SM Online July 2016

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Fifteen years after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, 11 years after Hurricane Katrina, and two years after the Navy Yard shootings in Washington, D.C., maintaining effective interoperable communications during a crisis is a challenge that the nation’s leaders have not yet managed to master. That’s according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Emergency Communications: Actions Needed to Better Coordinate Federal Efforts in the National Capital Region​. Besides unsuccessful interoperability, inadequate interagency coordination is another issue that has hindered federal emergency communication, according to the report.

TERRORISM PATTERNS 

A recent study, Spatio-Temporal Patterns of IED Usage by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, argues that a mathematical model can be especially useful in modeling the back-and-forth interactions between insurgent attacks by militant groups and the counterinsurgency operations of those fighting the militant groups.

WESTERN MILITANTS HLS

New America’s report, ISIS In the West: The Western Militant Flow to Syria and Iraq​, looks at 604 foreign fighters from 26 Western countries and paints a portrait of today’s Western militants. 

CRIME STATISTICS

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program​ keeps track of crime statistics in the United States, including data on people arrested, types of crime, and information on sworn police officers and civilian employees. The last full report was completed in 2015, and includes data received from over 18,000 city, university/college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the program. 

SCHOOL VIDEO

A study commissioned by Eagle Eye Networks​ reports that 72 percent of adults favor placing security cameras in schools.

CYBER INCIDENTS 

To help companies respond to cyber incidents and data breaches, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Cybersecurity Unit crafted Best Practices for Victim Response and Reporting of Cyber Incidents. The guidance is designed to help companies create an actionable incident response plan for cyberattacks.

ACTIVE SHOOTER

The ASIS International School Safety and Security Council has released a highly anticipated white paper, Active Shooter​. The 60-page document consists of 13 chapters written by members of the council. ASIS members can download the paper for free.