Milkhouse Mouse: "Securing the Cities": Homeland Security Doling Out $12 Million for NYC Summer Pilot Security

Monday, April 27

"Securing the Cities": Homeland Security Doling Out $12 Million for NYC Summer Pilot Security

The DHS brain trust proposes to generously fund a "pilot program" for "securing" New York City that apparently is intended later for other U.S. cities. I can't wait....

On 13 April, Grants.gov posted this RFP (request for proposal)

from a State or local unit of government, interstate or intrastate entity, or a special district, who will work with governmental entities serving jurisdictions within 45 miles of NYC. This single application must include the following jurisdictions: States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; NYC (New York City Police Department (NYPD), in particular), the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey (PANYNJ), and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

Listed in the Catalogue for Domestic Assistance ("CFDA Number: 97.106 -- Securing the Cities" and proposed under the auspices of "The Securing the Cities (STC) Initiative," the project is looking for an organization that can

design and implement an architecture for coordinated and integrated preventative detection and interdiction of illicit radiological materials that may be used as a weapon (Radiation Dispersal Device (RDD) or Improvised Nuclear Device (IND)) within a high risk metropolitan area.

Here's the program's description:

The overall goal of the STC initiative is to prevent a Radiological/Nuclear (RN) attack on high-risk metropolitan areas by enhancing regional capabilities to detect and interdict illicit radioactive materials in and around metropolitan areas. One aspect of addressing this goal is providing assistance to State and local jurisdictions in and around major metropolitan areas that will enable these entities to build capabilities by: • Leveraging current technologies and deploying them regionally in a coordinated manner; • Designing, acquiring, and deploying the components of an operationally viable regional architecture for radiological/nuclear detection, focused on State and local jurisdictions; • Developing and implementing a common, multi-agency Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for sharing sensor data and resolving “hits” within the sensor architecture; • Training and exercising by the regional agencies to execute this CONOPS to a high level of proficiency; and, • Evaluate and implement an equipment supportability concept to provide the ability to sustain operational capabilities upon the departure of STC financial assistance. Assistance provided through this STC Funding Opportunity Announcement will allow the regional stakeholders to continue scaled implementation of preventive radiological and nuclear detection operational capabilities. Subject to funding availability and an independent assessment, DNDO may execute the STC initiative in other regions in and around major metropolitan areas.

If you believe have the technical expertise DHS is looking for to prevent a radiological or nuclear attack on NYC, or