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108-595: Standardized alerts can be received from many sources and configure their applications to process and respond to the alerts as desired. Alerts from the Department of Homeland Security , the Department of the Interior 's United States Geological Survey , and the United States Department of Commerce 's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and state and local government agencies can all be received in

216-662: A diploma mill in a small town in Wyoming . The department was blamed for up to $ 2 billion of waste and fraud after audits by the Government Accountability Office revealed widespread misuse of government credit cards by DHS employees, with purchases including beer brewing kits, $ 70,000 of plastic dog booties that were later deemed unusable, boats purchased at double the retail price (many of which later could not be found), and iPods ostensibly for use in "data storage". A 2015 inspection of IT infrastructure found that

324-655: A false missile alert in Hawaii earlier that month), and ensuring that the industry meets its goal of at least 50% of devices being capable of receiving mobile alerts by that date. Alert Ready alerts are broadcast to last-mile distributors using the Anik F1R satellite over C-band on virtual channel 206 (with virtual channel 550 as a backup), and prior to 1 September 2019, using the Anik F2 satellite over Ku-band . The Ku-band signals were terminated August 31, 2019 after consultation with

432-625: A "Common Look and Feel" specification for alerts. Developed with guidance from the broadcasting industry, it describes how and when alerts are to be distributed and presented to the public. As part of a license renewal in May 2013, CBC Radio agreed to implement an alerting system using NAAD by 31 December 2014. On 27 February 2014, the CRTC issued a proposal to mandate participation in the national alert system by all television and radio broadcasters, and cable and satellite companies. The commission felt that owing to

540-658: A "national aggregator and distributor" (NAAD) of localized emergency alert messages compliant with the Common Alerting Protocol . Pelmorex established a governance council for the system, including representatives of the broadcasting industry, federal government, members of the Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management (SOREM), and the Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notification, to oversee its operations. The NAAD System

648-530: A Canadian version of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) standard adopted in the United States. A separate "Wireless Immediately" flag is used to require Cell Broadcast distribution. Wireless alerts on devices specifically supporting Cell Broadcast alerts utilize the same attention signal sound and a specific vibration pattern mimicking this sound. The Common Look and Feel Guidance specifies that

756-481: A certified deaf interpreter and audio descriptions for viewers who are blind or have low vision. On March 1, 2004, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was created. The stated purpose was to provide a consistent incident management approach for federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Under Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, all federal departments were required to adopt

864-411: A generic message played). The Common Look and Feel Guidance prescribes that, on television, the text of alerts be displayed on either a crawler , or as a full screen notice that covers programming, in white text on a red background in both cases. Crawlers inserted by television channels are positioned at the centre of the screen out of respect for those inserted by broadcast distribution undertakings at

972-823: A meeting in Geneva in October 2006 the CAP ;1.1 specification was taken under consideration by the International Telecommunication Union 's Standardization Sector for adoption as an ITU-T recommendation. CAP was subsequently adopted as Recommendation X.1303. CAP specification version 1.2 has been available since July 2010 at the OASIS website. In 2007, the International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) adopted

1080-540: A national public warning system based upon CAP-CP, was officially launched. Participation in the system by all broadcasters and television providers is mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission . The Federal Office for Citizen Protection and Disaster Support ( Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilf e, BBK) is working on an implementation based on CAP 1.2, which will allow for Internet-based access to data provided by

1188-436: A national system, while Bell ExpressVu submitted a proposal requesting the removal of the consent requirement. The CBC's proposal would have fed alerts via satellite to decoders installed at local CBC Radio transmitters. It would have allowed television providers to participate on a voluntary basis by installing decoders of their own, if the aforementioned consent requirement were removed. All three applicants promised to adopt

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1296-406: A new personnel system named MaxHR. The Washington Post said that the rules would allow DHS "to override any provision in a union contract by issuing a department-wide directive" and would make it "difficult, if not impossible, for unions to negotiate over arrangements for staffing, deployments, technology and other workplace matters". In August 2005, U.S. District judge Rosemary M. Collyer blocked

1404-592: A number of international warning system vendors. A series of field trials and long-term demonstration projects during 2002-03 led to the submission of a draft CAP specification to the OASIS standards process for formalization. The CAP 1.0 specification was approved by OASIS in April 2004. Based on experience with CAP 1.0, the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee adopted an updated CAP 1.1 specification in October 2005. At

1512-499: A public service by some broadcasters. Shaw and Rogers argued that the Pelmorex system was less cost-efficient than the CBC's proposal. It was also disputed whether the CRTC could even order the mandatory distribution of the service, as the CRTC does not regulate alphanumeric content because it is not considered television programming. In 2007, the CRTC removed the consent requirement to ease

