| Is an extremist tall, short, young, old, thin, fat? | | | | officials and us as well. Yet, our agencies can be |
| Would you know if the person standing next to | | | | thrown into a "them and us" scenario if they are |
| you was about to pull out a gun and shoot? | | | | not careful. |
| Scary thought, isn't it? | | | | All the signs were there for the Secret Service, |
| Think about the pressure our protective and | | | | FBI and San Francisco Police to retain Sara Jane |
| security agencies have been under since President | | | | Moore, yet no one believed a white, 45 year-old |
| Obama took office? | | | | mother could possibly pose a threat to anyone or |
| Yet, with all this pressure, we -- and our agencies | | | | try to assassinate a U.S. president? Even though |
| -- must be sure we are not creating a net that | | | | this 40-something woman admitted to carrying a |
| catches more people, but not more threats. | | | | gun and called to say she wanted to check |
| Protective agencies are charged with creating | | | | presidential security no one stopped her. |
| "assessments" -- descriptions -- of what | | | | Does this mean we round up all mid-forties |
| constitutes a threat to our safety. These | | | | women in the crowd? Where do we go from |
| agencies include the Pentagon's National Security | | | | here? |
| Agency, Department of Homeland Security which | | | | The Technology Gap |
| oversees the Secret Service, Federal Bureau of | | | | Technology has played a big role in protecting |
| Investigation (FBI), Federal Air Marshals and The | | | | elected officials in terms of communicating with |
| Federal Law Enforcement Training Center | | | | other agencies -- that is if they will talk to each |
| (FLETC). | | | | other? Technology is only a tool, not the key, to |
| Recently there is new controversy regarding who | | | | the solution to identifying a threat while still |
| is a threat. A threat was easier to define in 1975 | | | | protecting our right to privacy. |
| when the profile of someone likely to take a shot | | | | Technology also works to make the job harder |
| at the president was defined by the Secret | | | | as the tools can work against agencies in the |
| Service as someone "to be male, between the | | | | same way: communicating locations, messages |
| ages of 20 and 40, of slight build, born overseas, | | | | back and forth about preparing for an |
| unemployed, a loner, and someone who suffered | | | | assassination attempt or other terrorist event. |
| from delusions of grandeur or persecution." | | | | If we are going to match the skill and speed of |
| When Sara Jane Moore took her shot at | | | | the computer wizards, we need to have the |
| President Gerald Ford, the Secret Service was | | | | same toys and the same weapons necessary to |
| not looking for "...a female, in her mid-40s, of | | | | play in the game. |
| stocky build, born in the United States, employed | | | | Unfortunately, it appears our primary presidential |
| full-time as an accountant, had been married and | | | | protective agency, the Secret Service, is not up |
| had a son, and had no history of delusions at the | | | | to speed. It does not have the sophisticated |
| time she shot at Ford." | | | | systems to track record and monitor what is |
| No one wants another "Sara Jane Moore" incident, | | | | riding on the Internet. So, it has asked for a $34 |
| of course. Yet, we still have a lot to learn. We | | | | million to help upgrade its systems. Without it not |
| must constantly analyze new and different | | | | only will the Secret Service not be able to keep |
| approaches and profiles without the danger of | | | | up with the hackers and other threats, it will not |
| lumping and clumping people into roles and | | | | be able to communicate with the White House! |
| ideologies. | | | | Apparently the agency flunked an NSA security |
| The latest description of a right-wing extremist or | | | | audit last year that was intended to detect |
| white supremacist casts an even wider definition | | | | intrusions and vulnerabilities. How can we fight |
| of a threat. Those affected by the economic | | | | back? |
| downturn, disaffected military veterans, racist | | | | We are the government and we are here to |
| factions and feelings of governmental oppression. | | | | Network |
| Would Moore or Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme fit | | | | The Secret Service may be your friend on |
| the definition of a white-wing extremist? How | | | | MySpace. We could be networking with the |
| Sara Jane slipped through the scrutiny of Secret | | | | federal government? I wonder what the Secret |
| Service Agents is still being studied by agents | | | | Service profile looks like on a social network? |
| today, 34 years later. | | | | Supposedly a surveillance system on social |
| Consider that Moore's rationale fits into what we | | | | networks can penetrate organizing groups forming |
| would call a right-wing extremist. She believed that | | | | "nodes" in the network and then remove them. |
| the U.S. government was oppressive and, "She | | | | Kind of like cutting out a cancer cell before it gets |
| hoped to trigger the kind of chaos that could | | | | too big. |
| have started the upheaval of change." | | | | If there is suspicion that a "node" user poses a |
| She surrounded herself with like-minded thinkers | | | | threat, the Secret Service will, "track information |
| whose fear of the federal government was real | | | | from phone call records such as those in the NSA |
| to them and they only way to change it was | | | | call database. The information will be extracted |
| through violence. | | | | such as personal interests, friendships and |
| In her statement before Judge Samuel Conti, she | | | | affiliations, wants, beliefs, thoughts, and activities." |
| said a federal agent bragged about his abilities in | | | | Bingo, now you have the information needed to |
| the area of anonymous letter writing and other | | | | build an assessment? |
| forms of character assassination. She said the | | | | Who poses a real threat and who doesn't? Will we |
| federal agent told her the government needed to | | | | ever recognize a Sara Jane Moore in the future? |
| gain control over the citizenry. "You don't seem to | | | | A savvy white supremacist may avoid all |
| realize that this is a war," he told her. | | | | technology and "go retro" by using snail mail and |
| Then we have another example of 88-year-old | | | | we miss by looking the other way. |
| white supremacist James von Brunn who strolled | | | | When Bush was president, anyone disagreeing |
| into the National Holocaust Museum and shot an | | | | with the government was unpatriotic, yet now, |
| African American security guard and anti-abortion | | | | agreeing with the government makes one a |
| extremist Scott Roeder went into a church | | | | Socialist. |
| slaughtered a family physician. | | | | It is not going to be easy for the agencies within |
| Which of these people fit neatly into the threat | | | | the DHS to sort it all out and find those who truly |
| assessment? We are racing to quickly redefine | | | | pose a threat and not just a loud mouth. It is |
| just what a "threat" looks like. | | | | going to take some very skilled and nuanced |
| Tools, creativity and a willingness to look beyond | | | | agents to design the process both ways. |
| the obvious are necessary to protect our elected | | | | |