Driver's licenses as border-crossing cards?

British Columbia has asked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for permission to deploy driver’s licenses that also will serve as border-crossing cards for entry into the United States. The Canadian province wants the card to serve as an entry document in lieu of a passport. British Columbia applied in August to begin implementing the hybrid licenses starting in January 2008. The province’s ministry, along with other provincial governments believed to be interested in developing such hybrid licenses, is awaiting approvals from Chertoff to move forward, according to media reports in Canada.
(Federal Computer Week story)

House approves $34.9B for homeland security

The omnibus spending bill approved by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19 includes $34.9 billion in baseline funding for the Homeland Security Department in fiscal 2008 and boosts major departmental information technology contracting efforts focused on US VISIT and the Real ID Act of 2005. The legislation contains funding not only for large business opportunities for IT contractors at the federal level, but also a wide variety of grants programs that offer additional opportunities. The legislation allocates an additional $2.7 billion for emergency spending for border security, of which $1.6 billion will pay for 370 miles of fencing and for portions of the Secure Border Initiative surveillance system being constructed along the U.S. borders.
(Washington Technology story)

DHS unveils Real ID grants

The Homeland Security Department released grant guidelines this week to assist states in applying for $35 million to begin implementing Real ID requirements for handling personal information associated with driver’s licenses. “These funds will advance the ability of states to verify the legitimacy of documents that applicants present and to confirm that the applicants are who they say they are," said Secretary Michael Chertoff. Under the Real ID Act of 2005, states must meet new rules for collecting, verifying, storing and publishing personal information related to driver’s licenses, and they must share the personal information of license holders with other states.
(Washington Technology story; DHS press release; DHS REAL ID home page)

Chertoff sets priorities for 2008

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff highlighted the department's 2007 achievements Dec. 12, also naming four key areas that he plans to focus on in the coming year: border security and immigration, secure identity, cybersecurity, and operations. Chertoff also said the department will spend the next year looking internally to improve the way it functions as a single, unified institution. He said one of the obstacles is excessive congressional oversight. While insisting that he believes monitoring is good for the department, he said DHS is dealing with "oversight run amok." In 2007, DHS officials testified before Congress 224 times. In the five-year history of the agency, officials have provided 7,800 written reports and answered 13,000 questions for the record.
(Government Executive story; DHS press release with Chertoff's complete remarks)

DHS accepts delivery of electronic fence

Amid a strong warning from Congress, the Homeland Security Department conditionally accepted delivery of the first phase of a controversial electronic border fence from contractor Boeing Co., and awarded the company a $64 million contract to build the next phase. At a press conference held Dec. 7, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff accepted the delivery of the first phase of the Secure Border Initiative Network (SBInet), a high-tech surveillance system consisting of radars, cameras and ground sensors connected by a wireless satellite network along a 28-mile section in southern Arizona. Chertoff said he was "satisfied for now" with the work Boeing has done on the first phase of the contract, known as Project 28. But he added, DHS would continue to be a tough customer, which he said means "if we're not satisfied with something, we're going to tell them [Boeing] we're not satisfied with it... I told the head of Boeing some time back, 'Look, I'm not, you know, you don't have a lock on this entire border.'"
(Government Executive story; DHS SBI update; DHS SBI home page)

DHS, FBI to integrate fingerprint databases

The Homeland Security Department began testing a fingerprint scanning application in certain airports so it can tap into an FBI database to identify more accurately whether visiting foreigners may be criminals, illegal immigrants or terrorists. Under a pilot project, foreigners landing in Dulles International Airport outside Washington have begun to have the fingerprint from each finger scanned when they enter the United States. Nine other major airports, including John F. Kennedy International in New York, will do the same starting in early 2008.
(Government Executive story)

Fusion centers report data access issues

Many state and local officials who work at fusion centers report problems logging onto federal networks and have difficulty handling the high volume of information they receive from federal authorities, according to a recent survey by government auditors. Nonfederal authorities started forming fusion centers to improve information sharing after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Since then the national authorities have become increasingly involved — particularly the Homeland Security Department and FBI, who have field agents assigned to some of the centers.
(Washington Technology story)

Visualization tools assist maritime security

New visualization tools are helping the Coast Guard develop situational awareness at the Port of Miami, but more assistance is needed to track small boats and noncooperative vessels, according to congressional testimony given this week. The Homeland Security Department’s Directorate of Science and Technology is funding the Visualization Tools for Situational Awareness and Emergency Response program, also known as Viz Tools.
(Washington Technology story)