American Security Today’s Excellence in Public Safety and Government Excellence Award Winners are a Special Breed of Individuals and Agencies whose efforts have far-reaching Impacts on our Communities through their Commitment, Diligence, and Innovation in Government, Homeland Security, Enterprise, and Public Safety Sectors.

‘ASTORS’ Excellence awards are organized to Recognize the Achievements and Innovations Driven by these Visionary Government Individuals and Agencies to Celebrate and Champion these Change-Makers who Challenge mediocrity and Embrace new technologies to Shape the Future of homeland security and public safety.

The 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards and Government Excellence Awards Ceremony and Banquet Luncheon, was an exclusive sold-out event featured at ISC East, welcoming over two hundred representatives of law enforcement, public safety, and industry leaders who came together to honor the selfless service of those who stand on the front lines – and those who stand beside them – providing the capabilities and technologies to create a safer world for future generations.

Comprehensive collaborations between these private and public sectors have led to the development of innovative intelligence and technologies that serve to protect our Nation.

An impassioned keynote address was given by Steven Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives, delivered an impassioned keynote address on the epidemic of Gun Violence by Illegal Guns taking place across the United States.

Firearm injuries were the LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG CHILDREN for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, he explained, and have DOUBLED in the U.S. since 2021.

Another particular focus of this year’s ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program was Firefighter Cancer Reduction.

Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, and research suggests firefighters are at higher risk of certain types of cancers when compared to the general population.

Fires are complex and contain various hazardous substances. Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of these chemical substances in the form of gases, vapors, and particulates, some known or suspected to cause cancer, during their firefighting duties.

Some of these hazardous substances are byproducts of combustion or burning, such as benzene and formaldehyde. In contrast, others come from the materials burning or in the fire debris, such as asbestos from older structures.

Firefighters can come into contact with chemicals by breathing them in, getting them on their skin or eyes, or ingesting them. If protective clothing, known as turnout gear, is not adequately cleaned or stored after a fire response or training event, chemicals on the gear or equipment can contaminate vehicles and the fire station.

((Chemicals linked to cancer were found in all three layers of protective gear worn by firefighters. According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters. In this episode of Brian Ross Investigates, Brian speaks with advocates pushing to make a change for the safety of our nation’s firefighters. Courtesy of Law&Crime Network and YouTube. Courtesy of Law&Crime Network and YouTube.)

Additionally, reusing dirty turnout gear or respiratory protection can also result in exposure to hazardous substances. These exposures can occur by skin contact with contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE) or breathing in or ingesting particles from contaminated PPE.

Towards that end, attendees also received autographed hardcopy first edition copies of the New Best Seller ‘Cornerstones of Leadership: On and Off the Fireground: Training – Teamwork – Mentorship’ thanks to the generosity of our 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Sponsors NEC National Security Systems (NSS), ATI Systems, Automatic Systems of America, guardDog AI, Fortior Solutions, IPVideo Corporation, Rajant Corporation, RX Global, and SIMS Software!

In this hardcover first edition written by 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Champion Frank Leeb, Chief of Safety for The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), who was Honored for his Tireless Work on Cancer Prevention for Firefighters, Chief Leeb inspires and motivates readers, fellow firefighters, and all who know him.

American Security Today is delighted to Introduce the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Government Excellence and Excellence in Public Safety Awards Honorees:

 

ATF National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR), and the U.S. Army G-38

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Raven’s Challenge

• Raven’s Challenge Exercises, which are administered by the ATF National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR) and funded by the U.S. Army G-38, are the largest, globally recognized explosives ordnance and public safety bomb specialist training events in the world.

• The Raven’s Challenge is an annual, national-level, interagency, and international counter-improvised explosive device exercise series focused on improving interoperability between public safety bomb squads and military explosive ordnance disposal by incorporating threat scenarios in realistic operational environments.

• Focusing on emerging threats and scene exploitation are key elements to anticipate future IED threats.

• Raven’s Challenge Exercise scenarios focus on capabilities between public safety bomb squads and military EOD teams in operational environments.

(Learn more about the Raven’s Challenge Interoperability Exercise, an international training event to prepare and counter the threat of improvised explosive devices. Courtesy of ATFHQ and YouTube.)

• Raven’s Challenge Exercises involve EOD teams from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, including active duty, reserve, and guard components; local and state PSBS; Department of Defense; Department of Justice; and international law enforcement.

