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New York Tackles Cyber Security
by Chloe Albanesius
New York Gov. George Pataki and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on Monday announced plans for anti-terrorism legislation that would address cyber crime and warrants for telecom devices.
The proposed measure would establish cyber terrorism as a criminal act punishable as a felony when it is perpetrated against the computer system of a government agency, utility or financial institution.
It also would simplify the process for getting an out-of-state warrant for phone, computer and wireless telephone services.
"By creating new criminal offenses, increasing penalties and instituting procedural reforms ... to combat terrorism, we can take another important step in our journey" since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Pataki, a Republican, said in a statement.
The bill "will help ensure that New York's laws provide the tools that law enforcement needs to take action against those who plan or engage in terrorist activities," said Spitzer, a Democrat and 2006 gubernatorial candidate.
In other news, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox, R-Calif., on Friday will be in Orange County, Calif., a section of which Cox represents, to meet with county police, fire, health and security officials. Separately, President Bush on Thursday nominated Cox to succeed William Donaldson as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Meanwhile, Indiana homeland security officials cannot locate about $1.2 million in federal homeland security funds sent to Elkhart County. AP reports that if the funds are not recovered, the state will have to refund the money -- making its first $400,000 payment by June 10. County Emergency Management Director Warren Allender, however, claims the mishap is a paperwork issue that can be fixed by next week.
Finally, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox on Wednesday announced that a legislatively mandated background check on people working at adult residential care facilities in the state revealed that approximately 10 percent of those workers have criminal backgrounds, including convictions for homicide, criminal sexual conduct, weapons charges and drug offenses.
As a result, Cox, a Republican, informed Michigan's 5,000 facilities of the findings and submitted legislation to state lawmakers Friday that would strengthen background check requirements.
MPAA Funds Los Angeles Anti-Piracy Surveillance Efforts
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on Tuesday announced that it donated $186,000 to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for the installation of surveillance cameras that will monitor the illegal sale of copyrighted materials in the city's fashion district.
The cameras will help the LAPD "lift a rock and shine a light on rampant counterfeiting of [digital videodiscs]," John Malcolm, MPAA senior vice president and director of worldwide anti-piracy operations, said in a statement.
The cameras will be equipped with software that detects human movement. Officers monitoring action from the Central Police Station will then be able to direct nearby officers to investigate questionable activity. The city currently has cameras installed in MacArthur Park and along Hollywood Boulevard.
Meanwhile, the LAPD said last week that its Information and Communications Services Bureau is awaiting proposals from several vendors regarding mounting hardware before it can proceed with plans to replace the LAPD's mobile data computers.
In other news, the Los Angeles' Information Technology Agency (ITA) last week sent a letter to the city council in response to the council's April performance audit.
The ITA embraces "recommendations to set citywide standards for improving contracting" in Los Angeles, Thera Bradshaw, ITA's general manager, wrote. She said ITA has already implemented a number of the council's recommendations and any issues that have not been addressed likely need the corroboration of the city controller, attorney or administrative officer.
Ehrlich Signs Crime, ID Theft Bills
Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich last week signed several bills addressing security, e-commerce and telecom issues.
Under one bill, S.B. 213, law enforcement will be able to collect DNA samples from criminals convicted of felonies for inclusion in a state database. Maryland faced a court challenge last year over its DNA collection process after a man who was arrested for one crime and linked to another via DNA said the process was akin to unreasonable search and seizure. A state Court of Appeals disagreed and ruled in July that the process was constitutional.
The Republican governor also signed H.B. 56, which prohibits the public posting of Social Security numbers, and H.B. 800 will require police to provide those who suspect they are victims of identity theft with a police report.
On the e-commerce front, Ehrlich signed S.B. 546, which will prevent the unlicensed sale of cigarettes over the Internet, phone or other telecom networks and will limit licensed dealers to selling two cartons of cigarettes to each customer. Meanwhile, S.B. 548 makes it illegal to intercept a law enforcement wiretap or electronic surveillance device that was placed on a vehicle with the intent to capture car thieves, while H.B. 963 pushes back the dissolution of the Task Force on Broadband Communications Deployment to June 30, 2006.
In other news, Ehrlich last week said he was pleased the U.S. Justice Department had selected Maryland to be one of four states participating in a pilot project for a nationwide sex offender database. The state is "pleased to participate in a project that leverages technology to better protect our kids," he said in a statement. Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also will be included in the pilot.
Oregon state Rep. Jerry Krummel last week held a hearing on sex offender legislation he crafted, H.B. 3486, which would require state police to set up a sex offender Web site.
And in Colorado, AP reports that lawmakers are crafting legislation that would close a loophole in state law that now provides for only civil monetary damages when an adult is convicted of soliciting a child over the Internet.
Meanwhile, Colorado's Gov. Bill Owens on Friday signed H.B. 1029, which makes it a felony for inmates to have portable electronic devices in detention facilities. The intent is to crack down on criminals using the equipment to buy drugs, intimidate witnesses, plot escapes or oversee organized crime, Owens said.
Texas Senate Gives Final Nod To Imports Bill
The Texas Senate on Sunday approved amended legislation that would allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.
S.B. 410 was intended to reauthorize the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, but it was amended to include an importation provision after a stand-alone drug imports bill made little progress in the legislature.
The revised bill, which passed the House last week, would allow Texans to purchase drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies listed on a Web site set up by the board.
The bill is now on the desk of Republican Gov. Rick Perry. He has not indicated whether he will sign the legislation, but a spokeswoman told the AP that he has "a concern about the safety, not to mention the legality" of importation.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said Friday he was "disappointed" that lawmakers did not approve his importation measure prior to the end of the 2005 session. "I expect it to be at the top of the agenda next year," the Democratic governor said.
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