Attorney General William Barr announced a new initiative at a press conference in Detroit on Wednesday, aimed at combating violent crime in Detroit and six other of America’s most violent cities through a surge in federal resources.

Together with DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon, ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo, FBI Director Christopher Wray and United States Marshals Service (USMS) Director Donald W. Washington, Attorney General Barr pledged to intensify federal law enforcement resources in seven American cities with violent crime levels several times the national average.

Those cities are Albuquerque NM, Baltimore MD, Cleveland OH, Detroit Mi, Kansas City MO, Memphis TN, and Milwaukee WI.

“Americans deserve to live in safety,” explained Attorney General Barr, “And while nationwide violent crime rates are down, many cities continue to see levels of extraordinary violence.”

“Operation Relentless Pursuit seeks to ensure that no American city is excluded from the peace and security felt by the majority of Americans, while also supporting those who serve and protect in these communities with the resources, training, and equipment they need to stay safe.”

(Hear more from Attorney General Bill Barr on his views with regard to policing, law enforcement and respect during a recent awards ceremony. Courtesy of NBC News and YouTube. Posted on Dec 4, 2019.)

“Drug traffickers – including cartels and street gangs – will stop at nothing to turn a profit, often using violence and intimidation to expand their reach,” added Acting Administrator Dhillon.

“This targeted surge of resources will further strengthen our ability to work with our federal, state, and local partners to pursue the worst offenders and make our communities safer.”

“The men and women of ATF are deeply committed to and focused on reducing crime gun violence in our communities,” said Acting Director Lombardo.

“We are proud that our efforts have significantly contributed to the historic reductions in violence that our nation has realized in recent years.”

“Project Relentless Pursuit combines the resources of ATF, DEA, FBI and U.S. Marshals to support our state and local law enforcement partners in those cities that – regrettably – continue to be plagued by rates of violent crime that are simply too high.”

“Through Relentless Pursuit, we pledge to hold accountable the trigger-pullers, firearm traffickers, violent criminals and those who supply them the guns to terrorize our communities.”

“ATF will aggressively utilize every available tool, including our crime gun enforcement teams, National Integrated Ballistic Information Network and firearms tracing to identify, investigate and support the prosecution of the most violent firearm offenders.”

“The FBI remains committed to providing our specialized expertise and resources to assist our federal, state and local partners fighting violent crime,” added Director Wray.

“We are here today to reaffirm our dedication to reducing violent crime in the cities selected for Operation Relentless Pursuit to combat the threats that arise from gangs and criminal enterprises that drive violence in the communities we are sworn to protect.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service is proud of the integral role we play in supporting Attorney General Barr’s strong leadership and commitment to combating violent crime and enhancing public safety throughout our nation,” said Director Washington.

“We will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to make communities safer by addressing violent crime at its core and taking the worst of the worst fugitives and other felons off the streets.”

The Operation will involve increasing the number of federal law enforcement officers to the selected cities, as well as bulking up federal task forces through collaborative efforts with state and local law enforcement partners.

The surge in federal agents will be complemented by a financial commitment of up to $71 million in federal grant funding that can be used to hire new officers, pay overtime and benefits, finance federally deputized task force officers and provide mission-critical equipment and technology.

DEA and U.S. Marshals Service Recognized for Excellence in 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative

• The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day hosted by the DEA and its national, tribal and community partners aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

• In response to the dramatic increase in America’s teens use of vaping devices, the DEA for the first time on Saturday, October 26, 2019 began accept vaping devices and cartridges at all of its drop off locations across the nation.

United States Marshals Service

• • Excellence in Public Safety

  • Fugitive Task Forces

  • The U.S. Marshals Service currently leads 60 Regional fugitive task forces which combine the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and assist in high profile investigations. 

(See a brief introduction to the United States Marshals Service narrated by John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted. Courtesy of Shane T. McCoy and YouTube.)

The following Government Agencies were also recognized in the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards:

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate

• • Excellence in Public Safety

  • Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Program

  • The Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Program works with first responders across the country to ensure the technology they use while responding to an emergency keeps them better protected, connected and fully aware.

United States Postal Inspection Service

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• Office of Investigations

• The United States Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service with jurisdiction of “crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system or postal employees.”

• Their mission is to support and protect the U.S. Postal Service, its employees, infrastructure, and customers by enforcing the laws that defend the nation’s mail system from illegal or dangerous use.

• To protect the mail and to maintain the integrity of postal processes and personnel, the Postal Service relies on the investigative efforts of OIG special agents.

(The Postal Inspectors, Postal Police and Professional, Technical and Administrative staff of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service work hard every day to protect the mail. Hear from them how they do it. Courtesy of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service and YouTube. Posted on Oct 15, 2019.)