• International participation has increased to include North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO nations and other European and North African nations, whose close collaboration and participation are a testament to the C-IED expertise and professionalism of all involved and the importance of the subject matter.

• Supporting military and public safety bomb technician annual training requirements, Raven’s Challenge guides policy regarding C-IED national preparedness efforts.

• The challenge continues to grow public safety partnerships between local, state, and international jurisdictions for the prevention, protection, mitigation, and response to man-made threats faced by nations and their communities, with collaborations and tailored scenarios that expose participants to emerging threats in diverse environments keep this full-scale exercise extremely relevant and at the cutting edge of C-IED global exercises.

(In early March 2023, ATF, U.S. military, and law enforcement members descended on Pinal Airpark near Marana for the first of this year’s Raven’s Challenge exercises. Raven’s Challenge exercises incorporate scenarios focused on interoperability capabilities between public safety bomb squads and military explosive ordnance disposal units in operational environments. Pinal Airpark’s unique setup, which allows access to full-size retired aircraft, and the open space and hospitable weather make it the perfect facility for this type of exercise. Courtesy of Pinal County and YouTube.)

• ATF NCETR consolidates the agency’s key explosives, fire, canine, and response operations at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

• NCETR consists of the Explosives Enforcement and Training Division; Explosives Research and Development Division; and the Fire Investigation and Arson Enforcement Division.

• Other components include the National Canine Division in Front Royal, Virginia, and the National Explosives Task Force in Washington, District of Columbia.

• NATO recognizes Raven’s Challenge Exercises as the leading edge counter improvised explosives device exercise.

• *The ATF was also Recognized in the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

 

The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control 

Excellence in Public Safety & Community Resilience

• The Firefighter Cancer Awareness and Contamination Reduction Program

• Occupational cancer due to firefighting is a silent killer.

• Firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnoses and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths.

• Unlike many tragic events that take firefighters’ lives, many firefighters are dying due to firefighting-related cancers. Unfortunately, many of these deaths often go unnoticed. Learn how to take steps to help prevent these deaths from occurring.

• The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control initiated a major initiative to help protect its staff, New York State’s firefighters, and their families from the occupational threat of cancer.

• The initiative combines awareness and education about the cancer threat with actions and policies that help to reduce the threat. 

• *NYS DHSES was also Recognized with Multiple Awards in the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

 

Tim Graves, Fire Protection Specialist, Office of Fire Prevention and Control, NYS DHS ES

Excellence in Public Safety & Community Resilience

• Tim Graves, a Fire Protection Specialist with the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, has been instrumental in establishing the policies for the State of New York and his work on presumptive legislation.

• Tim was Nominated by Chief Frank Leed, Chief of Safety for The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), for his work within New York State in educating firefighters about their risk of occupational cancer.

• Chief Leeb explained that “Tim’s success is a reflection of the support he receives from above, at the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, NYS DHS ES. When one member of our team wins, we all win.”

• Importantly, the ‘ASTORS’ Award Recognition of Tim’s work will provide an opportunity to highlight further the positive messages of education, training, and awareness.

 

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (First of Two)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program 

• The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program provides a dynamic approach to fortifying the cybersecurity of government networks and systems.

• The CDM Program works to reduce the agency threat surface, increase visibility into the federal cybersecurity posture, improve federal cybersecurity response capabilities, and defend critical government infrastructure against the evolving threats of both today and tomorrow. 

(Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program is leading the effort to reduce cyber risk and provide visibility across the federal government. See how the CDM Program is delivering automated tools to federal agencies to strengthen their ability to monitor and manage the threat of cyber vulnerabilities. Courtesy of CISA and YouTube.)

• CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program has long supported efforts across government agencies to provide risk-based, consistent, and cost-effective cybersecurity solutions to protect federal civilian networks across all organizational tiers.  

 

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (Second of Two)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Bomb Threat Preparedness & Response Training, and the
  C-IED Capabilities Assessments (CCA) Program

• Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) remain a persistent threat globally. They kill, injure, and intimidate citizens, disrupt transportation and the flow of commerce, and pose a great threat to our deployed forces.

• IEDs are one of the most accessible weapons to terrorists and criminals to damage critical infrastructure and inflict casualties. The tactics used in IED attacks evolve as our adversaries seek to overcome countermeasures. We must challenge ourselves to be more effective against these threats as we work together to ensure our nation’s safety, security, and prosperity.

