Bali CCTV - Security System

Jamaican police have confirmed they are studying “critical” CCTV footage of the hotel where Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was murdered.

Woolmer was found dead last Sunday after being strangled in the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, the day after Pakistan were surprisingly knocked out of the World Cup by Ireland.

Police are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry, with speculation rife that Woolmer, 58, may have been preparing to speak out on match-fixing.

Woolmer’s room was on the 12th floor of the hotel and police feel he may have known his killer - or killers - as there was no sign of forced entry.

Deputy police commissioner Mark Shields said: “We are still looking at CCTV. It is pretty comprehensive.

“Unfortunately, it does not show the doors but shows the corridors at either end and will give us an indication who was on that floor.

“It is critically important because it may give us an image or images of the killer of Bob Woolmer.”

The Pegasus Hotel where Woolmer was murdered Buy this photoShields also played down reports Woolmer had been involved in an argument with players on the team bus after the Ireland defeat at Sabina Park.

The Pakistan team have now left Jamaica and are in London en route to Lahore. The entire party were questioned by police during the week with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Mushtaq Ahmed required for further questioning before their departure on Saturday.

“This is standard procedure,” Shields added, pointing out that this was merely to complete formalities and clear up ambiguities.

Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Pervez Mir denied claims from former PCB chairman Shahryar Khan that there was friction between Inzamam and Woolmer.

“What we have had here is complete co-operation and fantastic team work between Inzamam and Bob Woolmer,” Mir said.

“Mr Shaharyar Khan is entitled to his opinion but if all this happened under his tenure he has to be answerable for that.”

Khan, who resigned after the ball-tampering furore at the Brit Oval last year, said that Woolmer enjoyed a reasonable relationship with the players, but there were problems with Inzamam.

Woolmer was well liked, according to Shaharyar Khan “There were a few confrontations [between Bob and his players],” Khan said. “But invariably Bob did not take umbrage at various players sulking or even addressing harsh words to him because they’d been left out or asked to go home from a series.

“Generally, he had a very good relationship with the boys because he took so much trouble.”

Despite getting on well with the players, Shaharyar claims Woolmer was never able to stamp his authority on the squad.

“He never really had full control of the team, either spiritual or cricketing, because this lay with the captain most of the time,” Khan told BBC Radio Five Live.

“There was always a question mark regarding Bob taking total control of the team in every sense.

“There was resistance from Inzamam and perhaps successful resistance. Inzamam was the leader, the unquestioned leader of the team.

“They (the players) all fell in place around him and were totally supportive of Inzamam. Bob found it difficult sometimes.

“Bob felt he should have had full control of the team but in fact he didn’t.”

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The 2012 Olympics in London will be a “huge target” for possible attack if the terrorist threat level remains as high as it is now, London’s police commissioner said.

Police are already working on detailed security plans for the summer games, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair said Thursday.

Blair said a new assistant commissioner would be appointed to handle security for the Olympics, which officials are touting as an opportunity to revitalize poor areas of the capital.

“There can be no doubt that the 2012 games - if the current threat scenario stays the same - will be a huge target and we have to understand that and work on that basis,” he said. “There is no question that hosting an Olympic games in a liberal democracy rather than in China (site of the 2008 games) poses different issues.”

The government allocated 4.6 million pounds (US$8.6 million; euro7 million) to the police on Thursday to prepare for the Olympics, but Blair said it was too early to know what the total cost would be.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who is in charge of Olympics security until someone is appointed to the job permanently, said the department was also focused on preventing criminal activity linked to the games, such as human trafficking, counterfeiting and the use of illegal immigrants in construction.

He said there was no specific intelligence about any illegal activity.

“Taking the current threat in relation to terrorism, we are seeking to plan at the highest threat level,” Ghaffur said. “But we have no idea what the threat level will be in 2012. … We will not tolerate criminal activity from those wanting to disrupt what is a major celebration for London, a showcase for London.”

As IP surveillance is quickly becoming the most flexible and future-proof option for security and surveillance installations, it is important for users to understand common pitfalls, customization options and the advantages of a fully digital system.

