Reposted from The Boston Globe

The newest staff member at the Museum of Fine Arts doesn’t have much of an eye for aesthetics, which makes him a bit of a peculiar addition to the renowned institution.

He didn’t attend a fancy college where they teach students about art appraisals. And he won’t be able to differentiate a van Gogh from a Degas, or an oil on canvas from an ancient Egyptian bust.

But he does have this: a keen sense of smell that could help officials at the museum keep its many exhibits, both new and old, from going to the dogs.

Riley, a Weimaraner puppy, was recently acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts on a volunteer basis to detect insects and other pests that might be hiding on existing or incoming collections at the gallery.

Seemingly harmless moths or bugs have the potential to damage certain types of artwork, like textiles, wood, or organic materials.

And Riley will be tasked with sniffing them out — once he has been properly trained, of course.

“We have lots of things that bring, by their very nature, bugs or pests with them,” said Katie Getchell, chief brand officer and deputy director of the Museum of Fine Arts. “If he can be trained to sit down in front of an object that he smells a bug in, that we can’t smell or see, then we could take that object, inspect it, and figure out what’s going on — that would be remarkable in terms of preserving objects.”

The museum has existing protocols in place to handle any potential infestation issues before they arise, but bringing Riley into the fold will offer an added layer of protection, she said.

“Pests are an ongoing concern for museums,” Getchell said. “It’s exciting to think about this as a new way to address the problem.”

The arrival of the floppy-eared pup with the oversized paws and droopy eyes, marks a first-of-its-kind initiative for the museum. Getchell said she’s not aware of another institution using a dog for similar work. Riley’s assistance is being billed as a pilot project, as they get a sense of his effectiveness.

While the idea of a puppy at the museum might give art lovers more incentive to visit, Riley will mostly work behind the scenes, meaning he won’t be spotted by those walking through the galleries on a daily basis.

His scent training, which will take place with his owner, the museum’s head of Protective Services, will begin in the next few months.

“If it is something that works, it’s something that other museums, or other libraries, or other places that collect materials that are susceptible to any kind of any infestation like that could use as another line of defense,” Getchell said. “That would be an amazing outcome.”

The American Kennel Club describes the breed’s demeanor and personality traits as “fearless, friendly, and obedient,” and notes that Weimaraners — males can weigh anywhere between 70 to 90 pounds when full grown — are always “eager to please.”

“The Weimaraner is a graceful dog with aristocratic features,” the website says. “Bred for speed, good scenting ability, courage and intelligence, he remains an excellent game hunter and active participant in other dog sports.”

Sue Thomas, who owns Rhode Island-based Camelot Weimaraner and has been breeding the dogs for 40 years, said they’re known for their olfactory capabilities.

“Anything that is determined on ability of sense of smell could be done with them,” she said. “I think they’re smart, and I think they’re very trainable.”

Although Riley is still very young, that sort of untapped potential could bode well for the museum and its mission.

“It’s a fun way to think about how we might be able to improve our care. That’s why we are here, to care for and share these works of art,” said Getchell, of the MFA. “If we can do that through an adorable dog, it’s pretty awesome.”

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Reposted from The New York Times

Since Al Qaeda and then the Islamic State began calling on would-be terrorists to drive cars and trucks into pedestrians, officials in New York City have grappled with how to better protect people from vehicular attacks.

It is a concern that gained urgency last year, first after a driver high on PCP drove three blocks on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk, and then after a man plowed a rented truck down a West Side bike path in a terrorist attack that killed eight people.

On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would spend $50 million to secure high-risk public spaces from attacks by vehicles, and from vehicles that go out of control because of a medical emergency.

The money will go toward a range of safety measures, including installing 1,500 metal bollards at some of the city’s most-visited locations and placing large planters at other vulnerable spots.

At a news conference in Times Square on Tuesday, Mr. de Blasio said the bollards — metal posts intended to block vehicles — would replace some of the concrete cubes and barriers that had been placed as temporary measures near pedestrian areas vulnerable to attack.

