Homeland Security Act of 2002
“…to establish a coordinated, university-based system to enhance the Nation’s homeland security.”
The Office of University Programs, within the Science & Technology Division of the Department of
Homeland Security will establish the creation of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Center).
The Department of Homeland Security is harnessing the nation’s scientific knowledge and technological
expertise to protect America and our way of life from terrorism. The Department’s Science and Technology
directorate, through its Office of University Programs, is furthering this mission by engaging the academic
community to create learning and research environments in areas critical to Homeland Security.
Through the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program, Homeland Security is investing in
university-based partnerships to develop centers of multi-disciplinary research where important fields of
inquiry can be analyzed and best practices developed, debated, and shared.
The Department’s Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Centers) bring together the nation’s best
experts and focus its most talented researchers on a variety of threats that include agricultural, chemical,
biological, nuclear and radiological, explosive and cyber terrorism as well as the behavioral aspects of
terrorism.
“…to establish a coordinated, university-based system to enhance the Nation’s homeland security.”
The Office of University Programs, within the Science & Technology Division of the Department of
Homeland Security will establish the creation of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Center).
The Department of Homeland Security is harnessing the nation’s scientific knowledge and technological
expertise to protect America and our way of life from terrorism. The Department’s Science and Technology
directorate, through its Office of University Programs, is furthering this mission by engaging the academic
community to create learning and research environments in areas critical to Homeland Security.
Through the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program, Homeland Security is investing in
university-based partnerships to develop centers of multi-disciplinary research where important fields of
inquiry can be analyzed and best practices developed, debated, and shared.
The Department’s Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Centers) bring together the nation’s best
experts and focus its most talented researchers on a variety of threats that include agricultural, chemical,
biological, nuclear and radiological, explosive and cyber terrorism as well as the behavioral aspects of
terrorism.
While at MCNY I put together this HS-Center application committee in 2003 to address research issues on security of our
transportation system. Why a Transportation focus?
On any given weekday of the year, more than 4.6 million passengers (a number greater than the entire population of Los
Angeles) use the New York City subway system, while 2.5 million riders use NYC Transit busses every day.
transportation system. Why a Transportation focus?
- NYC is the transportation center for the nation
- NYC has largest mass transportation network in the nation
- The New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Region The New York-New Jersey metropolitan region consists of the five New York
City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), and the Bronx; the four suburban New York
counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester; and the eight northern New Jersey counties of Bergen, Essex,
Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union. - NYC is the “Crossroads of the World”
- There are 468 subway stations along 230 miles of route, and train service is provided at each station twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week
On any given weekday of the year, more than 4.6 million passengers (a number greater than the entire population of Los
Angeles) use the New York City subway system, while 2.5 million riders use NYC Transit busses every day.
One third of all recent terrorist attacks worldwide have
focused on air, rail and surface transportation.
- U.S. General Accounting Office
2002
focused on air, rail and surface transportation.
- U.S. General Accounting Office
2002
- In 1991, transportation systems were the target of 20% of all violent attacks.
- This rose to almost 40% in 1998.
- Two-thirds of attacks were intended to kill, with 37% involving fatalities.
- Of these incidents, about three-fourths involved more than 1 fatality and 23%
involved 10 or more fatalities. - 46% of terrorist attacks against public surface transportation systems were carried
out on subways and trains, subway and train stations, and rail. - The use of bombs was overwhelmingly the most common tactic (60% of all attacks)
- GAO estimates that close to 200 such attacks on trains and rail facilities have been
mounted worldwide between 1997 and 2000. - GAO has estimated that 41% of terrorist attacks on public surface transportation
were directed toward passenger buses between 1997 and 2000.
| Application Partnership: for a proposed, but not funded, Center of Excellence on Incident Response Technologies and Operations |
- MCNY Institute for Homeland Preparedness and Disaster Management of the School for Public Affairs and
Administration - The City College/USDOT University Transportation Research Center (UTRC)
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority State of New York (MTA) Interagency Counter Terrorism Task
Force, Police Department (NYC Transit, Long Island Railroad, Long Island Bus, Metro-North Railroad, Bridges
& Tunnels) - NYPD Office of Counter Terrorism
- NYC Office of Emergency Management
- Institute for Community Living, Inc.
- University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Network Information and Space Security Center (NISSC)
and CU-Trauma Studies & Resource Center of The Department of Psychology - The Rutgers University of New Jersey/USDOT National Transit Institute (NTI) of the Edward J. Bloustein
School of Planning and Public Policy - Tel Aviv University, Department of Public Policy, School of Government and Policy of The Gershon H.
Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences - New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Emergency Management
- SUNY Maritime College New York Strategic Center for Port and Maritime Security
- Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd PB Telecommunications, Inc.
- Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)
- Disaster Resource Network an initiative of the World Economic Forum
- Humphrey Crookendale, J.D., Dean
- Michael T. “Mick” Maurer, D.Min., M.H.A., Associate Professor, Director of
Research, Institute for Homeland Preparedness & Disaster Management
Director for the Application
- Louis Tietje, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
- Oren Levin-Waldman, Ph.D., Professor,
- Jasmina Spasojevic, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
- Scott Phelps, JD, MPH, paramedic, Assistant Professor
- Philip M. Nufrio, Ph.D., Associate Professor
- Joseph Berechman, Ph.D., Professor of Transportation Economics & Planning, Tel Aviv University; Senior
Research Associate – Region 2, University Transportation Research Center, City College of New York
- Co-Principal Investigator Priority 1
- Sam Yahalom, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Director of Research, New York
Strategic Center for Port and Maritime Security, Maritime College State
University of New York
- Anthony Palmiotti, Director of Continuing Education, SUNY Maritime College
- Chuck Kozub, Assistant Director,Workplace Safety National Transit Institute
- Paul Larrouse, M.S., Director, National Transit Institute
- William Ayen, Ph.D., Director, Network Information and Space Security Center
(NISSC) and Research Professor
- Vernon “Dale” Jones, Ph.D., Director of Research, Network Information and Space
Security Center (NISSC)
- Charles C. Benight, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology,
Associate Professor of Psychology; Director of the CU-Trauma Studies
& Resource Center; Director of Clinical Training, Department of
Psychology
Research Partners Team:
- Ernest J. Pucillo, Co-Investigator , Inspector, Commanding Officer, Interagency Counter Terrorism Task Force,
Police Department MTA, Priority 1 & 2 - Elizabeth Cleek, Psy.D., Co-Investigator, Director of Program Design and Evaluation, ICL, Inc., Priority 3
- Joseph Finn, Co-Investigator, Captain, Commanding Officer, Office of Counter Terrorism, NYPD, Priority 1 & 2
- David Longshore, Co-Investigator , Director of Special Programs, New York City Office of Emergency
Management, Priority 1-2-3 - George Contreras, MPH, MS, Co-Investigator , Bureau of Emergency Management, New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene, Priority 1-2-3 - John S. Chow, AICP, Co-Investigator, Co-Director, Office of Professional Practice, Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd PB
Telecommunications, Inc., Priority 1-2 - Chris Schielein, Co-Investigator, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), Priority 1-2
- Robert E. Bellhouse, Co-Investigator , Executive Director, Disaster Resource Network an initiative of the World
Economic Forum, Priority 1-2
Consultants:
- Alexander McMeeking, M.D. – NYU Medical Center (infectious disease), Priority 1-2-3
- David Duff, M.P.A. – Manager, Emergency Preparedness NYU School of Medicine, Priority 1-2
- John A. Gibbs, Ph.D. – Professor, Chemistry; Chair, Department of Physical, Environmental &
Computer Sciences; Program Coordinator, B.S. Degree Program in Environmental Science;
Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY), Priority 2
Madrid 3-11-04
London 7-7-05
Madrid 3-11-04
London 7-7-05
Moscow 2-6-04
Moscow 2-6-04
Moscow 2-6-04
| March 20, 1995 Tokyo, Japan A gas attack on the Tokyo subway kills 12 and injures thousands. The attack, using deadly sarin gas, was blamed on the Aum Shinrikyo cult, several of whose members have been sentenced to death. July 25, 1995 Paris, France A bomb blast on the Paris metro system kills seven people and injures several others. Police blame Islamic militants for the attack. February 5, 2001 Moscow, Russia A rush-hour bomb blast at Moscow's Belorusskaya station, one of the busiest on the city's subway network, injures 15 people, including two children. February 18, 2003 Daegu, South Korea A suspected arson attack at a subway station in the South Korean city of Daegu kills at least 130 people. December 5, 2003 Stavropol, Russia An explosion on a commuter train in the Stavropol region north of Chechnya kills at least 36 people and injures more than 150. February 6, 2004 Moscow, Russia A rush-hour blast kills at least 30 people and injures 70 on a metro train in Moscow. March 11, 2004 Madrid, Spain Attacks on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, kill 191 people. August 31, 2004 Moscow, Russia A female suicide bomber kills nine people and herself, and wounds 51 others when she detonates a bomb outside a subway station in northeastern Moscow. July 7, 2005 London, England In the worst bombings to strike the city since World War II, four suicide bombers attack London's transit system during rush hour, killing 52. Three of the explosions strike trains on the city's Underground system and another detonates on a bus in the city center. July 11, 2006 Mumbai, India Seven explosions tear through trains and platforms along the Western Railway system in Mumbai, one of the most crowded commuter networks in the world. At least 200 people are reported dead and 600 injured. February 20, 2007 Samjhauta Express - Indian train carrying hundreds of passengers to the Pakistan border, at least 500 of the more than 700 people on the train were from Pakistan. The twice-weekly train service connects India's capital New Delhi to Lahore, in eastern Pakistan. Bombs apparently started fires leaving 67 dead and 15 injured, four of them battling for life. Two unexploded suitcase bombs were also found on the train. Inside one, an electronic timer encased in clear plastic was packed next to more than a dozen plastic bottles containing a cocktail of fuel oils and chemicals. |
Mumbai 7-11-06
Areas of Research:
- Economic Modeling on the Impact and Consequences of Terrorism (named 25
November 2003) The first HS-Center at USC, known as the Homeland Security Center
for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events. - Agroterrorism Countermeasures (named 28 April 2004) Two HS-Centers: at Texas
A&M - Center for Foreign Animal & Zoonotic Disease Defense, and at U of Minn. -
Center for Post-Harvest Food Protection and Defense. - Behavioral Research on Terrorism and Countermeasures (named January 2005) - at
the University of Maryland - Center of Excellence for Behavioral and Social Research
on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism - Technology Transfer (named December 2005) at Johns Hopkins - Center for the
Study of High Consequence Event Preparedness and Response. - Research and Development on Security Technology (named October 2005) at
Michigan State - Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA)
Homeland Security Research
www.MickMaurer.com
- Robert E. Paaswell, Ph.D., Director and Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering,
Region 2 University Transportation Research Center, The City College of New York
Co-Director for Application
- Robert F. Baker, M.S., Assistant Director, Research & Technology Transfer for the
University Transportation Research Center Region 2, City College of New York
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Mick Maurer Washington Square
Samjhauta Express 2-20-2007
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