1620-846: A research-based template for effective warning message content and structure. The CAP data structure is backward-compatible with existing alert formats including the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) used in NOAA Weather Radio and the broadcast Emergency Alert System as well as new technology such as the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), while adding capabilities such as the following: The US National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) November 2000 report on "Effective Disaster Warnings" recommended that "standard method should be developed to collect and relay instantaneously and automatically all types of hazard warnings and reports locally, regionally and nationally for input into

1728-649: A result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 , enacted in response to the September 11 attacks . With more than 240,000 employees, DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department, after the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs . Homeland security policy is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland Security Council . Other agencies with significant homeland security responsibilities include

1836-498: A single headquarters complex at the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus in Anacostia , Southeast Washington, D.C. The move was championed by District of Columbia officials because of the positive economic impact it would have on historically depressed Anacostia. The move was criticized by historic preservationists , who claimed the revitalization plans would destroy dozens of historic buildings on

1944-504: A single organization. The founding of the DHS marked a change in American thought towards threats. Introducing the term "homeland" centers attention on a population that needs to be protected not only against emergencies such as natural disasters but also against diffuse threats from individuals who are non-native to the United States. Prior to the signing of the bill, controversy about its adoption

2052-462: A specific threat against the United States, can reach homeland security partners or the public quickly, thereby allowing recipients to implement necessary protective measures. Alerts are issued when there is specific and credible information of a terrorist threat against the United States. Alerts have two levels: elevated and imminent. An elevated alert is issued when there is credible information about an attack but only general information about timing or

2160-506: A target. An Imminent Alert is issued when the threat is very specific and impending in the very near term. On March 12, 2002, the Homeland Security Advisory System , a color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale, was created as the result of a Presidential Directive to provide a "comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to

2268-403: A text crawl , without an audio component. Establishment of such a system in a voluntary form was hampered by CRTC rules at the time, which required television providers to obtain consent from broadcasters before they could overlay emergency notifications onto their programming. In 2005, CRTC called for proposals regarding a national alerting system; Pelmorex and the CBC submitted proposals for

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2376-525: A wide variety of dissemination systems." In 2001, an international independent group of over 120 emergency managers that was convened online by California emergency telecommunications expert Art Botterell began specifying and prototyping the Common Alerting Protocol data structure based on the recommendations of the NSTC report. The project was embraced by the non-profit Partnership for Public Warning and

2484-479: A working group composed of public alerting practitioners and government agencies has developed a CAP Canadian Profile (CAP-CP) based on CAP but specialized to address the needs of Canadian public alerting stakeholders, such as bilingualism, geocoding for Canada, managed lists of locations and events, etc. The Canadian government has adopted CAP-CP for its National Public Alerting System (NPAS) project. The CAP‑CP working group, along with stakeholders and projects such as

2592-663: Is designed to disseminate emergency messages via various platforms, including broadcast media ( Emergency Alert System ), wireless devices ( Wireless Emergency Alerts ), and other platforms. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security , roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism , border security , immigration and customs, cyber security , and disaster prevention and management. It began operations on March 1, 2003, after being formed as

2700-606: Is distributed to radio and television outlets, and a Cell Broadcast message is sent to wireless phones. One is held on a Wednesday in May during Public Safety Canada 's Emergency Preparedness Week, and the second is held in November. Initially, five tests were scheduled annually, in May and quarterly on the third Wednesday of every third month of the year. After the introduction of wireless alerts in May 2018, however, SOREM quietly ceased all quarterly tests, citing concerns that tests only directed to broadcast media could cause confusion to

2808-405: Is necessary. The secretary will then authorize FEMA to task and deploy designated personnel from DHS components and other Federal Executive Agencies to respond to extraordinary disasters. The DHS National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is responsible for the response system, risk management program, and requirements for cyber-security in the U.S. The division is home to US-CERT operations and

2916-655: Is not compatible with the NPAS. The CRTC felt that the providers had made a good-faith effort in informing customers of their inability to receive public alerts and offering hardware replacements. Bell reported that some customers had declined their offering of a free set-top box replacement as they did not want to participate in receiving alerts. MTS discontinued its legacy "Classic TV" service due to its inability to display alerts, and urged its remaining subscribers to migrate to its current "Ultimate TV" (now Bell MTS Fibe TV ) platform. Provincial tests began to improve public awareness of

3024-415: Is primarily designed for the U.S. implementation of WEA, it will typically identify Canadian wireless emergency alerts as a presidential alert. Mobile apps are available that distribute alerts as push notifications to mobile devices such as smartphones . Public awareness tests are held twice per-year, in which a 30-second test message (60 seconds in provinces where bilingual messages are issued)