• CISA has been charged with a leading role in implementing the National Counter-IED (C-IED) policy, articulated through Presidential Policy Directive 17 (PPD-17): Countering IEDs. Through this leadership role, CISA is instrumental in aligning DHS and national C-IED efforts through centralized and effective coordination of ongoing programs. This results in better resource allocation within CISA and across DHS and our federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners.

• To reduce risk to the nation’s critical infrastructure, CISA’s Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) provides training, products, tools, and services to build nationwide C-IED core capabilities and enhance awareness of terrorist threats.

• Through these offerings, CISA OBP seeks to enhance the nation’s ability to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate the use of explosives against critical infrastructure, the private sector, and federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial entities.

• These training, products, tools, and services are broken into five sub-topics: bomb threats, suspicious activity and items, IED awareness, protective measures, and planning and preparedness.

(Sean Haglund, Associate Director of the Office of Bombing Prevention, speaks on CISA’s role in enhancing the nation’s ability to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate the use of explosives against critical infrastructure. Courtesy of CISA and YouTube.)

• Bomb threats create significant operational and psychological impacts. It’s important to know what steps the public can take in the event of a bomb threat.

• A plan to assess and respond to bomb threats can greatly reduce the impact.

• CISA’s Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) Training Program offers a series of Bomb Threat Preparedness & Response Trainings so you can learn more about various products, training offerings, and resources that help prepare and respond to a bomb threat.

• CISA’s  Bomb Threat Preparedness and Response Course (AWR-903) provides participants with interactive exercises and case histories of what actually happened during bombing incidents to familiarize participants with the steps necessary to prepare for and respond to a bomb threat.

• OBP offers bombing prevention training, free of charge, throughout the United States on multiple platforms. Courses cover topics that span the bombing prevention spectrum – and are organized into three levels of instruction: Awareness, Performance, and Management. 

• To learn more, please visit https://www.cisa.gov/bomb-threats.

(Although a bomb threat may seem rare, it happens every day across the nation. Reacting quickly and safely to a bomb threat could save lives, including your own. Courtesy of CISA and YouTube.)

• The Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Capabilities Assessments (CCA) Program systematically evaluates and analyzes public safety agencies and entities in a methodological assessment process.

• The CCA Program, which provides two types of assessments: Unit-Level Assessment (ULA) and Community-Level Assessment (CLA), determines the specific capabilities and activities to address best IED risks and resource gaps found during the assessment process.

• At its core, the CCA Program provides a complete picture of local and regional IED risks, and sources identified gaps with the Office for Bombing Prevention’s (OBP) preparedness resources.

(CISA’s Office for Bombing Prevention develops and delivers a diverse suite of Counter-IED training for every learner. Watch this short video and discover many convenient and exciting bombing prevention training opportunities – free. Find out how you can sign up today. Courtesy of CISA and YouTube.)

• *CISA was also Recognized in the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

 

Preparedness Without Paranoia – Threat Awareness Training (PWP .org)

Excellence in Public Safety & Community Enrichment

• PWPORG (Preparedness Without Paranoia) is a 501(c)(3) built by law enforcement and security industry practitioners and educators to provide educational resources on safety and emergency preparedness to kids, families, and communities.

• PWPORG is proactively taking action to introduce the children and families in our communities to skills and educational resources on safety and emergency preparedness that, when learned and practiced, will last for a lifetime.

• Guided by Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, a 29-year veteran of Federal Law Enforcement and President of NEC National Security Systems, the nonprofit PWPORG was created to educate, engage, and empower families and kids on issues of preparedness and resiliency to create a safer world, free of active threats and human traffickers.

(Learn how YOU can Make a Difference in the lives of our Nation’s Children and Families. Be a Superhero, Make a Donation, and Make a Difference by helping to support Preparedness Without Paranoia and Parents with Preparedness Magazine. Courtesy of Kiernan Group Holdings and YouTube.)

• PWPORG was also Recognized in the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards, and Kiernan Group Holdings was Honored in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

 

The Human Exploitation Rescue Operation (HERO) Child Rescue Corps, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Excellence in Public Safety & Community Resilience

• The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Human Exploitation Rescue Operation (HERO) Child-Rescue Corps Program recruits, trains, and hires wounded, ill, or injured transitioning active-duty service members and veterans in cyber forensic analysts to support HSI field offices in the areas of child exploitation investigation, child victim identification, traveling child sex offenders, and digital forensics.
  

