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) presented its prestigious Baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement (BASE) Gold Standard Award to the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) for its ongoing efforts to provide a safe transit experience for its riders throughout the system.
Now more than ever, government policy makers need to focus resources; allowing law enforcement to focus on the core duties and responsibilities of law enforcement officers. And industries like ours, need to be creative in developing solutions to support them in this effort. The physical security industry supports law enforcement and when private security works in partnership with law enforcement, police officers have more time to focus on preventing and solving crimes.
Sandi J. Davies, executive director of the International Foundation for Protection Officers, recently announced the appointment of Charles “Chuck” Andrews, CPP as Chief Strategic Officer for the IFPO.
Louisville, Ky. Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Chief Robert Schroeder outlined steps being taken in preparation for Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s planned announcement in the Breonna Taylor case, including a countywide curfew starting at 9 p.m.
The American Crime Prevention Institute (ACPI) and SecureBI have partnered to bring online crime prevention training and certification courses to law enforcement agencies and security professionals across the country.
Two new public safety committees were created this month by University of Utah Chief Safety Officer Marlon Lynch and appointed by U President Ruth Watkins. The Public Safety Advisory Committee and the Independent Review Committee are comprised of students, faculty, and staff from across the institution and are designed to ensure a broad representation of constituents are included in public safety decision-making.
In September 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence (CTTV Framework) and now offers this corresponding Public Action Plan demonstrating the Department’s efforts to combat emerging threats and improve information sharing.