3132-743: The Canadian Public Safety Operations Organization (CanOps) and Netalerts' Sarnia Lambton trial, are now working with and refining CAP‑CP for national application in Canada. CAP has been implemented for a small-scale, grassroots hazard information system in Sri Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami . This implementation was part of the "HazInfo Project", funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre . The province of Alberta adopted CAP as part of its Alberta Emergency Alert system. In March 2015, Alert Ready ,

3240-430: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for an amendment to their licenses to encompass a mandatory "All Channel Alert" system, requiring all television providers to relay emergency messages on behalf of governments across all of their channels. The service would have used proprietary hardware developed by Pelmorex, and would have been funded primarily by a 13 cent increase in carriage fees for

3348-509: The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP-CP), and are provided in at least one of Canada's official languages (either English , French , or both, as determined by local policies and laws). Alerts can contain text and audio components, and contain information designating the region that an alert applies to. Messages marked with "Broadcast Immediately" flags are used to designate alerts that present "an imminent or unexpected threat to life, that alerting officials wish to be distributed and presented to

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3456-545: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018 into law, which elevated the mission of the former DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate and established the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency . In fiscal year 2018, DHS was allocated a net discretionary budget of $ 47.716 billion. In 2021, the Department of Justice began carrying out an investigation into white supremacy and extremism in

3564-549: The Emergency Alert System in the United States. Various attempts had been made in the 20th and 21st centuries to establish a public alert system in Canada, by both departments of government and by television broadcasters. In 1992, Alberta implemented a provincial emergency alert system known as the Emergency Public Warning System (EPWS); its development was spurred by an F4 tornado that had hit

3672-591: The Federal Emergency Management Agency was absorbed into the DHS and in the fall of 2008 took over coordination of the campaign. The Ready Campaign and its Spanish-language version Listo.gov asks individuals to build an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan and be informed about the different types of emergencies that can occur and how to respond. The campaign messages have been promoted through television, radio, print, outdoor and web PSAs, as well as brochures, toll-free phone lines and

3780-425: The Homeland Security Act established the Department of Homeland Security to consolidate U.S. executive branch organizations related to "homeland security" into a single Cabinet agency. The Gilmore Commission , supported by much of Congress and John Bolton , helped to solidify further the need for the department. The DHS incorporated the following 22 agencies. According to political scientist Peter Andreas ,

3888-485: The Iraq War . One of the first announcements that garnered widespread public attention to this campaign was one by Tom Ridge in which he stated that in the case of a chemical attack, citizens should use duct tape and plastic sheeting to build a homemade bunker, or "sheltering in place" to protect themselves. As a result, the sales of duct tape skyrocketed, and DHS was criticized for being too alarmist . On March 1, 2003,

3996-567: The Italian Ministry of the Interior adopted the CAP protocol with two Ministerial Decrees in 2008 and 2011. Since then, its 100 provincial control rooms, 18 regional control rooms and the national control centre exchange a daily average of 25,000 CAP private messages concerning rescue operations in real time. As per the decrees, any emergency stakeholder in Italy which wants to exchange or share data with

4104-832: The National Cyber Alert System . The DHS Science and Technology Directorate helps government and private end-users transition to new cyber-security capabilities. This directorate also funds the Cyber Security Research and Development Center, which identifies and prioritizes research and development for NCSD. The center works on the Internet's routing infrastructure (the SPRI program) and Domain Name System ( DNSSEC ), identity theft and other online criminal activity (ITTC), Internet traffic and networks research (PREDICT datasets and

4212-556: The U.S. Border Patrol , the U.S. Customs Service , and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were consolidated into a new agency under DHS: U.S. Customs and Border Protection . The Federal Protective Service falls under the National Protection and Programs Directorate. The Department of Homeland Security is headed by the secretary of homeland security with the assistance of the deputy secretary . The department contains

4320-522: The bottom of the screen . The guidelines note that "automated broadcast interruption need not be used if a person can present the text of an audience alert message verbally and visually mindful of the other guidance found in [the guidelines]." In addition to television and radio, Alert Ready issues emergency alerts to cell phones and wireless devices that are compatible with the Wireless Public Alerting System ( WPA ). The WPA system uses

4428-427: The "Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco" and the "Arma dei Carabinieri" has been signed to improve the forest fire fighting activities. The interoperability of data exchange that the agreement allows is based on the use of the CAP protocol. On September 30, 2010, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officially adopted CAP as the protocol for its new Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which