• Congress strengthened the HERO Program by passing the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, ensuring that the program would be open to all military service branches and providing pay for HERO Interns.

(ICE salutes our veterans who continue serving our nation by working for us. At ICE, we support our veterans in many ways, including ICE HERO Corps, which began in 2013 and gives our nation’s wounded warriors a second chance to be heroes. Courtesy of ICE and YouTube.)

• HERO interns assist HSI Special Agents in the rescue of child sexual victims, the prosecution of sexual predators, and the prevention of child sexual abuse. The HERO Program is open to wounded, ill, or injured (VA/DoD Disability rating) veterans and transitioning service members, and is managed by the HSI Cyber Crimes Center, and is an annual, federally funded program.

• The HERO Program’s mission is to combat the growing problem of child exploitation by assisting Special Agents in accomplishing the mission of HSI.

• The HERO Act, signed into law by President Obama on May 29, 2015, formalized and endorsed the HERO Corps program within ICE, administered by ICE HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center. Congress strengthened the HERO Program through passage of the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, which improved the HERO program by making the HERO program a DHS agency-wide program, ensuring that the program is open to all branches of service members and providing pay for HERO Program Interns.

• *HSI was Recognized in the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) was Honored in the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Unit (HRVWCU) was Recognized in the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.

 

The Firefighters and EMS Fund

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• The Firefighters and EMS Fund supports ballot initiatives and works to elect leaders at the state and local levels – who understand the interests of firefighters and public safety officers.

 

DHS Science & Technology (S&T) (First of Three)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL)

• The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is America’s principal federal laboratory for first responder technology testing and evaluation and is critical to the solutions the Science and Technology Directorate delivers to its stakeholders.

• Throughout its 75-year history, the lab has remained at the forefront of rapidly evolving technology for everyday hazards and our nation’s more complex threats.

• From measuring radioactive fallout during the Cold War to conducting field tests of first responder technologies today, NUSTL’s work plays a vital role in the lives of first responders and the security of the American people.

(Learn more about NUSTL. Courtesy of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and YouTube.)

• New technologies are developed daily to enhance responder performance and safety, but are they durable? Will they perform under pressure? That’s what the NUSTL aims to ensure.

• As a federal laboratory organized within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), NUSTL brings together the interests and initiatives of the Homeland Security Enterprise with the first responder community.

• The laboratory’s mission activities in test and evaluation (T&E) and research and development (R&D) help first responders prepare, protect, and respond to homeland security threats.

 

DHS Science & Technology (S&T) (Second of Three)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• NextGen Alerting for
  Long-Range Broad Agency Announcements

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in collaboration with FEMA’s IPAWS System, has introduced new technology that integrates unattended flood and wildfire sensors with the IPAWS Open Platform for Emergency Networks.

• These critical emergency alerts would be pushed to people in affected areas on their mobile devices and even on vehicle infotainment systems, with life-saving public safety alerts to street mapping apps, so they can be directed out of the path of danger, leading to enhanced public safety and improved emergency response in the face of natural disaster.

• These systems have the potential to provide life-saving critical emergency alerts to people in affected areas on their mobile devices and even on vehicle infotainment systems, leading to enhanced public safety and improved emergency response in the face of natural disasters.

• “The Wildland Urban Interface affects millions of Americans who live in or near areas prone to wildfires and flooding. This program is focused on developing innovative solutions that can help minimize the devastating impact on people and their communities,” explained Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology.

• “S&T and FEMA IPAWS are dedicated to making long-term investments in innovative technology to ensure our nation’s first responders and emergency managers don’t face tomorrow’s floods and fires with yesterday’s tools.”

 

DHS Science & Technology (S&T), (Third of Three)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Screening at Speed Program for New
  Carry-On Baggage Screening System

• S&T recently installed a next-generation carry-on baggage screening system at Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts to collect data about how the system operates in a real-world environment to improve the system and detection algorithms.

• The system, administered by S&T’s Screening at Speed Program, is intended to help the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) cut the number of false alarms during carry-on bag screenings and reduce the time passengers spend in line waiting for their bags to be cleared.

• “This new carry-on screening system is an important next step in aviation security,” said Dr. John Fortune, S&T’s Screening at Speed Program Manager.

• “It combines two state-of-the-art systems into a hybrid that outperforms what the systems can do on their own. This data collection will help us fine-tune the Automatic Threat Recognition (ATR) algorithm and take advantage of the system’s ability to know which objects in our carry-on bags are actual threats and which just look like threats.”