“That was necessary to immediately secure those areas in light of these new trends we’ve seen,” Mr. de Blasio said. “But we knew we needed long-term solutions, we needed permanent barriers.” Bollards, city officials said, will allow pedestrians to move more freely than the concrete barriers, which take up more room and are more cumbersome to navigate in a crowd. “People have to be able to get around, but they have to be safe at the same time,” the mayor said.

Aside from Times Square, city officials declined to say where many of the bollards would go and noted that it would take a few years to install all 1,500 of them.

In a 2010 article in its magazine, Inspire, Al Qaeda encouraged adherents to use vehicles “to mow down the enemies of Allah.” But the tactic did not really catch on among would-be terrorists until several years later, when the Islamic State began to call publicly for vehicle attacks. Since then, counterterrorism officials in New York City have watched with concern as men in cars and trucks rammed pedestrians in a string of deadly attacks from Quebec to Nice to Berlin.

The spate of vehicle attacks prompted discussion about what more the city could do to insulate pedestrian areas from traffic, and whether, in Times Square at least, it made sense to further reduce traffic along some blocks.

At the news conference, the mayor did not take questions and said little regarding tactics, besides installing the bollards.

Bollards are not new to Times Square. They were installed by the dozens in the area in 2016.

Last May, bollards on 45th Street eventually stopped the car whose driver, high on PCP, had driven along three city blocks of sidewalk, killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring 20 people.

The city’s transportation commissioner, Polly Trottenberg, said that installing bollards is complicated because of the infrastructure and subway lines below some of the city’s busiest areas. “If you want to make them so they can really stop a vehicle, they need to go some distance into the ground,” Ms. Trottenberg said.

A spokesman for the Transportation Department, Scott Gastel, said that there are “nearly 50 locations with such permanent bollards” around the city, but that they had mainly been installed by private entities, or diplomatic missions.

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Reposted from The Guardian

Police forces are to receive a £50m funding boost to help the fight against terrorism.

The extra cash will increase intelligence and surveillance capabilities and pay for armed officers to patrol city centers.

The home secretary, Amber Rudd, secured the rise in next year’s police counter-terrorism budget to at least £757m after convincing the chancellor, Philip Hammond, more money was needed to protect the public.

Rudd said: “This represents our commitment to backing the talented and brave counter-terrorism forces with the resources they need to keep people safe.

“Since 2015 alone we have increased counter-terrorism spending by 30% and pledged more than £500m in increased funding for the counter-terrorism budget, to protect the UK from the ongoing threat posed by terrorism.

“This [latest funding] will allow counter-terrorism policing to meet head on the threat we face, working closely with our communities and continuing to disrupt those who would want to harm us.

“We are also reviewing our counter-terrorism strategy to make sure we meet the unprecedented challenge.”

Counter-terrorism police and the security services have disrupted 22 plots since the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013, and nine since the Westminster attack in March this year. They are currently running well over 500 live operations.

There were 400 arrests for terrorism-related offences in the year ending 30 September, an increase of 54% compared with the previous year.

Rudd said: “Time and again our police officers have been at the forefront of our response, putting themselves in harm’s way to keep others from danger.

“We will never forget the sacrifice of PC Keith Palmer who was fatally stabbed while defending our parliament.

“This government stands alongside them, ensuring they have the resources, capabilities and powers they need.”

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Reposted from The Times-Picayune

A rifle used in the Battle of New Orleans that went missing from the Confederate Memorial Hall was returned to the museum over 30 years after it was stolen, FBI and state police investigators and museum officials announced Monday (Jan. 8), the 203rd anniversary of the battle.

The weapon, a .38-caliber long rifle was used by William Ross during the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, the assistant to the curator of the Confederate Museum Joseph Ricci said during a news conference. Ross fought in a local militia under Capt. Thomas Beale, and his rifle was used to help win the battle, Ricci said.

Ross, a New Orleans flour inspector, earned $22.48 for his service during the war, Ricci said. The rifle, the only known verified weapon to be traced back to being in use during the Jan. 8-18, 1814 battle, was donated to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum on Dec. 31, 1884 by Ross' grandson, Elijah Steele Ross.