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4536-457: The American homeland – air, land, and sea. The top element, a dark blue sky, contains 22 stars representing the original 22 entities that have come together to form the department. The left shield element contains white mountains behind a green plain underneath a light blue sky. The right shield element contains four wave shapes representing the oceans alternating light and dark blue separated by white lines. - DHS June 6, 2003 Since its inception,

4644-455: The American people". Many procedures at government facilities are tied into the alert level; for example a facility may search all entering vehicles when the alert is above a certain level. Since January 2003, it has been administered in coordination with DHS; it has also been the target of frequent jokes and ridicule on the part of the administration's detractors about its ineffectiveness. After resigning, Tom Ridge said he did not always agree with

4752-474: The CRTC chose to exclude older network technologies (such as 3G ) from the mandate, citing wide deployment of LTE networks across the country, and that government funding has been used to support its deployment in underserved areas. On 29 January 2018, the CRTC informed the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence of concerns surrounding the possibility of false positives (such as

4860-486: The CRTC. Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais criticized the providers for their inability to properly implement the system, stating that the commission "will not hide our disappointment that certain television service providers are not ready, despite having been given more than enough time [to implement it.]" In December 2015, the CRTC granted an indefinite extension of the exceptions and reporting guidelines to Bell, Shaw Direct, and MTS until they completely phase out hardware that

4968-498: The Common Alerting Protocol as Recommendation X.1303. The recommendation annex contains an authoritative ASN.1 module translation of the CAP XML schema that may be useful for some implementations. Rec. X.1303 is within the remit of ITU‑T Study Group 17 (Security), Rapporteur Group on Cybersecurity (Q.4/17) for purposes of further evolution of the standard. The Australian Government Standard for Common Alerting Protocol (CAP-AU-STD, 2012)

5076-693: The DETER testbed), Department of Defense and HSARPA exercises (Livewire and Determined Promise), and wireless security in cooperation with Canada. On October 30, 2009, DHS opened the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center . The center brings together government organizations responsible for protecting computer networks and networked infrastructure. In January 2017, DHS officially designated state-run election systems as critical infrastructure. The designation made it easier for state and local election officials to get cybersecurity help from

5184-419: The DHS ranks. DHS also halted large-scale immigration raids at job sites, saying in October 2021 that the administration was planning "a new enforcement strategy to more effectively target employers who pay substandard wages and engage in exploitative labor practices." In 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol began using an app which requires asylum seekers to submit biometric information before they enter

5292-741: The Edmonton area on July 31, 1987, killing 27 people. The system was originally operated by the CKUA Radio Network under contract with the province. Under the 1995 Federal Policy for Emergencies, Industry Canada led the effort for coordinating the provision of an emergency broadcasting service, based on the facilities and services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Environment Canada and, as necessary, privately-owned networks and stations. In 2001, Pelmorex , owners of The Weather Network and MétéoMédia , applied to

5400-542: The English and Spanish language websites Ready.gov and Listo.gov. The general campaign aims to reach all Americans, but targeted resources are also available via "Ready Business" for small- to medium-sized business and "Ready Kids" for parents and teachers of children ages 8–12. In 2015, the campaign also launched a series of PSAs to help the whole community, people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs prepare for emergencies, which included open captioning,

5508-659: The Fire Corps in the course of large scale emergency or rescue operations has to adopt the CAP protocol. The first use of CAP protocol in a civil protection activity in Italy was recorded in 2009, in the aftermath of the Central Italy Earthquake , when the Fire Corps exchanged data with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage to coordinate their efforts in designing and implementing provisional measures for monuments and historical buildings. On April 5, 2017, an agreement between

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5616-642: The Last Mile Distributors determined that it was underutilized and sufficient alternate services exist. Alerts are also distributed over the internet from web servers based in Oakville and Montreal on TCP port 8080 . An RSS feed of past alerts is also available. The presentation of alerts is dictated by the NPAS Common Look and Feel Guidance. Messages are formatted using the Canadian Profile of

5724-531: The NIMS and to use it in their individual domestic incident management and emergency prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation program and activities. In December 2005, the National Response Plan (NRP) was created, in an attempt to align federal coordination structures, capabilities, and resources into a unified, all-discipline, and all-hazards approach to domestic incident management. The NRP

5832-670: The Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) was, for the first time, issued by the federal government via Public Safety Canada rather than the individual provinces. Ontario was held over to the following week (May 15). Federal and provincial/territorial government officials have developed a specific list of the types of alerts that are considered a "threat to life." Effective June 2021, broadcast intrusive alerts are now issued for severe thunderstorm warnings if winds exceed 130 km/h (81 miles per hour), or hail exceeds 7 centimetres (2.8 in). On 21 May 2022,