• The two systems in this hybrid are the Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray, like the technology used in CAT scans, and the newer X-ray diffraction (XRD) system, which provides more information about the types of materials in bags than CT X-ray and, in some cases, can identify what objects are made of in carry-on bags.

• Together, the two systems allow Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to view a 3D image of the bag, identify materials inside, and recognize whether there is a threat without opening it, reducing the number of bag inspections and speeding up the process at the checkpoint.

• This new technology would also improve screening methods and daily workflows for  TSA’s TSOs on the front lines of aviation security. Technologies like the hybrid CT/XRD system would bring those goals together in a single system.

• The Screening at Speed Program conducts transformative research and development to improve the traveler experience, ensure security systems development outpaces evolving threats, and realize the aviation experience of the future.

(Learn how S&T mobilizes innovation and develops technology to protect our country and secure our world. From sensors to cybersecurity to technology for first responders, DHS S&T works with industry leaders to find tomorrow’s solutions, today. Courtesy of DHS Science and Technology Directorate and YouTube.)

• *DHS S&T has been recognized with Multiple Awards for Seven Consecutive Years in the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Programs.

 

Cathy Lanier, Senior Vice President Security for the National Football League (NFL)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Cathy Lanier, is a former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC).

• She is the first woman to hold the position and was the longest-serving Chief of Police in the history of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.

• Violent crime dropped 23 percent over the years Lanier was chief, and homicides plunged to a half-century low in 2012.

• As Senior Vice President of security for the National Football League Lanier supervises all operations and activities of the NFL Security Department. 

• In addition to internal coordination, she works effectively with international, federal, state, and local law entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Homeland Security, and local law enforcement to ensure the security of the NFL’s venues, fans, players, staff and infrastructure.

• Lanier also supervises all investigative programs, event security (including the Super Bowl and international games), game integrity programs, and department administration, and takes the lead in assessing security issues within the League and assigning the correct resources as they arise.

(Hear directly from Cathy Lanier, a trailblazing former police chief who is now in charge of securing the NFL, as she shares her inspiring story. Courtesy of CBS Mornings and YouTube.)

 

DHS Federal Protective Service (FPS), in Collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and the Interagency Security Committee

Excellence in Federal Government Security Program

• ISC DBT Methodology

• This year, the Interagency Security Committee Design-Basis Threat Subcommittee, with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service and Argonne National Laboratory, worked to develop a technology to modernize the methodology used in the development of the DBT Undesirable Event Ratings.

• The ISC defines an undesirable event as an incident directed towards a Federal facility that adversely impacts the facility’s operation, the agency’s mission, or its personnel.

• The successful application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes behind this modernization has allowed the ISC to establish better standards used by federal facilities and their tenant agencies to anticipate and respond to threats.

• The ISC DBT Methodology has enabled the federal community to prioritize better and allocate resources to the most needed areas.

• Each year, 66 federal agencies from across the federal landscape utilize the DBT Methodology and subsequent Reports to more efficiently and effectively anticipate and respond to potential threats, translating into thousands of federal facilities and millions of men and women who visit/work in those facilities each year.

• Ultimately, the Argonne/FPS/ISC Team’s new methodology has allowed the ISC community to protect better the critical government infrastructure essential to our society’s functioning.

• *The FPS and ANL teams have been Recognized for their Fifth Consecutive Year in the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Programs.

 

Interagency Security Committee (ISC)

Excellence in Federal Government Security Training

• Risk Management Process and Facility Security Committee Training Program

• On April 19, 1995, the worst domestic-based terrorist attack against the U.S. Government in our history occurred when Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was attacked with an improvised truck bomb – which took the lives of 168 individuals, including 19 children and injured over 700 others. 

(On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a former Army soldier parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He got out, locked it, and ignited two fuses. At 9:02 a.m., the explosion ripped through the building where 500 people worked and children attended America’s Kids daycare. Courtesy of PennLive by Deb Kiner and YouTube.)

• In response, the Interagency Security Committee was created to establish policies for security in and protection of federal facilities,  develop and evaluate security standards and a strategy for ensuring compliance, and  take the actions necessary to enhance the quality and effectiveness of security and protection of federal facilities.

• *The ISC has been Recognized in Multiple ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Programs.

