The Americas Post - Now Big Brother can see right through your clothes. Photo Credit: NYPD

It’s not just in the airport anymore.  The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is working in collaboration with the United States Department of Defense to control illegal firearms by deploying technology to detect concealed weapons carried by people walking down the street.

Using infrared rays, the system scans a “form of radiation emitted from the body” on a person carrying a gun on the city’s streets, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced Tuesday at a State of the NYPD event.

Known as terahertz imaging detection, the technology functions on the basis that the rays cannot pass through metal, thereby creating a digital outline of any metal weapon gun people may be hiding.   It is reported to be capable of measuring energy radiating off a body from up to 16 feet away.

Kelly told attendees that the scanner would be used only when reasonable suspicious circumstances called for it and could decrease the frequency of stop-and-search incidents on the street.  The news, however, has raised concerns about privacy.

“It’s worrisome. It implicates privacy, the right to walk down the street without being subjected to a virtual pat-down by the Police Department when you’re doing nothing wrong,” the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Donna Lieberman told CBS New York.

According to NY Post reports, the scanners would be mounted on NYPD vans, with the rays aiming at people on the street.

The Americas Post - Drug trafficking accusations are no obstacle for the Chavez administration

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this week appointed a new defense minister, described by the United States as a “drug kingpin” involved in cocaine smuggling from next-door Colombia.

“This good soldier, this humble soldier … this fighter for the people, today I publicly designate him as the new defense minister of the Republic,” Chavez announced while naming General Henry Rangel Silva to the post.

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Rangel and another top Venezuelan officer of supporting narcotics trafficking operations by Colombian FARC guerrillas.  Both men denied any connection.

President Chavez  has repeatedly denied U.S. accusations that his government has turned a blind eye to drug trafficking.  He in turn accuses the United States of being a decadent empire that exploits developing countries.

The Venezuelan leader is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in the next few months to allow several of his current ministers to run in regional elections later this year.

Sharing a long border with Colombia, Venezuela has become a transshipment point for Colombian cocaine en route to consumer nations.  Chavez suspended cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005 when he accused its agents of spying and violating Venezuelan sovereignty.

He claims his administration has invested millions of dollars in anti-narcotic operations, pointing to the extradition of accused druglords to Colombia and an increase in drug-related arrests as proof of Venezuela’s efforts.

Diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the United States have been icy for years, in spite of the fact that South American nation still provides nearly 10 percent of US fuel imports.

In September, Washington accused four close Chavez allies of providing arms to FARC rebels in Colombia, a charge which Venezuela described as “abusive.”

The Americas Post - The new club is open but the US and Canada are not invited.

A newly formed Latin American and Caribbean organization has issued statements in support of Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the British-ruled Falkland Islands and against U.S. sanctions on Cuba at the end of its first two-day summit.

However, the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, declined to engage in stronger anti-Western rhetoric as some had feared at a meeting hosted by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.  Instead, its 22 final declarations spoke in general terms of the need to combat global ills like price speculation, drugs, terrorism, nuclear arms and cruelty to migrants.

“I don’t think we’re exaggerating if we call it a historic day,” said Chavez, 57.  ”United in our differences, we must demand respect,” he told the assembly. “No more interference; we’ve had enough.”

For Chavez the summit achieved two goals: setting up a regional body without the United States, and allowing him to showcase his recovery from cancer treatment.  He and other left-wing leaders like Raul Castro of Cuba, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador say the hemisphere-wide Organization of American States (OAS)  is a tool of Washington.

Conservative-led nations like Colombia, Chile and Mexico were able to keep CELAC from appearing overly radical however, with relatively mild final declarations  and next year’s meeting set for Santiago, Chile.  And the communiques over the Falklands – or Malvinas islands as they are known in Argentina – and the U.S. embargo on Cuba were already standard positions within the region.

The final declaration backed Argentina’s “legitimate rights” and urged Britain to resume negotiations.

“The Argentine government has shown a permanently constructive attitude and willingness to reach, via negotiations, a peaceful and definitive solution to this anachronistic, colonial situation on American soil”, it stated.

On Cuba, CELAC, whose countries total almost 600 million in population and  about $6 trillion in GDP, urged Washington to respect U.N. votes and lift trade sanctions in place for decades against the communist government.

Chavez, who survived cancer surgery in June, presided over lengthy sessions and speeches, frequently intervening to add his own anecdotes and opinions.

He plans to run for re-election in 2012, and his opponents used the summit to mount some protests in an attempt to embarrass him in front of his Latin American counterparts.  Activists beat pots and pans around the city on Saturday night in a traditional “cacerolazo” demonstration. Some banners were also briefly unfurled over roads saying “Welcome to Crime City” – before police removed them.

The Americas Post.- Air cargo screening process will be simplified.