5940-479: The Office will be to develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks. The Office will coordinate the executive branch's efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States. Ridge began his duties as OHS director on October 8, 2001. On November 25, 2002,

6048-617: The Ready Campaign, a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. With pro bono creative support from the Martin Agency of Richmond, Virginia , the campaign website "Ready.gov" and materials were conceived in March 2002 and launched in February 2003, just before the launch of

6156-686: The September 11 attacks made the proposed elimination of employee protections imperative. Congress ultimately passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and President Bush signed the bill into law on November 25, 2002. It was the largest U.S. government reorganization in the 50 years since the United States Department of Defense was created. Tom Ridge was named secretary on January 24, 2003, and began naming his chief deputies. DHS officially began operations on January 24, 2003, but most of

6264-546: The U.S. Wireless Emergency Alerts system, collaborating with the SOREM Common Look and Feel guidelines. The CRTC required at least half of devices offered by wireless carriers to support wireless public alerts (including at least one device available at no-charge on-contract, and one "accessible" device) by the implementation date. As of April 2019, all devices sold by wireless carriers must support wireless public alerts. The mandate does not apply to networks older than LTE;

6372-475: The United States. Alert Ready officially launched on 31 March 2015; it distributes alerts to broadcasters and other parties through its central technical infrastructure —called the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination ( NAAD ) system—which was developed and is operated by Pelmorex Media —owner of The Weather Network . Pelmorex is also responsible for public awareness campaigns surrounding

6480-407: The adoption of voluntary alerting by broadcast distribution undertakings, but stated that it would reconsider the possibility of a mandatory alert system in the future. In 2009, the CRTC approved a proposal by Pelmorex to grant an 9.1 (1)(h) order of must-carry status to The Weather Network and MétéoMédia on digital television services . As part of the proposal, Pelmorex committed to developing

6588-415: The affected region, including television stations , radio stations , television providers , and mobile networks in the affected region. The system is based upon the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP; called the Canadian Profile of the Common Alerting Protocol, CAP-CP), while wireless alerts ( Wireless Public Alerting System ) use a Canadian variant of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) standard adopted in

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6696-753: The agency's internal inspector general found that pilot testing of the system had been performed using data on real people without required privacy safeguards in place. The system, in development at Lawrence Livermore and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory since 2003, has cost the agency $ 42 million to date. Controversy over the program is not new; in March 2007, the Government Accountability Office stated that "the ADVISE tool could misidentify or erroneously associate an individual with undesirable activity such as fraud , crime or terrorism." Homeland Security's Inspector General later said that ADVISE

6804-454: The assistant to the president for homeland security. The seal was developed with input from senior DHS leadership, employees, and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. The Ad Council – which partners with DHS on its Ready.gov campaign – and the consulting company Landor Associates were responsible for graphic design and maintaining heraldic integrity. The seal is symbolic of the Department's mission – to prevent attacks and protect Americans – on

6912-447: The best interests" of the country for him to pursue the post. On January 11, 2005, President Bush nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff to succeed Ridge. Chertoff was confirmed on February 15, 2005, by a vote of 98–0 in the U.S. Senate and was sworn in the same day. In February 2005, DHS and the Office of Personnel Management issued rules relating to employee pay and discipline for

7020-510: The biometric data of children under 14. Whereas the Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad, the Department of Homeland Security works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States within, at, and outside its borders. Its stated goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism. On March 1, 2003, DHS absorbed the U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and assumed its duties. In doing so, it divided

7128-592: The campus. Community activists criticized the plans because the facility would remain walled off and have little interaction with the surrounding area. In February 2015 the General Services Administration said that the site would open in 2021. DHS headquarters staff began moving to St. Elizabeths in April 2019 after the completion of the Center Building renovation. During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on

7236-469: The components listed below. Passports for U.S. citizens are issued by the U.S. Department of State , not the Department of Homeland Security. Advisory groups: Other components: In an August 5, 2002, speech, President Bush said: "We are fighting ... to secure freedom in the homeland." Prior to the creation of DHS, U.S. Presidents had referred to the U.S. as "the nation" or "the republic" and to its internal policies as "domestic". Also unprecedented

7344-611: The country. In June 2024 John Boyd, the head of the DHS Office of Biometric Identity Management, announced at a conference that the agency "is looking into ways it might use facial recognition technology to track the identities of migrant children." According to Boyd, the initiative is intended to advance the development of facial recognition algorithms. A former DHS official said that every migrant processing center he visited engaged in biometric identity collection, and that children were not separated out during processing. DHS denied collecting