 

Frank Leeb, Chief of Safety at Fire for the
Department of the City of New York (FDNY)

2023 New Product of the Year Award

• “Cornerstones of Leadership: On and Off the Fireground: Training – Teamwork – Mentorship“

• This hardcover first edition was written by 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Champion Frank Leeb, Chief of Safety for The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), who was Honored for his Tireless Work on Preventing Cancer in Firefighters.

• Frank’s leadership philosophy of training, teamwork, and mentorship inspired him to share the principles he’s learned over his 40 years in the fire service in this new book.

• These principles have been the cornerstones of his leadership as he ascended the ranks of the FDNY, serving in several senior leadership positions. He also demonstrated how these lessons are transferable to any occupation or industry looking for self-improvement or organizational advancement.

• In Cornerstones of Leadership: On and Off the Fireground: Training – Teamwork – Mentorship, Chief Leeb recounts stories from his distinguished career, both on and off the fireground.

• He shares stories of leadership, heroism, triumph, playing to win, and how the slimmest of margins between winning and losing can be directly credited to our preparation and winning mindset.

(Hear directly from Chief Frank Leeb. Courtesy of Responder Resilience and YouTube.)

• Told with unique stories of the FDNY in action, the FDNY way, Chief Leeb’s book ‘Cornerstones…’ provides simple, time-tested wisdom, practical advice, and words of motivation that will inspire you to action.

 

Doug Haines, President of Haines’ Security Design School

2023 New Product of the Year Award

• “Finding Your Bogeyman: The Security Engineering Calculus”

• Doug Haines, owner of Haines Security Solutions, LLC (HSS), is a United States Air Force veteran with over 45 years of law enforcement and security-related experience, which includes teaching building design principles to architects, engineers, facility managers, planners, and security professionals.

• Mr. Haines is a regular expert contributor to AST, sharing his years of experience and insights with our 75K+ readers.

• HSS, Doug’s company, is recognized as a center of expertise within the security community for risk assessment, providing services for many federal, State, and local government agencies and private companies around the globe, and is a founding member of the International Centers of Security Training Excellence (ICSTE).

• After reading Mr. Haines’ latest book, “Finding Your Bogeyman…” you’ll have the self-assurance your mitigation strategies are based on confirmed threats and will enable you to protect your employees and visitors against criminal activity, including injury and death. 

 

U.S. Marshals Service

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force

• The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force was among the first Regional Fugitive Task Forces to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 has partnership agreements with over 118 federal, state, and local agencies, and has eight fully operational offices.

(Learn more about the United States Marshals Service. Operation We Will Find You is the first nationwide missing child operation focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children. Operation We Will Find You presented the USMS with an opportunity to expand and highlight partnerships among law enforcement agencies and NCMEC that resulted in not only finding critically missing children but also bringing more attention to the epidemic of missing children in America. Courtesy of the USMS by Andrew Arthur Breese and YouTube.)

• The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force has successfully apprehended over 94,000 fugitives since its inception and has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives, always striving to make their communities safer.

 

United Through Reading

Excellence in Community Resilience

• Every year, more than 100,000 military parents deploy, leaving nearly 250,000 children at home. That’s millions of bedtime stories missed each year by military children. 

• United Through Reading knows that hearing a parent’s voice and seeing their face is a truly unique experience that cannot be replaced.

• United Through Reading keeps military families reading-ready, no matter the distance between them.

• Families stay connected through storytime video recordings and books sent to military families.

• These stories ease the stress of time apart due to military duty, maintain positive emotional connections, and cultivate a love of reading and early childhood literacy.

(Hear from Military kids share in their own words what United Through Reading means to them. Courtesy of United Through Reading and YouTube.)

• Service members and veterans can record a story for their family at more than 400 United Through Reading recording locations worldwide, as well as on their mobile devices with their free and secure reading app.

• Since 1989, more than 3 million military family members have benefited from United Through Reading’s programs and services.

 

Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Founded in 1976 as a non-profit organization, the Police Executive Research Forum is a police research and policy organization providing management services, technical assistance, and executive-level education to support law enforcement agencies.

• PERF helps to improve the delivery of police services through the exercise of strong national leadership; public debate of police and criminal justice issues; and research and policy development.

• PERF was nominated by Dr. Kathleen Kiernan , a 29 year veteran of federal law enforcement and the President of NEC National Security Systems, for their exceptional work in policing, latest recruitment efforts, and strong support for mental health/officer wellness.

