Briefs

TSA asks Analogic Corp. to build better bomb detectors for airports

Last month Analogic Corp. in Peabody, Mass., won a contract from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Analogic will develop the TSA’s Manhattan II project, an effort to build threat-detection and discrimination capabilities for scanning checked luggage carried onboard aircraft and other applications. Analogic has already received funding under two other grants through TSA’s Phoenix program. The first grant went to Lockheed Martin and Analogic to design and develop continuous performance enhancements for existing explosive detection systems (EDS). The second award was a multimillion-dollar grant to Analogic to ­design a networkable EDS with high throughput and detection capabilities. Over the past several years Analogic has supplied more than 525 Explosive Assessment Computed Tomography (EXACT) Systems to both domestic and international airports including Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, Singapore’s Changi Airport, and Italy’s Fiumicino and Ciampino airports.

FBI buys night vision gear from ITT Industries

Agents at the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will use night vision pocketscopes from ITT Industries Night Vision, of Roanoke, Va., under the terms of a $4.9 million contract awarded last month. ITT’s NE 6010F pocketscope uses Generation 3 image intensifier technology, providing visibility in extreme-low-light conditions. Compact and lightweight, it can be hand-held as a monocular, or camera-mounted as a night vision lens for either 35-mm or video cameras. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the need for this life-saving night-vision technology has increased with federal and state/local law enforcement agencies’ increased Homeland Security responsibilities. During the past several years, ITT has supplied the FBI with ground and aviation night ­vision goggles, similar to what it provides Department of Defense (DOD) military forces. “In our current environment, the need for timely and accurate intelligence is more critical than ever,” says Gary Hopkins, contracting officer for the FBI. “Night vision technology allows us to conduct our missions 24 hours a day - it’s a must-have for the FBI.”

NSA names a technology scout

Leaders at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) are always on the lookout for new technologies to serve their intelligence-gathering mission. Last month they picked Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC) in Annapolis, Md., for a $445,000 contract to act as a scout for new technology. Over the next year, CIC engineers will find small companies with new technologies in informatics and information assurance software. Informatics software finds knowledge buried in vast volumes of data. CIC advisors will then help those companies meet NSA’s business and technological requirements. “We are creating a bridge to carry powerful technological innovations from small enterprises into the NSA,” says John Elstner, chief executive officer of the CIC. “By helping entrepreneurs build their technology businesses and navigate the often complex federal procurement system, we can speed the delivery of technological solutions to the end users who need them the most.” The CIC is a public-private partnership initiated by the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. It acts as a business incubator focused on homeland and national security. For more information, see www.cic-tech.org. The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is America’s cryptologic ­organization, charged with directing specialized activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign intelligence information.

Alarm industry will track policies with new database

Law enforcement and government agencies need information on alarm policies, to judge their impact on public safety. That is why the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) will create a centralized, national, ordinance-tracking database to provide standardized information on alarm ordinances and policies. SIAC will launch this Ordinance Tracking Information System (OTIS) in the first half of 2005. “Insurance companies are concerned with the growing trend toward non­response to citizens’ alarms by some jurisdictions and they have an ongoing need for information on non­response jurisdictions,” says SIAC Executive Director Stan Martin. “OTIS will be a research tool for alarm companies operating on the local, regional, and national level. It will provide valuable information to law enforcement, policymakers, third-party monitoring companies, and proprietary providers such as State Farm, Auto Zone, and Federal Express.” The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) is a nonprofit organization that strives to improve the lines of communication between law enforcement and end users, including the 30 million alarm system users in homes and businesses throughout North America. For more information see www.SIACinc.org.

Coast Guard Auxiliary grows into its post-9/11 mission

The new National Commodore of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Commodore Gene Seibert, will lead the service through its transformation into a post-9/11 agency. His first task is to lead the service’s 35,000 uniformed volunteer members in their combined mission of maritime safety and security, as well as homeland security and recreational boating and marine and environmental safety programs. Seibert began his two-year term last month when he relieved Commodore Bill Edgerton in a change-of-command ceremony at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. “The overarching mission of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is to contribute to the safety and security of our citizens, ports, waterways and coastal regions,” he says. “We will balance our missions of recreational boating safety and Coast Guard support with maritime homeland security and other challenges that emerge as a result of our growing understanding of changes required in the post-9/11 era.” For more information, see www.auxpa.org.