7452-690: The creation of DHS constituted the most significant government reorganization since the Cold War and the most substantial reorganization of federal agencies since the National Security Act of 1947 (which had placed the different military departments under a secretary of defense and created the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency ). Creation of DHS constitutes the most diverse merger ever of federal functions and responsibilities, incorporating 22 government agencies into

7560-399: The department has wasted roughly $ 15 billion in failed contracts (as of September 2008 ). In 2003, the department came under fire after the media revealed that Laura Callahan , Deputy Chief Information Officer at DHS with responsibilities for sensitive national security databases, had obtained her bachelor, masters, and doctorate computer science degrees through Hamilton University ,

7668-601: The department was running over a hundred computer systems whose owners were unknown, including Secret and Top Secret databases, many with out of date security or weak passwords. Basic security reviews were absent, and the department had apparently made deliberate attempts to delay publication of information about the flaws. On September 5, 2007, the Associated Press reported that the DHS had scrapped an anti-terrorism data mining tool called ADVISE (Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement) after

7776-501: The department's 240,000 employees in the weeks leading up to the CRs." The uncertainty about funding hampers DHS's ability to pursue major projects and takes away attention and manpower from important priorities. Seventy percent of DHS employees are considered essential and are not furloughed during government shutdowns. Soon after formation, the department worked with the Ad Council to launch

7884-503: The department's component agencies were not transferred into the new department until March 1. After establishing the basic structure of DHS and working to integrate its components, Ridge announced his resignation on November 30, 2004, following the re-election of President Bush. Bush initially nominated former New York City Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik as his successor, but on December 10, Kerik withdrew his nomination, citing personal reasons and saying it "would not be in

7992-460: The department's temporary headquarters had been in Washington, D.C.'s Nebraska Avenue Complex , a former naval facility. The 38-acre (15 ha) site, across from American University , has 32 buildings comprising 566,000 square feet (52,600 m ) of administrative space. In early 2007, the department submitted a $ 4.1 billion plan to Congress to consolidate its 60-plus Washington-area offices into

8100-505: The departments of Health and Human Services , Justice , and Energy . In response to the September 11 attacks , President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) to coordinate " homeland security " efforts. The office was headed by former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge , who assumed the title of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. The official announcement states: The mission of

8208-457: The enforcement and services functions into two separate and new agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services . The investigative divisions and intelligence gathering units of the INS and Customs Service were merged forming Homeland Security Investigations , the primary investigative arm of DHS. Additionally, the border enforcement functions of the INS, including

8316-699: The federal government. In October 2017, DHS convened a Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Election Infrastructure Subsection with representatives from various state and federal agencies such as the Election Assistance Commission and National Association of Secretaries of State . To date there have been seven confirmed secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security: The department has been dogged by persistent criticism over excessive bureaucracy , waste, ineffectiveness and lack of transparency. Congress estimates that

8424-420: The first being a combination of tones at frequencies of 932.33 Hz, 1,046.5 Hz and 3,135.96 Hz, and the second at 440 Hz, 659.26 Hz and 3135.96 Hz (the same signal that is used by Alberta Emergency Alert). The attention signal is followed by the audio of the alert where applicable or supported by hardware (in the absence of audio, the alert may be read using a text to speech system, or

8532-480: The importance of the endeavour, broadcasters had displayed an inconsistent level of commitment to implement it voluntarily. This mandate was passed by the CRTC later that year through regulatory amendments . The Wireless Public Alerting System (WPAS) initiative was also launched that year as a three-year pilot project led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada , in collaboration with Defence Research Development Canada and Public Safety Canada , with

8640-410: The land, in the sea and in the air. In the center of the seal, a graphically styled white American eagle appears in a circular blue field. The eagle's outstretched wings break through an inner red ring into an outer white ring that contains the words "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF" in the top half and "HOMELAND SECURITY" in the bottom half in a circular placement. The eagle's wings break through the inner circle into

8748-448: The name "MaxHR". In a February 2008 court filing, DHS said that it would no longer pursue the new rules, and that it would abide by the existing civil service labor-management procedures. A federal court issued an order closing the case. A 2017 memo by Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly directed DHS to disregard "age as a basis for determining when to collect biometrics." On November 16, 2018, President Donald Trump signed

8856-715: The nation's modular warning system MoWaS. The development of MoWaS is based on the satellite-based warning system SatWaS from 2001, which only provides information to less than 150 state and media entities. In case no broadcast receiver, like a radio or television, is running nearby, the resulting warning effect of SatWaS would be severely limited, because many state-run emergency sirens have been left unmaintained or were dismantled altogether. The use of CAP support in MoWaS should alleviate this problem. The Department of Firefighters, Public Rescue and Civil Defence ( Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della Difesa Civile ) of