• Commissioner Bratton, a 45+ year member of PERF and former PERF President, and author of ‘The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America’ accepted the award on behalf of current Executive Director Charles Wexler.

 

Chief Steven A. Sund

Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Steven Sund is a thirty-year law enforcement veteran, author, and adjunct instructor.

• Sund served for over 25 years with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC where he rose through the ranks to become the commander (Deputy Chief) of the elite Special Operations Division.

 

• After a brief retirement, Sund joined the United States Capitol Police (USCP), where he was appointed the tenth Chief of Police for the USCP in 2019.

(Learn More. One of the darkest days in American history became an extraordinary story of courage under fire. Courage under Fire is United States Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund’s gripping personal account that takes readers inside the events leading up to January 6 and provides a detailed and harrowing minute-by-minute account of the attack on the US Capitol, which was valiantly defended in hand-to-hand combat by the US Capitol Police officers who found themselves outnumbered fifty-eight to one. Courtesy of Blackstone Publishing and YouTube. Posted on Oct 26, 2022.)

• As per Amazon… Courage Under Fire is United States Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund’s gripping personal account that takes readers inside the events leading up to January 6 and provides a detailed and harrowing minute-by-minute account of the attack on the US Capitol, which was valiantly defended in hand-to-hand combat by the US Capitol Police officers who found themselves outnumbered 58 to 1.

• To learn more, please see “Courage Under Fire” – available in hardback, Kindle, or Audiobook Editions on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Under-Fire-Outnumbered-January/dp/B0BGJHNBSK.

• Chief Steven Sund is also a Congressional Gold Medal Recipient, Public Speaker, and an Expert in Leadership Training, Critical Incident, and Special Event Management.

 

Police Director Ray Guidetti, Hackensack Police Department

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• In 2018, Police Director Ray Guidetti of the Hackensack Police Department retired as the Deputy Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police as a Lt. Colonel after twenty-five years of service.
  

• The U.S. Department of Justice selected Ray to play a critical role in the prosecution of the 9/11 conspirator Zacharias Moussaoui, known as the PENTTBOMB investigation.
  

• For his efforts, he was awarded the 2006 U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering National Security and the 2006 NJSP Trooper of the Year Award.

 

Susan Birnbaum, President & CEO of the NYC Police Foundation

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Susan loves New York City, its communities, and its people.

• This is why she works every day–with New York City’s communities, businesses, and police–to build a safer city together.
  

• Birnbaum was nominated by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell for her exceptional work with the New York City Police Foundation.

• Under Birnbaum’s leadership, the New York City Police Foundation provides resources for the NYPD to innovate and improve the quality of its services, build bridges with the community, and make New York City a safer place to live, work, and visit.

• The Police Foundation was established in 1971 by business and civic leaders to pay for public safety initiatives and in the wake of the Knapp Commission hearings into widespread police corruption.

• According to the foundation’s website, it has provided the NYPD over $100 million to pay for more than 400 programs in areas such as technology, enforcement strategies, gun buybacks, counterterrorism postings, and training initiatives.

(Learn more about the New York City Police Foundation. Courtesy of the New York City Police Foundation and YouTube.)

 

Philip Ozuah, MD, Chairman of the NYC Police Foundation

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Dr. Philip Ozuah was nominated by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell for his exceptional work at the NYC Police Foundation, his committment to expanding access to health care for underserved communities, fostering innovations in medical education, and improving the operations of the health system.

• Dr. Ozuah serves on the boards of the NYC Police Foundation, Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, NYC Proton Center, and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

• He is also the CEO of Montefiore Medicine.

(See Dr. Ozuah, the President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine in Action. Montefiore Medicine is the umbrella organization for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Montefiore Health System’s 13 member hospitals, 300 ambulatory sites, and 7.5 million patient encounters per year. A nationally recognized physician, leader, executive, researcher, teacher, and author, Dr. Ozuah leads an organization with 10,000 physicians and 53,000 employees serving a diverse group of patients. Courtesy of Montefiore Health System and YouTube.)

 

Nassau County Police Department Foundation

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• The Nassau County Police Department Foundation is a 501-c)-3 nonprofit organization that provides financial support to the analytic, operational, and outreach components of the Nassau County Police Department.

• and supports programs and initiatives that the Department runs to provide the residents of Nassau County with an improved quality of life through excellence in policing.

• The NCPD Foundation was created in December 2008 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support programs and initiatives run by the NCPD to provide the residents of Nassau County with an improved quality of life through excellence in policing.

