In February 2008 a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five students and wounding 21.

Soon after, state lawmakers tried to make sure colleges and universities were prepared to respond to such an emergency.

They passed a law requiring them to create and practice detailed plans to prevent violence and manage emergencies by January 2009.

Three years later, only 66 of the state’s 185 institutions have filed the required plans, records show.

Read more @ www.chicagotribune.com

The Mineta Transportation Institute has published a report that discusses sixteen case studies of attacks against Israeli bus targets between 2000 and 2005, along with detailed statistical data. The institute says that the 104-page report, Security Awareness for Public Bus Security: Case Studies of Suicide Attacks Against the Israeli Public Bus System, could help increase understanding of what can happen and of what can deter, prevent, and mitigate terrorist attacks against bus transit. Principal investigators were Bruce Robert Butterworth, Shalom Dolev, and Brian Michael Jenkins.

The statistical data come from Mineta’s (MTI) proprietary Database on Terrorist and Serious Criminal Attacks against Public Surface Transportation. The report also analyzes the effectiveness of different improvised explosive devices and methods for delivering them, and it raises questions for further discussion.

Read more @ www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com

This year’s annual GovSec Security Conference and Expo aims to train the nation’s law enforcement officials on how to tackle the most pressing national security threats facing the United States.

“Law enforcement agencies around the country have a great desire to keep their leadership and officers apprised of the latest techniques and strategies, but tight budgets often limit their ability to send their staff to all the training sessions they’d like,” said Don Berey, GovSec’s event director, in a statement. “We’ve designed the program for GovSec and the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference to address law enforcement training needs.”

Read more @ www.homelandsecuritynewswire.org

From DHS.gov

Thank you for the introduction and warm welcome.  It’s great to be back at the National Press Club, and I want to thank all of you for coming.

Established nearly nine years ago, the Department of Homeland Security is still a relatively young agency.

Its creation represents one of the most sizable reorganizations within the Federal Government since the Department of War and the Department of the Navy were combined to create the Department of Defense.

Every day, our workforce protects our air, land and sea borders and, increasingly, our cyberspace.

They guard against terrorist attacks from groups like al Qaeda or homegrown extremists.  They apprehend human traffickers and other criminals.  They protect the President and Vice President; they help thousands of immigrants become new citizens of the United States.

Read more @ DHS.gov