Under a new pilot program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the entry process for air cargo  is designed to reduce the number of customs holds that delay air cargo and help give shippers a better idea of when they can take possession of their goods

Already starting in December, importers or brokers of air cargo will only have to provide thirteen data points and three optional pieces of information, instead of the current twenty-seven.

The new process, dubbed the “Simplified Entry Pilot,” is designed to…READ MORE HERE

Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, Director Gral of U.N. Office in Vienna and Under Secretary Gral of the United Nations.

Addressing today the Security Council in New York, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC Mr. Yury Fedotov today called for coordinated and concerted efforts to address the threat of transnational organized crime.

Mr. Fedotov said to the Security Council that transnational organized crime TOC and drug trafficking are undermining security in many regions and evolving into major threats to political and social stability, the rule of law, human rights and economic development..

Giving more details about the particular threat to security posed by drugs, Mr. Fedotov noted..READ MORE HERE

Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham and our Publisher Victor Bjørgan during EISIC 2011, European Intelligence & Security Informatics Conference on Counterterrorism and Criminology.

On September 12th, and during the first day of the conference EISIC 2011 “European Intelligence & Security Informatics Conference, on Counterterrorism and Criminology,” the first keynote speech was given by the expert Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham Cyber ​​Security (BT) (*). The title of his presentation was “Data Mining for Malicious Code Detection and Security Applications”. Among the highlights of his academic dissertation BT defined the meaning of saying that data mining “is the process of posing queries and extracting patterns different from data using techniques”. About its use, she said the technology can be used in national security as well aganist cybercrime and security, like f.e. like to Prevent buildings, destroying critical infrastructure (power, telecom). Dr Thuraisingham said that also can Data Mining find out who the bad guys are, capable of carrying out those Terrorist Activities.
Defining Cyber ​​Security BT said it is a technology to Protect the computer and network systems due to Against Corruption last generation of malware like Trojan horses, worms and viruses, including the ultradangerous malware called RAMAL (Radioactive Adaptive Malware), as well as intrusion detection and auditing.

During the first part of the presentation, BT described her research (together with Prof Latifur Khan and students of the University of Texas) and said that some techniques like the Link Analysis technology can be used to trace the viruses to the perpetrators. Another technology called Classification can prevent future attacks depending on the data mining learned about the terrorists through emails and phone conversations. The technology can also separate between real threats and non threats at all, by reducing false positives and false negatives.

More into details of her speech, BT said that the researched techniques like the CFB Program can extract the code blocker malware from data, and make a control flow analysis. She also compared her System with another already in the market , the code blocker SigFree, and assured her system is better, performs better.   Her System can detect Malware that is evolving continuosly, even every milisecond, like the RAMAL (Radioactive Adaptive Malware). Currently, all last generation malware evolve continuosly and it is difficult to prevent for regular firewalls. Dr. Bhavani Thuraisimgham defined her anti RAMAL malware tech as the NCD Novel Class Detection, and the tool is the system based on NCD, the so called SNOD or SNODMAL).

Currently, the most advanced Malware goes undetected because a continuos change in behaviours , every milisecond, and the regular anti malware software can not keep up that speed.

BT assured that her SNOD hast the ability to detect new classes of malware and its changes. She used the SNODMAL, malware detector using SNOD.

She classified the Malware in two categories: Benign and Novel.

The usefullness of SNODMAL will extend to detect multiple novel malware classes and quarantine them.

Summarizing, BT also revealed that they are working to find the best way to detect where this malware attack comes from, and to be able to attribute the attack, where it come from with 100% certainty (to avoid false accusations). Several countries have been attacjed by these novel malware.

In regard to the privacy matter, BT affirmed that the extract of results of the data mining should be private, this is a legal matter, not only an ethical one.

Once her speech finalized and the round of questions ended, Dr. Bhavani Thuraisimgham met Victor Bjoergan , CEO of the U.S. based Global Security Services LLC,  also Publisher of TheAmericasPost.com and EuropeSecurityNews (this under construction). Both discussed the importance of developing these technologies, and its role anti Cybercrime and the strengthening of global security against terrorism.

(*) READ MORE ABOUT DR. BHAVANI THURAISINGHAM

(**) MORE ON DR.THURAISINGHAM

Good Initiative in Security: Government in El Salvador will reeducate juveniles into military discipline

The Minister of National Defense of El Salvador, David Munguia Payés , said that the plan is aimed at those young people “at risk” living in areas of influence of the “maras” (a dangerous international gang linked to Zetas and other criminal groups) . The project will be presented by the government to the United Nations UN to seek international funding.

General Payés Munguia said the plan is to recruit some 5,000 young people living in areas influenced by gangs (Maras) and intern them to receive unarmed military discipline.

“It seeks to instill some discipline and training in the field of civil protection and job skills,” said the military chief.

“We will meet with UN staff to present some ideas that we have in regard to this program and see if they can help us fund it,” said the officer.