DHS S&T National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Responder RAD Preparedness

• Responder RAD Preparedness – DHS Science and Technology Directorate, National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, in partnership with FEMA & the Department of Energy, & National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) provides guidance and exercises for first responders and emergency managers on how to plan for the first minutes of an radiological dispersal device, or “dirty bomb,” detonation.

DHS S&T Office of Mission and Capability Support

• Excellence in Public Safety

• The FOVEA (Forensic Video Exploitation and Analysis) Tool Suite

• The FOVEA (Forensic Video Exploitation and Analysis) Tool Suite is an add-on suite of analytic tools for the forensic review of video in large-scale surveillance systems, developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory under the DHS S&T Office of Mission and Capability Support (MCS) Surface Transportation Explosive Threat Detection (STETD) Program for Complex investigations.

United States Border Patrol

• • Excellence in Homeland Security

  • Border Patrol, Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR)

  • The Border Patrol, Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) Unit is a specialized unit of the United States Border Patrol trained in emergency search and rescue & primarily assists injured or stranded migrants who enter the United States illegally from Mexico at remote desert locations.

(John Welter, a Border Patrol agent in the San Diego sector, explains how a little-known team called the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit, or BORSTAR, has largely gone under the radar. Courtesy of The Daily Signal and YouTube.) 

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police

• Excellence in Public Safety

• The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), protects and to enforces laws at PANYNJ facilities including airports, seaports, and bridges and tunnels, plus three bus terminals, the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, and the PATH train system.

• The PAPD is the largest transit-related police force in the United States.

(Lt. John Ryan of the Port Authority Police Dept., and William Keegan, Founder of Heart 9/11 give a heart wrenching account of what it was like to work alongside the NYC Department of Correction following the 9/11 tragedy. Courtesy of New York City Department of Correction and YouTube.)

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• The CyberTipLine

• The NCMEC congressionally mandated CyberTipline is a reporting mechanism for cases of child sexual exploitation including child pornography, online enticement of children for sex acts, molestation of children outside the family, sex tourism of children, child victims of prostitution, and unsolicited obscene material sent to a child available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

(After over 20 years in operation, the NCMEC CyberTipline has received more than 45.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation – more than half of those in just the last two years. Recognizing this explosive growth, Congress unanimously passed, and the president signed, a new law to streamline the CyberTipline process and tackle new trends we’re seeing in child sexual exploitation. Courtesy of NCMEC and YouTube. Posted on Jan 23, 2019.)

United States Marine Corps

• Best Cyber Security Program for Government or Military

• U.S. Marine Corps 1700 Cyberspace Operations

• The U.S. Marine Corps 1700 Cyberspace Operations Occupational Field cyberspace workforce works to compete successfully on future battlefields & adapt to the rising threat of near-peer adversaries like Russia and China.

(See how the new 17XX military occupational speciality is revolutionizing how we do cyber security. Courtesy of the Marines and YouTube.)

Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Federal Risk Management Process Training Program

• The Federal Risk Management Process Training Program is  Interagency Security Committee certified for Facility Security Officials, Federal Security Supervisors and those involved with Federal facility acquisition, construction, and renovation projects.

• On October 19, 1995, six months after the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12977, creating the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) to address continuing government-wide security for federal facilities.

  Prior to 1995, minimum physical security standards did not exist for nonmilitary federally owned or leased facilities.

New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (NYS DHSES)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• NYS Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Drone Training Program

• The NYS Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Drone Training Program helps to safely and effectively leverage UAS in support of the agency’s mission & includes UAS training courses created to help agencies develop their own UAS programs and train UAS Operators.

• One component of the DHSES UAS Program is series of UAS training courses created to help agencies develop their own UAS programs and train UAS Operators.

• The UAS training programs range from basic awareness level training about UAS operations to advanced operator curriculum involving flying UAS in realistic, tactical scenarios. 

Individuals Recognized for ‘Excellence’ in Homeland Security’ and Public Safety in the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program are as follows:

John F. Clark, CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Mr. John F. Clark was with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) for 28 years, serving as head of the USMS from 2006-2011.

• Prior to the USMS, Mr. Clark served with the United States Capitol Police and United States Border Patrol.

• He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) since 2015, where he has led a complete transformation of the organization.

• NCMEC is unique as an non-profit organization in that it has certain Congressionally established mandates such as the CyberTipLine, which is the nation’s 9-1-1 reporting mechanism for reporting potential child exploitation, child pornography and missing children.

(Hear from John Clark, president and the CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, on Operation Cross Country X, and the importance of working together to fight child exploitation and sex trafficking. Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and YouTube.)

Dean C. Alexander

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• Mr. Dean Alexander is the Director, Homeland Security Research Program & Professor at Western Illinois University.

• Mr. Alexander is a regular guest contributor to American Security Today.