Starting with the first step in February and continuing through November - and published jointly via SecurityInfoWatch.com and in Security Technology & Design magazine — we will examine 10 steps that security professionals can take in order to implement a successful IP Surveillance system. These include:

Step 1: Choosing a network camera
It is important to select cameras that meet the needs of your organization and installation. This includes cameras that can be pan/tilt/zoom, vandal-proof, weather-resistant, or fixed-dome products. Each type of camera can be blended into an IP-Surveillance system to create a total package that solves your security needs. Also, we have to consider that not all network cameras are created equal. Some low-cost network cameras may look appealing at first, but security professionals need to understand how the components of a network camera affect the camera’s performance and durability.

Step 2: Compression
All digital video surveillance systems use some type of compression for the digital video. Without effective compression, our networks would grind to a halt due to the size of the video files. Selecting the right compression is vital, and includes choices between proprietary or industry standard modes such as Motion JPEG or MPEG-4. Compression can also determine whether video is admissible in court cases, an important consideration for security and surveillance installations.

Step 3: Video Management
These days, video systems can evaluate situations and take the appropriate action, rather than just passively recording video. Video management tools are dependent on the application and many factors have to be considered. We’ll look at considerations of available bandwidth, storage capabilities, scalability, frame-rate control and integration capabilities.

Step 4: Storage
The ability to use open storage solutions is one of the main benefits with IP surveillance. Considerations when determining storage requirements include frame rate, the amount of time the video needs to be stored, the required redundancy, and which type of storage that fits best, e.g. a storage area network, or network attached storage.

Step 5: Incorporating Analog Cameras
So you have analog cameras? These also can be integrated into a network video system using video servers. The analog camera is simply connected to a video server, which digitizes, compresses and transmits video over the network. Many times, this is useful in reducing installation costs because older equipment can continue to be used. However, there are instances in which it is not sufficient to simply convert an analog camera video stream into digital due to limitations in video quality.

Step 6: Wireless Networking
Sometimes wireless solutions are the best and most cost-effective option for security and surveillance installations. For example it could be useful in historic buildings, where the installation of cables would damage the interior, or within facilities where there is a need to move cameras to new locations on a regular basis. The technology can also be used to bridge sites without expensive ground cabling.

Step 7: Designing the Network
Each network design will be specific to the needs of the user and the specified installation. Beyond the actual cameras, it is important to consider IP addressing and transport protocols along with transmission methods, bandwidth, scalability and network security. In this article, we’ll touch on all of those issues - before you encounter them.

Step 8: Security
Securing video is one of the most important steps in creating a successful IP surveillance installation. Nearly all security and surveillance applications contain sensitive information that should not be available to anyone with an Internet connection. Understanding and choosing the right security options - such as firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs) and password protection - will eliminate concerns that an IP surveillance system is open to the public.

Step 9: Hot Technologies
Today far more video is being recorded than anyone could ever monitor or search. Therefore, the next big trend in IP surveillance is intelligent video. Advanced network cameras can have built-in motion detection and event handling. In addition, more intelligent algorithms - such as number (license) plate recognition, people counting — are being integrated into security and surveillance systems. Network cameras and intelligent video have important synergies that make the systems more reliable and effective than those with a digital video recorder or other centralized system.

Step 10: Best Practices
Over the last few years, thousands of IP surveillance systems have been installed, and many lessons have been learned. These range from simple tips about camera placement and lighting conditions to working with IT departments and technicians to determine issues such as the peak times for network usage. As we close the series, we’ll touch on these concerns.

By the end of this article series, these 10 steps will enable any security professional to avoid pitfalls and implement best practices, making IP srveillance installations easier to install and manage.

Get ready for continued growth in video surveillance. Research and Markets, a technology research firm based in Ireland, released a report this morning that looks at the world video surveillance market.

The report, which is typically marketed to large national dealer/integrators and product manufacturers, indicated that the world market for video surveillance equipment will like expand by 37 percent in the next three years. Researchers credited the potential growth in the industry to not only continued concern over terrorist acts, but to the looming possibility of video surveillance upgrades as businesses and organizations make the switch from analog video to IP-based systems.

Also reviewed in the report is Russia’s broadband industry and its relevance to CCTV gains. The report also examines how integration of systems affects the market for CCTV.

