Homeland Security
Former security chief spent thousands on state issued gas card
Eric Eyre and Scott Finn of The Charleston Gazette continue their investigation of Neal Sharp, West Virginia’s former homeland security chief, reporting that “Sharp purchased gasoline with his state credit card at least 30 times on days he wasn’t working.” In all, Sharp charged $6,764 to his state-issued credit card between July 2003 and March…
Read MoreSecurity chief’s use of plane, helicopter questioned
Eric Eyre and Scott Finn of the Charleston Gazette obtained flight records showing that West Virginia homeland security chief Neal Sharp “flew on the state plane or helicopter to attend meetings, scout disaster training sites and inspect emergency equipment” nineteen times in 19 months and chartered five additional private flights, prompting a state investigation. “All…
Read MorePotential terrorism targets find lax security efforts
David Kocieniewski of The New York Times uses public records to investigate the homeland security threat, specifically along a two-mile stretch, deemed the most vulnerable by terrorism experts. The investigation looked into “… a chemical plant that processes chlorine gas, so close to Manhattan that the Empire State Building seems to rise up behind its…
Read MoreRail safety in question
Scott Dodd, Bruce Henderson and Heather Vogell of The Charlotte Observer examine railroad safety, finding that “in the Charlotte region, nearly 800,000 people live within a mile of a major rail line,” an increase of 90,000 in the past 10 years. “Yet emergency planners don’t know how much hazardous material passes daily through uptown Charlotte…
Read MoreSecurity firm tipped off prior to airport inspections
Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle used federal and court records to investigate a claim by a former employee of the firm, that the company was tipped off prior to security decoy tests. The tips allegedly helped the firm secure a 90 percent success rate with the tests. “That success rate helped the Chicago…
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