8964-415: The national schedule, moving its first test up from May to March 1, 2023, to coincide with the designated start of wildfire season, and opted out of the nationwide test in November, considering it unnecessary due to the large volume of alerts that had been issued in the province since March due to tornadoes and wildfires. The May 2024 test (May 8, 2024) in most provinces and territories (excluding Manitoba,

9072-633: The new system, such as in Manitoba, and Quebec. One of the tests in the province on May 19, 2015, simulating a tornado emergency in the Centre-du-Québec region, surprised many people tuned in to radio or TV in the region, leading some to believe that there was an actual tornado emergency. On 6 April 2017, the CRTC required all wireless carriers in Canada to begin relaying public alerts over their LTE and post-LTE wireless networks by 6 April 2018, using Cell Broadcast -based standards by ATIS similar to

9180-506: The outer ring to suggest that the Department of Homeland Security will break through traditional bureaucracy and perform government functions differently. In the tradition of the Great Seal of the United States, the eagle's talon on the left holds an olive branch with 13 leaves and 13 seeds while the eagle's talon on the right grasps 13 arrows. Centered on the eagle's breast is a shield divided into three sections containing elements that represent

9288-402: The phone's software must display these alerts with a capitalized, bilingual heading reading "EMERGENCY ALERT / ALERTE D'URGENCE", and a limit of 600 characters due to device limitations. Devices may not be configured to allow users to opt out of alerts: they are coded using the same priority level as U.S. presidential alerts—the only U.S. category which may not be disabled. If the device's software

9396-402: The plan on the grounds that it did not ensure collective-bargaining rights for DHS employees. A federal appeals court ruled against DHS in 2006; pending a final resolution to the litigation, Congress's fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for DHS provided no funding for the proposed new personnel system. DHS announced in early 2007 that it was retooling its pay and performance system and retiring

9504-743: The private sector. National Public Alerting System The National Public Alerting System ( NPAS ; French : Système national d'alertes à la population ), branded as Alert Ready ( French : En Alerte ), is the national warning system in Canada , broadcast to Canadian television, radio, and wireless devices. The system consists of infrastructure and standards for the presentation and distribution of public alerts issued by federal or provincial/territorial government authorities (particularly public safety authorities)—such as for weather emergencies, AMBER Alerts , and other emergency notifications —through all broadcasters and last-mile distributors in

9612-523: The public as soon as possible, even if it means disrupting the programming of last mile distributors." On television and radio, relevant alerts marked with this flag are immediately presented to viewers when they are received, interrupting programming to facilitate their display. These alerts are prefaced by the Canadian Alerting Attention Signal. The attention signal is an 8-second sequence of alternating half-second duration complex tones,

9720-526: The public over the effectiveness and correct operation of the extended system. The CRTC supported this position, officially requiring wireless service providers to participate in two public-visible alerts per year, distributed on all platforms. There is precedent for alert tests to be postponed or cancelled on a regional basis if there is an ongoing threat of an actual emergency in an area, such as for instance, Spring flooding in parts of Ontario and Quebec in May 2019. Contrarily in 2023, Alberta opted out of

9828-570: The purpose to develop the use of LTE -based technology for emergency wireless public alerting. On 29 August 2014, the CRTC issued a regulatory order mandating that that all Canadian broadcasters—including over-the-air television broadcasters, radio broadcasters, and broadcast distribution undertakings—begin participating in the National Public Alerting System by 31 March 2015. Community, campus, and aboriginal broadcasters were given an extended deadline of 31 March 2016 to implement

9936-438: The reauthorization of DHS, Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke said there is a weariness and anxiety within DHS about the repeated congressional efforts to agree to a long-term spending plan, which had resulted in several threats to shut down the federal government. "Shutdowns are disruptive", Duke said. She said the "repeated failure on a longtime spending plan resulting in short-term continuing resolutions (CRs) has caused "angst" among

10044-407: The renewal, the CRTC ordered Pelmorex to reach agreements with all federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials to allow them to transmit messages through the system, implement the capability of processing "broadcast intrusive alerts" through the system, and develop a public awareness campaign surrounding the alert system with a budget of at least $ 1 million per-year. In June of

10152-404: The same format by the same application. That application can, for example, sound different alarms, based on the information received. By normalizing alert data across threats, jurisdictions, and warning systems, CAP also can be used to detect trends and patterns in warning activity, such as trends that might indicate an undetected hazard or hostile act. From a procedural perspective, CAP reinforces

10260-605: The same year, Alberta replaced the EPWS with Alberta Emergency Alert , which distributes alerts on radio and television, as well as online and via social networking services . Environment Canada , the Canadian Council of Emergency Management Organizations, and the provinces of Manitoba and New Brunswick endorsed the potential use of the NAAD framework as a backend for a mandatory public alerting system. On 26 May 2013, SOREM published