• Prof. Alexander’s teaching, research, and speaking activities encompass terrorism, security, and legal issues.

• He has lectured in ten countries, including to law enforcement and military officials at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), U.S. State Department, and National Intelligence University events.

• Prof. Alexander’s professional experience includes executive, business development, and legal positions in the United States and abroad, including Chile, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

• He worked as a consultant to the World Bank, Organization of American States, homeland security firms, and investment companies. 

Grant Coffey

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Portland Fire & Rescue Hazmat Team Coordinator (Ret), CBRNE Industry Expert, Guest Author and FLIR Systems Brand Ambassador

• With over 37 years in the Fire/Hazmat Industry, Mr. Coffey is focused on using his skills and experience to train and educate first responders and hazmat professionals.

• As Director of Tribute to Honor, Mr. Coffey says he is dedicated to “Helping Those That Helped Us” – responder, military heroes, and their families.

(How often do you expose your equipment to hazardous conditions on the job? And can you claim to have never dropped an expensive tool? In FLIR PRIMED episode 36, Grant Coffey explains important rugged features your equipment should have, and how these features are rated according to international standards. Courtesy of FLIR Systems and YouTube.

• FLIR PRIMED (Prepare, Recognize, Input, Monitor, Experience, Decision) Online CBRNE Training Video Series by FLIR Systems was recognized in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

Sheriff Tom Knight, Sarasota County Sheriff (FL)

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Sheriff Tom Knight

• Sheriff Tom Knight, the 10th Sheriff of Sarasota County, has served since January 6, 2009, following a 20 year career with the Florida Highway Patrol.

• He has demonstrated a lifetime of devotion to public safety and protecting children from abuse and exploitation, most recently with Operation Intercept VI a 4-day initiative focused on protecting Sarasota County children from online predators and human trafficking which resulted in the arrest of 25 child predators.

Dr. Sean Lawler

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• Supervisory Special Agent
  for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• Dr. Sean Lawler is a Supervisory Special Agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration. SSA Lawler was previously assigned to work international narcotics investigations in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and he currently is assigned as the Aviation Division’s Training Officer/Chief Instructor Pilot.

• Additionally, SSA Lawler serves as a DEA Primary Firearms Instructor, Tactical Instructor, Tactical Emergency Medical Technician, and Active Shooter Instructor.

• Prior to joining DEA, SSA Lawler was a Major in the US Air Force, where he served as an Instructor Pilot, Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Case Officer, and Combat Interrogator.

• The Aviation Division’s mission is to provide aviation support to operational and intelligence elements within DEA and the law enforcement community to detect, locate, identify, and assess illicit narcotics-related trafficking activities.

• Aviation support is critical to DEA’s strategic goal of disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations that have a significant impact on America’s illegal drug availability.

• To accomplish its mission, the Aviation Division employs a fleet of airplanes and helicopters flown by specially trained Special Agent/Pilots.

• Prior to the DEA Mr. Lawler served in the United States Air Force, and is a Cofounder and consultant of 360 Resilience Group.

• 360 Resilience Group is a scientific evidence-based management consulting group; National, regional, and local conference presentations on school safety & security, the neuroscience of surviving life-threatening events, the latest research on electronic screen and social media addiction and neurological effects on cognition.

• Consultant partners hold doctorates and have DoD national-level intelligence and DoD emergency management experience.

Dr. Konstantinos Papazoglou and Dr. Daniel M. Blumberg

• Excellence in Scientific Research

• Co Authors of ‘Power: Police Officer Wellness, Ethics, and Resilience’

• ‘Power: Police Officer Wellness, Ethics, and Resilience’ collectively presents the numerous psychic wounds experienced by peace officers in the line of duty, including compassion fatigue, moral injury, PTSD, operational stress injury, organizational and operational stress, and loss.

• Drs. Papazoglou, a Postdoctoral Scholar, Yale School of Medicine Affiliated Researcher, Teachers College – Columbia University of New York, and Blumberg, a licensed clinical psychologist who has spent the past 33 years providing all facets of clinical and consulting psychological services to numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, describe the negative repercussions of these psychic wounds in law enforcement decision-making, job performance, job satisfaction, and families.

• The book encompasses evidence-based strategies to assist law enforcement agencies in developing policy programs to promote wellness for their personnel.

• The evidence-based techniques presented allow officers to get a more tangible and better understanding of the techniques so that they apply those techniques when on and off-duty.

• The book is an excellent resource for police professionals, police wellness coordinators, early career researchers, mental health professionals who provide services to law enforcement officers and their families, and graduate students in psychology, forensic psychology, and criminal justice.

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)

• • Excellence in Homeland Security

• Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) is being recognized for his work on aviation security H.R. 91– Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act of 2019 which would require the installation of secondary cockpit barriers on existing aircraft, and for other purposes.

