No Picture
Terrorism/Security

Teamsters: Proposed Rail Security Rules Ignore Employees’ Safety Role

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff: Dec. 12, 2006, Press Conference WASHINGTON – Proposed rules by the Transportation Security Administration ignore necessary employee training and protections against employer retaliation, Teamsters say. However, the Teamsters Union is still reviewing the rules, but so far has determined that the proposals are inadequate, according to the union. “The White House has failed again to recognize that the true eyes and ears of the rail system are its employees,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Our members are working on the rails night and day. They know about the security lapses on the rails, yet

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Terrorism/Security

DHS Targets High Risk Hazardous Materials in Transit

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff: Dec. 12, 2006, Press Conference WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is proposing new rules it says will vastly strengthen the security of the nation’s rail systems in the highest threat urban areas. The proposed rule is part of a package of new security measures that will require freight rail carriers to ensure 100 percent positive hand-off of Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) materials, establish security protocols for custody transfers of TIH rail cars in the high threat urban areas, and appoint a rail security coordinator to share information with the federal government, as well

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Commuter Rail

Romney Implements Bag Inspections On The MBTA

BOSTON – Gov. Mitt Romney earlier this month directed the MBTA to re-institute regular random bag inspections on the public transit system in order to shake up normal routines and make it more difficult to plan and carry out a potential terrorist act. The MBTA conducted random bag searches for a limited time before and during the Democratic National Convention in 2004. “Terrorism is not a traditional criminal activity,” Romney said. “We are fighting a war against people who have as their objective the overthrow of the United States government. Given that kind of threat, we have to adjust our

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Terrorism/Security

Foiled Terror Plot Leads to Increased Rail Security

WASHINGTON – Today’s news of a disrupted terror plot quickly translated to increased security measures at rail systems nationwide. “There is no threat to mass transit, but it’s prudent to step up security given that mass transit has been a terrorist target in the past,” Washington Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson said in a news release. “We also want to remind passengers that they are our eyes and ears to report any unattended packages, unusual behaviors and anything that seems suspicious.”  Metro’s transit police are doing random sweeps of stations, trains and buses. The transit agency also has closed all public

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Terrorism/Security

7/11 Blasts Suspect Held in Kashmir

BOMBAY, India – An alleged member of the Kashmiri militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba has been arrested by Indian police in connection with the July 11 train bombings in Bombay which killed 200 commuters on the city’s commuter rail network. The arrest followed a raid on a hideout in the Sanai Potha area of Surankote in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) state. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bombay police aided by the Counter-Intelligence Wing of the J&K State Police apprehended the militant, identified as Abdul Hameed. Hamed has been taken to the Joint Interrogation Center (JIC) in Poonch

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Terrorism/Security

Explosive Detection Technologies To Be Tested at Jersey City’s Exchange Place Station

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the cooperation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), will test and evaluate security equipment and operating procedures at the Exchange Place Port Authority-Trans Hudson (PATH) Station from July 13-27. The testing is part of the Department’s broader efforts to protect citizens and critical infrastructure from possible terrorist attacks. The test represents the second phase of a rail security pilot project. In phase one, which was conducted from Feb. 6 through March 1, bags and passengers at Exchange Place Station were screened deliberately and randomly

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Terrorism/Security

TSA Teams With Railroads to Test Security Preparedness

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is partnering with Amtrak and three commuter railroads for a three-day pilot project to test the agency’s ability to assist State and local authorities by quickly deploying federal assets in response to a specific threat. The pilot will run from Dec. 14 through Dec. 16 and will involve Federal Air Marshals, surface transportation inspectors and TSA canine teams. Commuter railroads participating in the project are the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), SEPTA and Metrolink "In the event of an actual threat, relationships with partners like WMATA and Amtrak will be crucial for