Minister National Defense of El Salvador David Munguia Payes (center) and wife meeting Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, under the gaze of General Chiang Kai Shek.

The Salvadoran government has said in recent days that they lack funds to finance the project, which has caused controversy in Salvadoran society.

In El Salvador, about 12 people are killed daily. Police officials say that ten percent of homicides are committed by juveniles linked to gangs.

Prison cell in the argentinian women prison system.

In Argentina, most people arrested for drug offenses are women or foreigners, according to study made by the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and ngo Intercambios.

“Imprisoned for drug offenses in Argentina” is the title of the research that will be presented tomorrow at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires UBA (Santiago del Estero, Argentina).

The author is the lawyer Alejandro Corda , member of the ngo Intercambios, who says that “one third of detainees in prisons throughout the Federal Prison Service are in this situation because of drug offenses” and that ” drugs trafficking is the second leading cause of incarceration behind crimes against property. ”

The specialist calls for “reform of the Narcotics Law 23,737, to avoid the imprisonment of just women and foreigners, but to catch the real dealers and kingpins of the argentinian illegal drug trafficking mafia

Other relevant data that provides the research says that 7 out of 10 people arrested for drugs are consumers and third of those detained in federal prisons are small players in the drug  traffic “mules” (carriers bordering small amounts) and vendors in poor neighborhoods.

“What we’ve decided is a regional strategy against organized crime , that respects no borders and, therefore, the answer has to be the union of all central american countries to fight crime,” said Martinez to reporters after signing with the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Varela, a bilateral agreement.

Martinez said he is aware of a criminal phenomenon that has multiple origins and manifestations, so it must deal comprehensively with components of prevention, prosecution of crime and rehabilitation, as well as strengthening institutions that fight crime.

He explained that the agreement signed today creates a mechanism for sharing intelligence information, including the criminal history of people in particular, and coordinated patrols between countries that share borders.

Finally, the Panamanian Foreign Minister announced a meeting of vice presidents in the Central American region to be held in September in Panama, whose main purpose will be to promote a common security agenda.

Riots in London: Security Expert William Bratton was hired by the British Government

After the riots in England, a U.S. street crime expert has been hired by the Cameron government.

Prime Minister David Cameron (Conservative Party) has taken a hard line on rioting in statements this week after returning from his summer holiday and recalling parliament. He has also come under attack for austerity measures his government is introducing like cutting the amount of police officers and security budget, among other measures.

Cameron has criticized the police  for their handling of the riots. On the other hand , another conservative, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has said the riots weakened the case for those police cuts.

Cameron has said social and economic problems had little to do with the looting and violence which followed in which five people were killed, calling it “criminality pure and simple” and saying gang violence lay at its heart.

He enlisted U.S. street crime expert William Bratton on Friday to advise the government on handling it.

But some officers within the british police are not satisfied with Cameron´s decission of hiring an american expert.

“We do not need any lessons from the United States,” answered in today’s Independent newspaper  the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Hugh Orde.

William “Bill” Bratton, the new adviser, is a very successful police expert. He has been credited with curbing street crime as police chief in New York, Los Angeles and Boston, and Bratton said he would offer advice based on his experience tackling gangs. Bratton is not in favor of massive arrests to solve the gangs problem, and says to ABC news “arrest is certainly appropriate for the most violent, the incorrigible, but so much of it can be addressed in other ways and it’s not just a police issue, it is in fact a societal issue.”

A ComRes poll for The Independent newspaper showed 54 percent of Britons say Cameron failed to provide leadership early enough to control the riots.

Most offenders are unemployed young men, and the riots were the result of a build-up of frustration among young people growing up on grim housing estates with little hope.

There is a debate in the british society, and many are saying the police should have been tougher.

About Bill Bratton.

William Joseph “Bill” Bratton (64) is an American police officer who was the New York City Commissioner, the Chief of Police in Los Angeles and the Boston Police Commissioner.

Bratton started his career at Boston Police Department before becoming New York Police Comissioner in 1994. He designed the successful zero-tolerance policy which reduced petty and violent crime in New York. The city became one of the safest in the world, and the safest in the U.S.

After the 1992 Riots in Los Angeles, he moved to that city. He reformed the Los Angeles Police and crimes lowered.

Bratton’s policing policy is mainly the following:

a) any crime, does not matter how minor or petty crime it is, must be dealt with

b) tolerance to crime equals an increase in the crime rate

c) zero tolerance to crime is one of the solutions to gang crime and riots.

d) the police must be  ethnically diverse, and the force must be representative of the population and its ethnicity

e) the police must promote a strong relationship with the law-abiding population

f) fierce against police corruption

g) must be tough on gangs

h) and a strict no-tolerance of any kind of anti-social behaviour

Bratton was  offered an advisor role to the British government which he accepted in August 2011.