 

James F. Albrecht, NYPD Retired

• Excellence in Public Safety

• Captain Albrecht is a 20-year veteran of the NYPD who retired as the Commanding Officer of NYPD Transit Bureau District 20.

• Albrecht is an independent contractor with extensive experience conducting comprehensive training and policy reform projects for the US Department of State, the US Department of Justice, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, and regional POST training centers.

• As a retired NYPD Captain/Commanding Officer, Jimmy has first-hand experience developing and implementing effective crime control strategies at numerous police stations throughout the city.

• Jimmy was a first responder and a designated leadership official on the emergency management team during the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and immediately designed the counter-terrorism plan for the subway system in Queens (NYC).

• Jimmy is presently a professor of criminal justice and homeland security at Pace University in Manhattan and has published numerous books on enhancing police-community relations, corruption control, crisis management, police use of force, improving police service delivery, law enforcement/the rule of law reform in international peacekeeping missions, and numerous other topics related to policing, criminal justice, criminology, terrorism, counter-terrorism, and emergency incident management, all from global perspectives and while highlighting best practices. 

 

Deputy Commissioner Richard Bastidas, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, NY

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Deputy Commissioner Richard Bastidas, in the Town of Islip Department of Public Safety, has coordinated and led colleagues and partner agencies through numerous natural disasters, major events, and critical incidents through effective planning and preparation in Suffolk County on Long Island in New York State.

• In his role, he ensures optimal deployment for local and regional public security and traffic safety. Deputy Commissioner Bastidas is a certified FEMA incident commander and a three-decade veteran of law enforcement. He is a strong advocate of community collaboration and partnership.

• Deputy Commissioner Richard Bastidas is a 9-11 first responder, who was involved directly in rescue and recovery operations as a member of the New York City Police Department.

• Richard was a 25+ year veteran of the NYPD, having retired as a detective investigator. He has been repeatedly acknowledged for his expertise in community policing, crime scene investigation, and fingerprint analysis and identification.

• He served many years as chief of security for US Congressman Lee Zeldin (New York 1st Congressional District).

 

Richard S. Kendall, Founder and CEO of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Richard S. Kendall, Chairman at Impera Intelligence Group

• Mr. Kendall is the Founder and CEO of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation (FEHSF), an independent not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who give of their time, resources, and energy to support the mission of the Foundation.

• FEHSF was formed to assist Federal Agents by supporting their families with emergency funding. In particular, FEHSF provides monetary support to families of Agents and officers who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty protecting the nation’s citizens or enforcing our laws.

• Additionally, FEHSF supports those Agents or Agents’ families during personal difficulties, tragedies, or financial hardship. 

• The FEHSF National Advisory Board comprises many current and former Federal Law Enforcement officials, including current and former Special Agents in Charge (SACs) and many who have moved from Government positions to senior-level positions within major corporations, including Honorary Chairman Governor Tom Ridge.

• FEHSF is proud to engage a strong cross-section of leaders who support the courageous men and women in uniform who work tirelessly to maintain a strong, safe nation.

 

MOMS IN SECURITY Global Outreach

• Excellence in Public Safety and Community Resilience

• Moms in Security Global Outreach is a not-for-profit organization that focuses its efforts on fundraising and awareness for victims of human trafficking and child exploitation.

• They aim to serve as a liaison between the security industry, law enforcement, and public/private organizations to create actionable solutions in the fight against human trafficking.

• Elisa Mula, a Physical Security Strategist, Child Safety & Security Advocate, and Executive Director of Moms in Security, explains the nonprofit focuses on the idea that all children deserve to grow and thrive in an environment that ensures their safety and security.

• Moms In Security (MISGO) is committed to assisting with all security and technology-related efforts to keep children and young adults safe. We pay special attention to issues of human trafficking and acts of violence that could have an impact on children.

 

The 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is Proudly Sponsored by Platinum Event Sponsor: NEC National Security Systems (NSS)

And Our RETURNING Premier Sponsors:

ATI Systems, Automatic Systems of America,

Guard Dog AI, IPVideo Corporation, Rajant Corporation, RX Global, SIMS Software, and American Security Today!

 

View Part 1 Winners A – GL        View Part 2 Winners GU – M 

View Part 3 N – Z       NEXT View Part 5 Innovation & Leadership

 

• **IN A RARE TIE Event – a tie results from extremely differing objectives and/or similar technological applications.

 

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