10368-780: The severity-based system used by the U.S. WEA system), and criticism over AMBER Alerts (particularly in Ontario) being issued province-wide rather than geographically targeted to relevant regions. In April 2020, the RCMP faced criticism for not understanding and being slow to work with local officials in use of the system to warn of an active gunman, which had attacked multiple locations in the province of Nova Scotia . Environment and Climate Change Canada also maintains Weatheradio Canada , which transmits weather information and hazard alerts. Unlike Alert Ready, it utilizes Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME)—the same protocol used by NOAA Weather Radio and

10476-469: The standardized alerting specifications that were developed by the government-backed CANALERT initiative. While broadcasters and governments supported the proposals for a national alerting system, CTV , Canwest Global and CHUM Limited showed concerns surrounding the Pelmorex proposal, as it would be operated by a for-profit venture that would have the power to override their signals with third-party content, and be redundant to alerts already provided as

10584-450: The system upon the deadline, as some of their customers utilized legacy set-top boxes that cannot be updated to support the display of public alerts. They were granted a six-month extension for the implementation deadline by the CRTC in order to address these issues, under the condition that they inform customers that they cannot receive public alerts unless they update their hardware, and were required to present bi-weekly progress reports to

10692-417: The system. In 2015, through television and radio, Pelmorex launched a public awareness and education campaign about the new emergency alerting service. This campaign was branded Alert Ready ( French : En Alerte ), launching on 31 March 2015. Alert Ready is now the public-facing brand name for the NPAS initiative. Bell Satellite TV , MTS , Shaw Direct , and Sogetel did not fully participate in

10800-497: The system. By order of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), all terrestrial radio and television stations, digital multichannel television providers, and mobile network operators using LTE technology or newer, are required to participate in the NPAS. Alert Ready has faced criticism, particularly due to wireless alerts being handled under a blanket category with no opt-outs on its smartphones running unmodified operating systems (as opposed to

10908-554: The threat level adjustments pushed by other government agencies. In January 2003, the office was merged into the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Homeland Security Council, both of which were created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Homeland Security Council, similar in nature to the National Security Council, retains a policy coordination and advisory role and is led by

11016-423: The two channels. However, its initial proposal was denied by the CRTC, citing the need for consultation with broadcasters, television providers, and other parties on how the system would be designed, along with its costs. There were also concerns over the means in which the system was to be implemented technologically, and that the system was not inclusive to the visually impaired because Pelmorex only specified use of

11124-674: Was built on the template of the NIMS. On January 22, 2008, the National Response Framework was published in the Federal Register as an updated replacement of the NRP, effective March 22, 2008. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act directs the DHS Secretary to designate employees from throughout the department to staff a Surge Capacity Force (SCF). During a declared disaster, the DHS Secretary will determine if SCF support

11232-595: Was developed by a CAP-AU-STD stakeholder group comprising federal agencies Emergency Management Australia , the Bureau of Meteorology , GeoScience Australia , Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Health as well as a number of State Government authorities and emergency services agencies. The project was co-ordinated by the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department (Australian Emergency Management). In Canada,

11340-794: Was focused on whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency should be incorporated in part or in whole (neither was included). The bill was also controversial for the presence of unrelated " riders ", as well as for eliminating certain union-friendly civil service and labor protections for department employees. Without these protections, employees could be expeditiously reassigned or dismissed on grounds of security, incompetence or insubordination, and DHS would not be required to notify their union representatives. The plan stripped 180,000 government employees of their union rights. In 2002, Bush officials argued that

11448-403: Was officially launched in 2010, becoming the technical infrastructure for the NPAS initiative. In a 2011 renewal of the must-carry status, the CRTC praised Pelmorex's work, considering the NAAD system to be "an essential element of a national public alerting system," and expressed an expectation for all broadcasters to voluntarily participate in distributing its alerts. However, as a condition of

11556-429: Was poorly planned, time-consuming for analysts to use, and lacked adequate justifications. Fusion centers are terrorism prevention and response centers, many of which were created under a joint project between the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice 's Office of Justice Programs between 2003 and 2007. The fusion centers gather information from government sources as well as their partners in

11664-435: Was the use, from 2002, of the phrase "the homeland" by White House spokespeople. In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security phased out the old Homeland Security Advisory System, replacing it with a two-level National Terrorism Advisory System. The system has two types of advisories: alerts and bulletins. NTAS bulletins permit the secretary to communicate critical terrorism information that, while not necessarily indicative of

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