According to Ricci, the gun was documented as "hanging on the walls" in the museum in 1935, and appeared in various inventory lists as late as the 1960s. Although investigators are unsure when exactly the rifle went missing, investigators learned the gun was at some point located in a store in the French Quarter.

In 1982, the rifle was traded for "several other weapons," and came into the hands of the person from whom the rifle was ultimately recovered, according to FBI special agent Randolph Deaton.

The value of the trade was about $18,000 in 1982, Deaton said.

Detectives with the FBI and Louisiana State Police started the investigation for the weapon in August 2017, and the rifle was found in a private home in south Louisiana in November, Deaton said.

Deaton said the gun was, "hiding in plain sight," over the roughly 35 years it was missing, saying "the people who possessed the rifle for the past 30 years were extremely cooperative," during their investigation.

The names of the store and individuals who were in possession of the weapon are not being released as neither are the subjects of a criminal investigation, Deaton said. As to the person who took the gun from the museum, Deaton said, "we may never know."

Ricci said the William Ross rifle was made by Virginia gun-maker John Jacob Sheetz. It is a Kentucky style flintlock with a 42-inch barrel and is engraved with an inscription reading, "this rifle was used by my father Wm. Ross, a member of Cap. Thos. Beals company of New Orleans Riflemen in defense of N Orleans in 1814 and 1815."

The rifle is now on display at the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum.

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Reposted from ASIS Security Management

​The classroom door flies open. An emotionally distraught student rushes into the doorway, produces a semiautomatic pistol, presses the muzzle of the gun to his temple with his finger on the trigger, and proclaims, "I can't take it anymore."

How will the teacher respond to this stressful, high-stakes situation? Will she intervene with verbal tactics or physical ones? Will she inadvertently put other students in danger by reacting too quickly?

An analysis by school security firm Safe Havens International found that teachers and administrators who had undergone traditional active shooter training were more likely to react to this situation by opting to attack the student or throw things at him, rather than taking the action steps outlined in the school's policies and procedures, such as calling 911 or instigating a lockdown. In other scenarios, trainees reacted in a similar manner that could intensify and aggravate the situation when time allowed for safer policies and procedures to be applied.

In the wake of high-profile massacres at schools and college campuses, institutions are preparing themselves for the emergency situations with scenario-based training programs.

The percentage of U.S. public schools that have drilled for an active shooter scenario rose from 47 to 70 percent from 2004 to 2014, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics. But the intensive search for solutions to these deadly events can lead to hasty planning and decision making, ultimately resulting in an ineffective response.

The number of teachers and administrators who opt to attack or otherwise approach the armed perpetrator indicates that current active shooter programs may be overwhelming for participants, causing them to respond to threatening scenarios in a dangerous way. Schools have also become narrowly focused on active shooter scenarios, when most deaths and accidents on campuses do not involve an active shooter.

Taking these factors into consideration, an all-hazards approach to scenario-based training allows schools to prepare for a range of incidents, including bullying, sexual harassment, and natural disasters. Fidelity testing then allows administrators and teachers to put those plans to the test and see how participants apply the training under stressful scenarios.

School leaders can then learn to rely on the solid foundational principles of policies and procedures, as well as communications and emergency plans, to diffuse potentially hazardous situations. Using these basic elements of active threat response and evaluating training programs to identify gaps could save lives.​

Evaluations

During the stress of an actual crisis, people often react differently than they have been trained to do. Fidelity testing of a training program can help determine if there are gaps between what the trainer thinks the trainees will do, and what actions trainees will take in real life. This was the aim of evaluations completed by campus security nonprofit Safe Havens International of Macon, Georgia.

Methodology. Analysts conducted the evaluations at more than 1,000 K-12 public, faith-based, independent, and charter schools in 38 states. More than 7,000 one-on-one crisis scenario simulations were conducted by Safe Havens International in a series of school safety, security, and emergency preparedness assessments over the last five years. The participants were observed and scored by analysts who had completed a 16-hour formal training program and one day of field work.

