Morning Security Brief: Police File Into Rio Slums, NJ Looks to Protect Bus Drivers, TSA Issues Holiday Bulletin, and More
Brazilian police try and secure Rio de Janeiro ahead of major sporting events. New Jersey to put shields in city buses. TSA warns about threats to mass transit systems. And more.
►Three thousand police filed into Brazil’s biggest slum in an effort to take over a neighborhood controlled by drug gangs called Rocinha. Rocinha is the largest and most profitable drug distribution point in Rio de Janeiro. The endeavor is part of the country’s efforts to secure Rio ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic games. Authorities are already calling the mission a success, taking control of the slum in 90 minutes. Yet police say they’ve only made four arrests, the Associated Press reports.
►New Jersey Transit is testing security shields that would protect bus drivers from attack.Transit officials announced the plan at a press conference after four violent attacks on bus drivers in a three-month period, the Star-Ledger reported.
►TSA has issued a bulletin warning authorities to be wary of potential plots against buses during the holiday season. Buses are an attractive terrorist target because of their open architecture and accessibility. “The bulletin noted that attacks against buses are more prevalent worldwide than attacks against aviation systems. Terrorists have launched more than 725 attacks against buses between 2004 and 2009,” Homeland Security Today reports.
►The FBI has placed economic espionage second only to terrorism on its list of priorities. ♦ A shooting victim is found driving himself to the hospital after ShotSpotter, a technology that can detect the sound of gunshots, alerted police of the shooting . ♦ And a Maryland state official revealed that Frederick County is the location of four private labs that work with biological agents , although the specific locations are privy only to law enforcement and public health officials.