Extreme CCTV 

Extreme CCTV International Inc. has announces the release of its REG Interactive Product Advisor, a new tool that enables security dealers to instantly determine the required license plate capture camera required for any given project. The REG Interactive Product Advisor automatically calculates angles of incidence, the precise three-dimensional distance between license plate and camera and determines the specific REG model. The entire process takes a couple of minutes and provides the dealer with an outstanding technical resource for license plate capture.

Group had three times as much explosives as that used in Oklahoma City bombing

Canadian authorities said Saturday they had foiled plans for a homegrown terrorist attack with the arrests of 17 men and teenagers, who were “inspired by al-Qaida” and had obtained three times the amount of explosives used in the deadly Oklahoma City bombing.

The FBI in Washington said the Canadian suspects may have had “limited contact” with two men recently arrested on terrorism charges in the state of Georgia.

“These individuals were allegedly intent on committing acts of terrorism against their own country and their own people,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. “As we have said on many occasions, Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they had arrested 12 male adults and five youths on terrorism charges, including plotting attacks with explosives on Canadian targets. The suspects were either citizens or residents of Canada and had trained together, they said.

“This group took steps to acquire three tons of ammonium nitrate and other components necessary to create explosive devices,” said assistant Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner Mike McDonell. “This group posed a real and serious threat. It had the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks.”

He noted that this was three times the amount used to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The April 19, 1995, attack killed 168 people and injured more than 800.

“The men arrested yesterday are Canadian residents from a variety of backgrounds. For various reasons, they appeared to have become adherents of a violent ideology inspired by al-Qaida,” said Luc Portelance, assistant director of operations with CSIS - Canada’s spy agency. However, he said investigators had yet to make any link to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.

The first five suspects were led in handcuffs later Saturday to the Ontario Court of Justice, which was surrounded by snipers and bomb-sniffing dogs. The men were told by a judge not to communicate with one another and he set their first bail hearing for next Tuesday.

Alvin Chand - brother of Toronto suspect Steven Vikash Chand - said outside the courthouse his brother was innocent and that authorities “just want to show they’re doing something.”

“He’s not a terrorist, come on. He’s a Canadian citizen,” Chand told the AP. “The people that were arrested are good people, they go to the mosque, they go to school, go to college.”

Also at the court hearing was Aly Hindy, an imam of Scarborough’s Salaheddin Islamic Center, which houses a school and mosque that has been monitored by security agencies for years. He said he knows nine of the suspects and that Muslims were once again being falsely accused.

“It’s not terrorism. It could be some criminal activity with a few guys, that’s all,” said Hindy. “We are the ones always accused. Somebody fakes a document and they are an international terrorist forging documents for al-Qaida.”

FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko in Washington, D.C., said there may have been a connection between the Canadian suspects and a Georgia Tech student and another American who had traveled to Canada to meet with Islamic extremists to discuss suitable locations for a terrorist strike.

“The FBI is aware of the ongoing law enforcement activity in Canada,” Kolko said. “There is preliminary indication that some of the Canadian subjects may have had limited contact with the two people recently arrested from Georgia.”

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Secretary Michael Chertoff telephoned his counterpart in Canada, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, to discuss the arrests, but said they would not heighten the Homeland Security daily threat advisory.

Officials at the news conference displayed evidence of bomb-making materials - including a red cellular phone that was wired up to what appeared to be an explosives detonator inside a black toolbox - a computer hard drive, camouflage uniforms and a door riddled by bullet holes.

About 400 regional police and federal agents were involved in the arrests Friday and early Saturday.

The Toronto Star reported Saturday that the men had trained at a camp north of Toronto and had plotted to attack the Canadian spy agency’s downtown Toronto office, among other targets in Ontario province. Authorities refused to confirm those reports, but did say that contrary to other reports, Toronto’s subway system did not appear to be a target.

The 12 adults, who range in age from 19 to 43, live in either Toronto, Canada’s financial capital and largest city, or the nearby cities of Mississauga or Kingston.

Rocco Galati, a lawyer for two suspects from Mississauga, said Ahmad Ghany, 21, is a health sciences graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton. He was born in Canada, the son of a medical doctor who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago.

Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, is an unmarried computer programmer of Egyptian descent, Galati said. He emigrated from Egypt at the age of 10 with his father who is now an engineer on contract with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the lawyer said. Atomic Energy of Canada provides services to nuclear utilities in Canada and other countries, according to its Web site.