Prior to running the scenarios, analysts came up with several action steps that should be taken in each scenario. These steps included initiating a lockdown, calling 911, sheltering in place, or pulling the fire alarm, for example. Based on those steps, the analysts developed a standardized scoring system to keep track of participant performance in the scenarios.

This type of training is known as options-based active shooter training because it gives the participants various responses to choose from. Many popular options-based programs are based on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Run. Hide. Fight. approach. 

Drawing from Safe Havens International's repository of more than 200 audio and video crisis scenarios, analysts ran the simulations and let administrators, support staff, and teachers respond accordingly. These simulations covered a range of scenarios, which were presented in several formats.

For example, some participants were guided through an audio narration of a school bus taken hostage by an armed student. The audio was paused, and the trainees were asked what they would do next in that situation.

Similarly, video scenarios depicted potentially violent situations that left participants with a number of choices on how to react.

In one scenario, a woman screams at staff in the school office while brandishing a claw hammer. In another, a student on a school bus jumps up with a gun and yells, "Nobody move, and nobody gets hurt!" The video is stopped and trainees are prompted to say how they would react.

Based on action steps that were predetermined to be ideal, analysts then scored the trainees' responses on tablet devices. The scoring was be tailored to individual clients. For instance, if analysts were training a school district that has a police officer on every campus, its response would be different from that of a rural district that does not have a law enforcement officer within 20 miles.

Results. The results of the evaluations consistently showed that participants who were provided with options-based active shooter programs had lower scores than those who had not completed any type of training.

This outcome shows that current active shooter training methods may be overwhelming for administrators and teachers because they provide too much information—prompting them to attack when it is not necessary.

In an assessment in the northeastern United States, test subjects completed an options-based active shooter training program that was three and a half hours long. Evaluators found that the 63 administrators and staff members from 28 schools missed 628 out of 1,243 critical action steps that should have been implemented. That's more than 50 percent.

For example, participants failed to initiate or order a lockdown when it was appropriate 70 percent of the time. More than 55 percent of participants failed to call 911 or the school resource officer in scenarios depicting a person with a weapon, and 39 percent of participants failed to pull the fire alarm in situations involving fire.

During an assessment of a school district in the southwestern United States, 32 people from two groups participated in scenario simulations. One group completed a five-hour live training program based on the Run. Hide. Fight. video, developed by the district's school resource officers. The second group did not receive the training or view the video.

The simulation results revealed that none of the top five scoring participants had received any type of active shooter training. All five of the lowest scoring participants, on the other hand, had completed the training program.

The overall score was also significantly lower for the group that had completed training than it was for the untrained group. The lower scoring participants often opted to attack in situations where it was not the best option.

Opting to attack. For the scenario described in the beginning of the article, where a student is potentially suicidal, analysts found that in one out of every four incidents, a school employee who had completed an options-based active shooter training would try to throw an object at or attack the student armed with a weapon.

Many of the participants in the simulations responded by opting to use force for almost any scenario involving a subject depicted with a gun. If the student in question was suicidal, such a reaction could be deadly, possibly leading to the student to shoot himself or others.

Participants who had not received formal training began talking to the student, encouraging him to put the gun down, and asking if it was okay for the other students in the classroom to leave. These basics of communication are essential in an active suicide threat situation and can help defuse possible violence. 

Another scenario featured a drunk man who was 75 yards away from a school at the same time that a teacher and her students were 25 yards from the school building at recess. The analysis found that 30 percent of participants playing the teacher chose to approach—and even attack the drunk man—even though he was three-quarters of a football field away from the school.

The best option in this scenario is for the teacher to instruct the students to go into the school and put themselves in lockdown, then go into the building and ask the office to dial 911.

In November 2017, a school in Northern California initiated its lockdown procedure when the school secretary heard gunshots nearby. The gunman tried to enter the campus but could not find an open door. Because school faculty followed policies and procedures, countless lives were saved.

Active Threat Approach

The narrow focus on active shooter incidents has left many schools ill-prepared for other active attacker methods, including edge weapons, acid attacks, and fire. Relying on active shooter training also neglects response to incidents that often go undetected, such as bullying and sexual harassment.

