SecurityInfoWatch.com Blogs

On Feb. 22, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was accepting Project 28, which was the prototype stage of the “virtual border fence” that’s also known as SBInet. That stands for the “Secure Border Initiative”, and the idea was to combine cutting-edge perimeter security, intrusion detection and surveillance technologies into the kind of system that would work as a “force multiplier” for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

We heralded this project when it was time for initial bids. I recall writing in my Friday column that this was the kind of project that could raise the bar on the levels of integration that happen in our industry (since most security integrators aren’t doing border fences, but might be linking access control with video surveillance and possibly tying into a company’s alarm system). So, based on what Chertoff said about a week ago, it seemed that Project 28 was going somewhat “OK”; on Feb. 22, the DHS accepted Project 28. Admittedly, the project had been delayed (original completion date was supposed to be the summer of 2007), but it’s easy to forgive a six-month schedule miss considering the potential value of such a project.

However, at the core of every good integration is good software, and that appears to be the weakness. A GAO report on the SBI program from Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, identified software as a main culprit behind Boeing’s delays.

The report stated: “Specifically, SBI program office officials said that the software that Boeing selected for the COP was intended to be used as a law enforcement dispatch system and was not designed to process and distribute the type of information being collected by the cameras, radars, and sensors.”

Mindful of that integration problem (as well as challenges with video and radar signals), the DHS is now pushing back the timeline to 2011 (the schedule put the project for this year, 2008).

I was on the phone yesterday with David Fishering, a research analyst with Frost & Sullivan who has been tracking this project. He says he’s wonders if the “delay” of this SBInet timeline means the project might die altogether.

“[The revised timeline] is an acknowledgement that you can either continue going down a path of wasting money, or you can put a foot down and say ‘This isn’t working, and it’s time to push it back,’” said Fishering, who said the project faced unrealistic goals from the start.

Fishering also questioned the value of what had been accomplished in Project 28, since “integration” was the core goal of this SBInet prototype model.

“With SBI, the goal was to increase stakeholders’ (such as CBP) domain awareness,” said Fishering. “Even if we had a bunch of standalone sensors working, if they are not integrated, then it’s not really being that effective.”

So where to go from here? For one, there seems to be word of a new, specialized integration software on order so that DHS could cut out the outdated law enforcement dispatch software that Boeing’s team attempted to use as a glue to integrate all of the complex signals and data.

Fishering said that the initial emphasis in the SBI program was “to show that the DHS is doing something.” Rushing an integrator/systems contractor into a project where they have to use bad software was the result of that. Now, in the GAO report from this week, SBI managers are saying they are ready to do it “right, not fast.”

I still have hope for this security integration project, but the focus lately on border control seems to be more about creating physical fencing standards for our southern border and buying steel in bulk to accomplish the construction of a southern fence. Perhaps the sizzle of a virtual border fence has been lost. After all, you only get one chance to “do it right the first time,” and that didn’t happen. It’s not about where to place the blame (culpability seems to fall to DHS, CBP, Boeing and even the dispatch software), but about our overall approach to complex integration projects.

-Geoff

Last summer I saw an ad for a local security technician class and figured it would be worthwhile to check out. However, when I called to sign up, I was informed that the class had been canceled.  They needed a minimum of 15 students, and I only would have been #3.

Admittedly, I was quite surprised.  Not because the class was canceled, but because it didn’t even come close to getting launched.  Only three people were interested? 

Ever since then I’ve come to have a greater appreciation for how difficult it can be for an organization to offer training and get the word out, as well as for technicians to find the time to attend it.  In theory it might sound easy, but in practice it is not.  

In the February issue of Security Dealer & Integrator I interviewed many distributors which actually offer training to security installation professionals around the country. 

Bob Gartland, president, AVAD, was one of the people who agreed to be interviewed. He noted that AVAD offers training to security dealers at 38 locations around North America, and he doesn’t think dealers fully realize the opportunities being afforded them by local distributors. One example he cited was the potential for security dealers to move into the installed entertainment side of the business. “(Security dealers) have the client relationships, and AVAD can teach them how to be in the (installed entertainment) business,” said Gartland.

Mary Hester, outside sales manager, JLM Wholesale, added, “I recommend always letting your distributor know that you want more in-depth training on a product or application.  A good distributor will be able to meet your training needs.”

If you’re interested in learning more about what type of training could be available to you from your distributors, then check out the February issue of SD&I.

-Greg

There was an article making the rounds last July about a “shoplifting” seagull named Sam. Here’s an account of the wayward bird’s flyby operations .. Russia Today.

This article reminded me of the time I lived in the San Diego area and was visiting Sea World with my family. It was time for lunch and we were seated in a covered pavillion when a seagull suddenly swooped from nowhere and grabbed a hamburger out of a small boy’s hand. The boy, obviously startled, started crying, but was quickly silenced when a new burger was delivered by an attendent in the food court.