The charges were filed under Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act, which was passed following the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., particularly after bin Laden named Canada as one of five so-called Christian nations that should be targeted for terror strikes.

Portelance said it was the largest counterterrorism operation in Canada since the adoption of the act and said more arrests were possible.

_____

Associated Press reporter Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

YOGYAKARTA (AP): Activity at Mount Merapi volcano has tripled since Saturday’s earthquake, and a large eruption is still possible, a volcanology official said Monday. “The earthquake has caused instability in the lava dome,” said Subandriyo, chief of the Merapi volcanology and monitoring office. “There is still a chance that a big eruption might occur,” he said.

NEW YORK_The city’s commuters could land on TV if transit officials approve a proposal to install security cameras on subway cars.

Officials are in preliminary talks on the idea, said Michael Lombardi, New York City Transit’s senior vice president for subways. It is unclear how much the closed-circuit cameras would cost, he said Monday.

The cameras would be used in part to catch graffiti vandals, said Andrew Albert, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member.

“It could probably stop other crime as well, and perhaps they could catch a terror suspect,” he said.

Other anti-vandalism efforts discussed Monday at an MTA committee meeting included a $25 million (?19.6 million) proposal to replace most subway windows, many of which have been permanently scarred by knives and etching acid.

The new windows, to be placed in about 5,000 cars, would have a polyester coating that could be peeled off and replaced when damaged by graffiti. The coating is already in use in the newest of the system’s 6,200 cars.

Money for the project will be included in a proposed 2007 budget that the authority will consider this year, said Lombardi.

Man killed after driving through security checkpoint, leading security on high-speed chase 

A man with a history of mental illness was shot and killed after driving through a checkpoint at an Air National Guard Base and leading security on a high-speed chase, officials said Thursday.

Timothy James Whisman, 37, of Fraser, was taken to Mount Clemens General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Michigan State Police Sgt. Craig Nyeholt.

It was the second break-in in two months at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, 30 miles northeast of Detroit. Another man was arrested on the base in April and faces charges.

Wednesday evening, the unauthorized vehicle forced its way onto the base, evaded security officers at high speeds and struck a privately owned vehicle, according to a statement from the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard.

Officers fired shots when the driver tried to run over security personnel, but he continued driving around the base until being forced off the road and then taken to a hospital, the statement said.

Nyeholt said Whisman’s psychological problems dated back at least until 1998, when an order for his involuntary hospitalization was issued. He said Whisman’s family told police that the problems stemmed from a head injury after a motorcycle accident.

In the earlier break-in, on April 4, a 21-year-old man led security patrols on a brief high-speed chase at Selfridge before they caught him. No shots were fired, and the FBI determined terrorism was not involved. Abdallah Karadsheh of Macomb Township was charged with attempting to maliciously destroy military structures. <br>

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Record, The (Hackensack, NJ) (KRT)
via NewsEdge Corporation

May 12–For 25 years, Mark Hatfield Jr. forged a successful career in public relations and political event planning that included White House jobs in two administrations.

Recently, he took on a new profession: anti-terrorism.

Today, Hatfield is the acting federal security chief at Newark Liberty International Airport, where five years ago hijackers boarded United Flight 93.

Now his credentials for this sensitive Transportation Security Administration post are being questioned by aviation and security experts who say he’s unqualified.

“How do you put the security of a major New York airport in the hands of someone who has absolutely no security training?” said Michael Boyd, an aviation industry consultant. “This guy has no security background at all — none. He has no business being in that job. He should be removed immediately.”

Hatfield — the son of former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield, a powerful Republican from Oregon — said he has made significant strides since being named to the post in March, after having been the deputy director since September. Under his leadership, Hatfield said, he has increased training, improved employee morale and strengthened relations with airlines.

“I stand ready to be judged on my performance,” said Hatfield, who is a candidate to be named the permanent director. “The results of our work here are clearly observable. There’s no doubt about this — the security buck stops at my desk. I am the accountable party.”

Critics, however, say Hatfield is an anomaly. In fact, he is the only TSA security director among those at the 20 busiest U.S. airports without a lengthy prior military, law-enforcement or airline industry career, according to an analysis by The Record.