The Safe Havens International assessments revealed that many K-12 schools lack written protocols for hazardous materials incidents or do not conduct any training or drills for these easy-to-orchestrate, devastating types of attacks. Evaluations also revealed an unwillingness among some school staff to report incidents of sexual harassment.

Policies and procedures. Edu­cational institutions have written policies and procedures on a range of issues, including bullying, sexual misconduct, signing in visitors, and traffic safety. Scenario-based training will help demonstrate whether staff are prepared to apply those policies appropriately. All staff should be included in this training, including bus drivers, cafeteria employees, and custodial workers.

Scenario-based training can reveal the gaps between what procedure dictates and what staff would actually do when confronted with a threat.

For example, in one simulation conducted by Safe Havens International, a student sat in a classroom with a teacher after hours. The teacher stroked the pupil's hair inappropriately and used sexually explicit language. Some custodial staff faced with this scenario responded that they did not feel comfortable reporting what they saw to school administrators. Janitors, who may be more likely to witness such incidents, said they felt an imbalance of power among the staff, leaving them unwilling to speak up.

Administrators should address such issues by using multiple scenarios related to sexual misconduct to demonstrate to employees that they are not only empowered but required to report these situations. Reviewing these policies and procedures as part of scenario-based training, and incorporating possible threats other than active shooter, will bolster preparation among staff.

Attack methods. While mass shootings garner the most media attention, most recent homicides at schools were caused by attacks that did not involve active shooter events, according to Relative Risk of Death on K12 Campuses by school security expert Steven Satterly.

The 2014 study revealed that of 489 victims murdered on U.S. K-12 campuses from 1998 to 2013, only 62 were killed by active shooters. The Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Red Lake Reservation School shootings made up 74 percent of those 62 deaths.

Several weapons possibilities exist, and should be acknowledged in training programs, including edged weapons, explosive devices, and fire.

There have been dozens of mass casualty edged weapons attacks in schools, and serious damage can occur in a matter of minutes. A mass stabbing and slashing incident in Franklin, Pennsylvania, in April 2014 left 21 victims injured when a sophomore began attacking other students in a crowded hallway. Similar attacks have occurred in China, Japan, and Sweden that have killed and seriously injured students and school employees. 

Acid attacks are occurring more frequently in the United Kingdom, as well as in India, East Africa, Vietnam, and other regions.

For example, in September 2016, a student rigged a peer's violin case with acid at a high school in Haddington, Scotland. The victim's legs were disfigured as a result. 

These types of attacks are relatively easy to carry out because acid is inexpensive and can be concealed in bottles that appear harmless. The injuries sustained in these attacks are gruesome and irreversible, and there are concerns that this attack method may become more common in the United States.

Many active shooter training approaches also fail to address combination attacks, in which the perpetrator uses two or more attack weapons, such as firearms and explosives, firearms and fire, and so forth.

In the 2013 attack at Arapahoe High School in Colorado, a student shot his classmates and a staff member several times before throwing three Molotov cocktails that set part of the library ablaze. The student then shot himself.

Combination attack methods can present complications for first responders who may have to decipher where each threat is located and which one to deal with first. These campus attacks demonstrate the danger of training concepts that focus intently on active shooter incidents, while not offering viable options for other extreme attack methodologies.

There are ways to better prepare school staff to react to violence and reduce the chance of unintended consequences. Scenarios that present a range of threats and situations help trainees learn to react in the most effective manner, and remind them to rely on existing policies.

Fidelity testing that includes a scoring system for action steps will help determine whether active shooter and active threat training concepts have been received by the faculty. Including all staff members who have contact with students creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to report misconduct.

Putting a mirror to current school emergency preparedness will reflect where changes need to be made. If there are significant gaps between the training concept and application of those concepts when reacting unscripted to scenarios, improvements are in order. By applying these principles, schools can prepare themselves for the common emergencies, the worst-case-scenarios, and everything in between. 