There’s also a story about a shoplifting squirrel in the U.K. I’m on my way to track that one down. Just thought I’d share.

Have a productive day.

Curtis Baillie, Princiipal Consultant - Security Consulting Strategies LLC

A system that integrates access control and video systems? I get it. A software that can manage both locations of mobile responders and link in chemical threat detection? I can see the need, also. But a holster for your TASER gun that’s in leopard print and which can store 150 mp3 songs? I just don’t get it. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month, “the 1GB TASER MPH (music player holster) allows for both personal protection and personal music for people on the go.” Besides a leopard print design, you can also order it in “red-hot red” and “fashion pink.” The models aren’t designed for the law-enforcement issue TASER guns or the military-grade TASER guns, but the TASER MPH does fit one of the consumer-grade TASER guns (which have on occassion been used by security departments).

The moral of this product launch story? Rockin’ While You’re Shockin’.-Geoff

-Geoff

In a recent Wall Street Journal article titled, “Pay Up - Big Retail Chains Dun Mere Suspects in Theft“, Ann Zimmerman wrote about retailers and collection firms billing shoplifters for Civil Recovery fees. Read WSJ article.

Dating back about twenty-five years Nevada became the first state to pass legislation where retailers could “demand” a civil payment from shoplifters for merchandise stolen from their stores. The intent of the law was to help retailers recoup theft losses and pay for security personnel and equipment. Currently all 50 states have such laws and the demand amounts vary from state to state, as well as the methods used to collect.

The system was working well, but has now escalated to a point where retailers are using collection companies and attorneys specifically set up to collect the civil penalties. I agree with Ms. Zimmerman that there have been some abuses of the practice, as she points out in her article, but overall the retail industry has benefited from the civil recovery process. The rest of the article appears to be very slanted.

In my own case, as a former Director of Loss Prevention Services for a major retailer, I never used an outside collection agency. The money was used to help pay for security staff and equipment, and from the letters I’ve received from people, the entire process had taught them a valuable lesson. In fact, a study I conducted from a sample of 3,000 shoplifters found not one person, who paid a Civil Recovery, was re-apprehended for shoplifting. I believe the Civil Demand process is helping to accomplish was the courts are failing to do - punish the shoplifter. The court system is fast turning a criminal offense into a civil matter by giving first time and repeat shoplifters a slap on the wrist. I guess being a thief does not carry the stigma that it once used to.

–Curtis Baillie, Principal Consultant - Security Consulting Strategies LLC

I got a note from an apparent friend of Chuck Norris letting me know that my Friday article/interview with Patrick Fiel had been referenced by Norris in a column for WorldNetDaily. Our segment dealt with ways to improve security, but much of Norris’ column looked at the societal causes that could be behind school shootings. If you’re tuned into that topic, point over to WND and read Chuck’s article.

-Geoff

That’s what Rochester, NY based Wegmans Food Markets announced to their customers last January 5^th. All tobacco products were removed from their shelves by February 10^th. In a letter to their employees Wegmans CEO Danny Wegman, stated, “We believe there are few of us that would introduce our children to smoking.” 

Wegmans Food Markets, a chain of 71 upscale markets, employing upwards of 37,000 people, is the first major grocery chain to remove tobacco products from their stores. What makes this a significant move is Wegmans is consistently listed by Supermarket News as one of the top 75 grocery chains in the United States. Fortune 100, also lists Wegmans, for the past 11 years, as one of the top 100 best companies to work for.

The move was made easier by Wegmans refusing promotional dollars from the cigarette manufactures to promote and display their products. That’s right – the tobacco makers actually pay retailers to display their products, but then so does Coke and Pepsi, along with a long list of others. The promotional dollars are often used to reduce the end cost to the consumer.

An added benefit to removing the product from grocer’s shelves is the elimination of that category of shrink. Even though most retailers long ago placed cigarettes behind counters; tobacco products continue to be a source of loss to bottom line profits.

Will this trend catch on? Target eliminated tobacco products from their stores in 1996, but their competitors failed to follow suit. In today’s climate, here in the U.S., smoking has become increasingly unpopular. Since Wegmans made their Jan. 5^th announcement, I have been in contact with many grocery retailers who have stated that they are discussing the topic, but to date no other large grocery chains have announced they are following Wegmans lead.

- Curtis Baillie, Principal Consultant, - Security Consulting Strategies, LLC

The International Association of Counterterrorism for Security Professionals - Washington, DC Group is presenting a free conference.