• Fitzpatrick is a former Special Assistant United States Attorney and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) supervisory special agent in California.

• At the FBI, he served as a national supervisor for the Bureau’s Public Corruption Unit, and led the agency’s Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement program.

• During his time in the FBI, he spent time in Kiev, Ukraine, Mosul, Iraq and Washington, D.C. He was embedded with U.S. Special Forces as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ewart Williams

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• Mr. Williams is an Adjunct Professor for New Jersey City University tailoring courses and mentoring the next generation of National Security and Intelligence professionals.

• The NJCU Professional Security Studies Department has been designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence.

• The National Security Agency’s program goal is to “reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in Information Assurance (IA) and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. Certification… assure(s) the very finest preparation of professionals entrusted with securing our critical information.”

• Mr. Williams works in this framework teaching courses in National Security and Intelligence Programs.

Stanley I. White

• Excellence in Homeland Security

• International Association for Counterrorism & Security Professionals (IACSP)

• As Counterintelligence Advisor Mr. Stanley I. White collects intelligence (OSINT, HUMINT and other available sources) and analyzes the subject information using SWOT techniques.

• His skillset also includes basic Israeli Security methodologies, counter elicitation, anti-surveillance, personal awareness, Keysource Intelligence collection as well as holding certifications as a Protection Specialist, Behavioral Detection and Anti-Terrorism Officer.

• He is also internationally published over the last 18 years on the topics of personal protection/security, intelligence, counterintelligence, hand to hand combat and defensive tactics.

For a complete list of award winners, click here.

The 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program

The 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program surpassed expectations with a record number of nominations received from industry leaders and government agencies, and drew over 200 attendees to the ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Banquet – an exclusive gourmet luncheon and networking opportunity which filled to capacity, before having to turn away late registrants.

The event featured an impassioned and compelling keynote address by William J. Bratton, former police commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD) twice, the Boston Police Department (BPD), and former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), as he walked attendees through 50 years of American policing history, the impacts on the communities, and the evolution of critical communication capabilities in our post 9/11 landscape.

Commissioner Bratton, one of the world’s most respected and trusted experts on risk and security issues and Executive Chairman of Teneo Risk a global advisory firm, was recognized as the ‘2019 ‘ASTORS’ Person of the Year’ for his Lifetime of Dedication and Extraordinary Leadership in Homeland Security and Public Safety.

Why the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program?

American Security Today’s comprehensive Annual Homeland Security Awards Program is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of physical, IT, port security, law enforcement, and first responders, in acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’

Over 200 distinguished guests representing Federal, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Firms, gathered from across North America, Europe and the Middle East to be honored among their peers in their respective fields which included: 

• The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• United States Marine Corps
• The Federal Protective Service (FPS)
• Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• United States Postal Inspection Service
• DHS S&T 
• United States Marshals Service (USMS)
• The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police (PAPD)
• The Department of Justice (DOJ)
• The New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (NYS DHSES)
• United States Border Patrol
• AlertMedia, Ameristar Perimeter Security, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, Bellevue University, BriefCam, Canon U.S.A., CornellCookson, Drone Aviation, FLIR Systems, Hanwha Techwin, HID Global, IPVideo Corp., Konica Minolta Business Solutions, LenelS2, ManTech, Regroup Mass Notifications, SafeLogic, SolarWinds, Senstar, ShotSpotter, Smiths Detection, TCOM LP, Trackforce, Verint, and More!

Why American Security Today?

The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast changing security landscape.

The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast changing security landscape.

American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 75,000 readers at the Federal, State and local levels of government as well as firms allied to government.

American Security Today brings forward a fresh compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers eyes throughout the story with cutting edge editorial that provides solutions to their challenges.

Harness the Power of the Web – with our 100% Mobile Friendly Publications

The AST Digital Publications is distributed to over 75,000 qualified government and homeland security professionals in federal, state and local levels.

‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’

AST Reaches both Private & Public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.

Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.

These experts are from Government at the federal, state and local level as well as from private firms allied to government.

AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.

AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.

Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.

To learn more about the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, Be on the lookout for the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Championship Edition Magazine – the Best Products of 2019 ‘A Year in Review’.

The ‘ASTORS’ Champion Edition is published annually in December and includes a review of programs, feature details on many of the winning firms, video interviews and more.

To learn about advertising opportunities with American Security Today, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.

AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating, based on the following criteria:

• Provides named sources
• Reported by more than one notable outlet
• Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos

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(Attorney General Barr speaks at the 2019 NAAG Capital Forum. The Forum allows state and territory attorneys general to meet with federal officials, discuss important policy issues, and learn about the latest state and federal legal developments. Courtesy of the The Justice Department and YouTube. Posted on Dec 11, 2019.)