Governments must move beyond over-fortification and embrace a new way to protect their citizens By Martin Cronin, CEO of PatriotOne Technologies If you’re a follower of security theatre, you know that the American stage in 2018 has had a compelling season so far. Police in several American cities wore riot gear while white supremacists and … Continued
Read MoreHere are a few companies who have made wrangling low-tech drones their business By Jared Shelly When Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addressed a crowd in Caracas this summer, ground cover was ample. Soldiers in tight formations surrounded the leader, along with a coterie of bodyguards. But as he spoke, Maduro’s eyes lifted to see a … Continued
Read MoreBy Amanda Field If you’re a cell-phone-toting American—and most of us are—you likely received this “Presidential Alert” text on Wednesday: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Publicized as a direct message from President Trump to your cell phone, the text was in fact sent by FEMA … Continued
Read MoreBy Jared Shelly Imagine walking through a busy train station. You work your way through the crowds, buy a coffee, and finally get to the platform. You didn’t arrive an hour early, remove your shoes, or have your bag scanned — but that didn’t stop a team of security professionals from screening you for weapons … Continued
Read MoreBy Mark Wolverton In the 1970 science fiction film “Colossus: The Forbin Project,” the United States decides to turn over control of its strategic arsenal to Colossus, a massive supercomputer. Big mistake. Almost immediately it becomes clear that, as its creator Dr. Charles Forbin says, “Colossus is built even better than we thought.” In fact, it’s … Continued
Read MoreThe back-to-school shopping lists of districts nationwide are long, confusing and expensive, but one popular item seems tailor-made to this new digital age: safety apps. Used by schools, offices, and private citizens, these apps aim to connect the individual to the wider community in times of crisis. In June, Suffolk County in New York raised … Continued
Read MoreWeapons scanning in public places seems to be hitting a tipping point, moving beyond schools and airports and onto public transit. This week, NPR reported that the Los Angeles public transit system said it would be the first in the U.S. to use millimeter wave scanners to screen Metro riders for suspicious objects as they … Continued
Read MoreSeveral companies hope to use artificial intelligence to automatically detect guns before shooters get them into classrooms. Can it work? by Jeremy Hsu Last February, Tim Button got some of the worst news possible: His 15-year-old nephew Luke Hoyer was killed in the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Since … Continued
Read MoreWhen it comes to action heroes, Hollywood doesn’t usually choose the guy with a 143-point checklist and a granular understanding of access control systems. But in Skyscraper—the action flick critics are calling “Die Hard” meets “The Towering Inferno”—the man with the building plans is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson plays Will Sawyer, an independent security … Continued
Read MoreFor the latest on smart guns, check out our newest feature, “Will smart guns ever be for sale?” By Jared Shelly The logic behind “smart guns” is simple — use technology to ensure that guns can only be fired by their owners. The potential results are powerful: A toddler can’t accidentally shoot a friend or … Continued
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