The February 28, 2008 IACSP Conference will be held at:
Alion Science & Technology, 1100 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Suite 200, Washington, DC

This is a great opportunity to network with your colleagues in DHS , DOD and stakeholders. Speakers and presenters include:

Mr. James M. Loy - the Cohen Group
Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (2003-2005)

Mr. Robert B. Stephan - Department of Homeland Security
Assistant Secretary
Infrastructure Protection

Dr. Ayman Wasfy - CEO Nevine LLC. Noted Arabic Linguist deciphers statements from terrorist organizations

Mr. David Cid - Deputy Director
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT)

Mr. Dennis Smith - Retired New York City firefighter and best-selling writer

Mr. Jeff Beatty - IACSP Washington DC Chapter Special Advisor
President and CEO TotalSecurity.US. Jeff is a former Army Delta Force Officer (wounded in first Blackhawk shot down) who earned a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantry Badge helping to rescue hundreds of Americans.

Forum Agenda and Registration at: IACSP Conference

I will be attending this conference and look forward to meeting any Blog readers who will be in attendance.

The students were in disbelief. Everything seemed slow motion. One of the students thought the weapon sounded like a champagne cork popping.

That reminded me of my ‘ladies rifle’ the one I love so much for the fine art of game hunting. It’s light and easy to use and quiet. But it’s lethal and the backfire packs a bunch. (I have a Firearm Owners Identification card (FOID) and have taken hunter’s safety training classes.)

For those who don’t believe it can happen to you, anytime, anywhere, you’d better believe. When a gunman opened fire at my Alma mater Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., yesterday afternoon, my thoughts turned to all the fun times there, in that lecture hall and others around campus, learning, gaining camaraderie, finding friends and ourselves. Never, back then, did we believe it could happen, but today it’s a totally different state of affairs.

NIU officials did what they could. The mass notification systems (implemented shortly after last year’s Virginia Tech shooting) went out minutes after the event—warning students of the shooting via e-mail, cell phones, PDAs and pagers and sending visual alerts throughout the campus. First, a lock down; then more messages; then a note for all students to call their parents.

Seven dead. Senseless. I’m glad the gunman killed himself. That’s always such a relief, and I hate to admit it. I guess I can say that because it’s a blog and that’s how I feel.

When are we going to wake up and believe that it could happen? When will the alarm industry take a stand against illegal guns that ravage our streets and our families? Maybe we have to do more than fight false alarms—maybe we have to turn our attention to the big picture.  

When I dropped my son off at middle school this morning I told him what to do—expect that it could happen, even among the youngest teens and pre-teens–and get ready to run, hide and protect yourself. He told me sarcastically—‘Come on now, why would you think that would happen?’ I guess he already believes that it could.

Editor’s note: My thoughts and prayers go out the students and administration at Northern Illinois University and all the families affected by this tragedy. NIU is one of the greatest, best kept secrets among state schools. – Deborah L. O’Mara, editor, Security Dealer & Integrator magazine

 Anthony Fussell 

 Photo - Philadelphia Inquirer

 Did you hire this man?

On January 13^th, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article, by Staff Writer, Mari Schaefer, about a man who, from December 2004 to November 2007 took an estimated $220,000 in cash from eight or more retailers. Read the story.

According to the article, “Anthony Fussell was a human-resource manager’s dream come true. Or so it seemed. He was a well-spoken Morgan State University grad, a former Marine Corps reservist with a solid resume who convinced interviewers at ShopRite, Kmart, Value City, Toys R Us, and Ross Dress for Less that he had the retail business down cold.”
According to law enforcement authorities, Fussell never attended Morgan State University, received a less than honorable discharge from the Marines, and was wanted on a fugitive warrant. According to the news article, Fussell was repeatedly hired as a store manager where he would work for a few days or weeks then disappearing with cash receipts. Apparently Fussell was hired as what is commonly referred to as a “warm body”. His “MO” (method of operation) was to pick high cash transaction companies, and work during the busy holiday season when retailers were less like to complete background checks. That is if they conducted background investigations at all. And, that is the crux of the problem.

This is where retailers often go wrong – they fail to properly investigate an employee’s history, handing over the keys to their business. Think about it, would you hand your house keys to a stranger and ask them to watch your house? This falls under the umbrella of negligent hiring. In Mr. Fussell’s case the only harm he caused was to the retailer’s themselves. Let’s look at another side of this.

Your employee Bob (not the one from the Account Temps commercial) suddenly physically assaults a customer. The customer is severely injured and it’s found, during the lawsuit discovery phase, that Bob has a history of violence, has been convicted, numerous times, in court for assault, and served time in jail. You, the retailer, hired Bob without conducting a proper background investigation. You ‘could of known – should of known’ that Bob was prone to committing assaults. What do you think the outcome of this type of suit would be?

OK – I guess I’ve ranted enough. The lesson for retailers (or any business owner) is to know who is working for you. Take the time to check their background.

Curtis Baillie, Principal Consultant - Security Consulting Strategies LLC