The aviation and security experts wonder if Hatfield should hold a post traditionally staffed by people with those professional backgrounds. They question his qualifications to lead more than 1,000 TSA screeners and security personnel at Newark Liberty, a force roughly the same size as the Newark Police Department.

“Newark [Liberty] was one of the targets on 9/11,” Boyd said, referring to the United flight that crashed in rural Pennsylvania. “To put someone in charge of security who has no security experience is an outrage. It spits in the face of the people who died.”

TSA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when hijackers slipped past low-paid private security guards and smuggled box cutters aboard jets that they later hijacked. TSA airport security directors oversee the federal employees who screen passengers with metal detectors and who X-ray luggage looking for bombs.

“The TSA has a very important role in counterterrorism,” said Bob Pence, a former FBI agent who headed the bureau’s Denver office “One of the main reasons that they came into existence was to try to stop acts of terrorism and try to detect people who might be in the business of terrorism,” he said.

Pence called TSA’s decision to put a person with Hatfield’s resume in the Newark Liberty Airport post “very unusual.”

“I don’t know of any [TSA airport security directors] who haven’t had some sort of a military or law-enforcement or aviation background,” he said.

Before joining TSA, Hatfield worked in public relations, as a lobbyist and as a White House event planner in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Hatfield also worked on the campaigns of those presidents, and once helped plan a summer concert tour for the Beach Boys. His resume is not without some law-enforcement experience: For three years in the 1980s, he was a sworn reserve officer for the Portland, Ore., Police Department, where he made arrests and carried a gun, he said.

Experts believe Newark Liberty would be particularly attractive to terrorists. United Flight 93 demonstrated as much, as does the airport’s proximity to prime terror targets. Manhattan’s towering high-rises are only a minute or two away by air, as are downtown Newark and New Jersey’s chemical plants and refineries.

Hatfield, 45, has his supporters. They say he is extremely capable and brings depth of experience from his many years working as a spokesman and political advance man in the federal government. They say Hatfield also has learned a great deal during his nearly four years with the TSA.

Some of that time was spent at the agency’s Washington headquarters, where he attended senior daily intelligence briefings. Hatfield actively participated in detailed discussions at the agency’s highest levels about security incidents and problems at the nation’s airports, officials said.

Hatfield signed on with the agency in November 2002 as a media spokesman for the Northeast United States. A year later, he was named TSA’s assistant administrator and head of its communications office.

In September 2005, the agency named Hatfield as the deputy security director at Newark Liberty. George Nacarra, who was then TSA’s Northeast region director, says he recommended Hatfield for that job and believes he now makes an excellent security director at Newark Liberty, which last year served more than 33 million passengers.

“The qualities that are most important for this job are strong leadership, the ability to get along with people — someone who projects enthusiasm, authority and self confidence,” said Nacarra, who is now TSA’s chief at Boston Logan Airport. “I felt Mark had all of these attributes.”

Nacarra also said Hatfield had good relations with the media and had been the head of marketing and public relations at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the late 1990s. The Port Authority operates Newark Liberty, as well as JFK, La Guardia and Teterboro airports.

David Stone, a retired Navy rear admiral who headed TSA from 2003-2005, said he, too, found Hatfield to be an effective leader and highly competent at his job. Stone said he has no qualms about having Hatfield run a major security operation.

“I think he’s a very, very appropriate candidate for Newark Airport,” Stone said.

Hatfield was appointed as acting Newark TSA chief in March after the departure of his predecessor, Marcus Arroyo, a former Navy SEAL and Federal Aviation Administration security official. Arroyo departed under fire amid reports of security lapses at the airport.

Hatfield said he already has changed things for the better at Newark Liberty.

Under his leadership, he said, employee absenteeism and injuries are down, test scores are higher and discipline has been tightened.

“This is really my life passion right now, and I think the team I’ve got is really working well,” Hatfield said.

Boyd, who is president of an aviation industry consulting firm in Colorado, says he believes that Hatfield won the post because of his high-octane GOP contacts in Washington.

“The only thing he’s got going for him is his political connections,” Boyd said. “This is a guy who is a political hack. He’s going to put together a security plan for Newark [Liberty]? We might as well hire a grammar school to do it and make it a class project.”