-- 

​Sidebar: keeping simulations safe

​Even the most well-intentioned scenario-based training can result in injuries. Training programs that teach throwing of objects, taking people to the floor, punching and kicking, or similar uses of force can wind up hurting trainees and trainers alike.

At least one popular active shooter training program has resulted in high rates of serious injuries among trainees, according to Jerry D. Loghry, CPP, loss prevention information manager for EMC Insurance.

Loghry verified that EMC Insurance has paid out more than $1 million in medical bills to school employees for injuries sustained in trainings from one active shooter program over a 22-month time period. In addition, one police department is being sued due to those injuries.

Instructors can be trained on how to engage participants in use-of-force in a safe way. Reasonable safety measures should be put into place, such as floor mats, and participants should wear protective padding, goggles, and even helmets if necessary.

Safety rules should be written in advance and observed during training simulations.

Local law enforcement can be a valuable resource for simulating active threat situations in a safe manner, because police officers complete similar close-quarters combat training on a regular basis. Observing these best practices can help prevent litigation and liability issues, as well as enhance the overall experience of participants and instructors.​

sidebar: fidelity Testing

For stereo systems, fidelity means that the sound generated by the speakers is nearly identical to the sound of the music that is recorded. In marriage, fidelity means that a person will be faithful to their promises to another.

In the world of school safety, fidelity indicates a close alignment between what is intended by safety policies, plans, drills, and training, and what people do in reality. Fidelity testing is the best way to verify the level of alignment between intentions and reality.

In the case of active shooter preparedness, fidelity testing involves efforts to measure whether there is a close match between theory and what people will actually do under the stress of a violent incident. 

With properly designed active shooter preparedness approaches, practical application under extreme stress should mirror, to a reasonable extent, the theoretical expectations of the approach. If people cannot correctly apply the active shooter survival options they have been provided under simulated conditions, their performance will likely not improve when they are placed under extreme stress.

A high degree of fidelity helps reduce the distance between what people ideally do under stress and what they are likely to do. A reasonable level of fidelity testing of active shooter survival concepts should document that people are able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to identify when they are in an active shooter situation.
• Apply each option they are taught in an appropriate fashion when tested with scenarios they do not know in advance.
• Apply each option under limited time frames with incomplete information.
• Demonstrate knowledge of when applying each option would increase rather than decrease danger.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify when they are in a situation involving firearms that is not an active shooter event.
• Demonstrate the ability to properly address a wide array of scenarios involving weapons other than firearms.​

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Reward Offered for information leading to the location and recovery of this stolen vehicle.

Art Recovery International (ARI) requests assistance from the public to help recover this 1966 Jaguar E-Type.

On 25 November 2017, this iconic classic was removed from a nearby storage facility and parked outside the home of the theft victim on Camberwell Grove, London SE5 8RF in preparation for a drive in the country the following day. The car was covered overnight and discovered missing on the morning of 26 November 2017. 

The theft has been reported to the Metropolitan Police under crime reference number 3035479/17.

Art Recovery International is offering a REWARD up to a maximum of £10,000 to any person or organization for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person(s) who committed this crime.

Tips may be submitted online, or by phone to:

Christopher A. Marinello

chris@artrecovery.com

Italy mobile: +39 329 693 2606

UK mobile:  +44 (0) 7702 206 913

All tips may be submitted anonymously, and on a confidential basis.

Vehicle Information

1966 Jaguar E-Type Fixedhead Coupe (4.2 Litre)

Dark blue with grey leather interior

VRM: NGP 425D

Chassis No.: 1E21052

Engine No.: 7E64159

Mileage: 19 Aug 2017, 64,970

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Reposted from the Telegraph India

A thumb-sized chip attached to the back of a 6th century Buddha statue at the Gandhara Gallery of Indian Museum is likely to go unnoticed. But the chip will go a long way in ensuring the safety of the priceless exhibit.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are being fitted to art objects at the museum and Victoria Memorial in a phased manner under a scheme of the Union ministry of culture. The museum and the memorial both function under the ministry.

The RFID scheme also covers other prominent museums across the country such as the National Gallery of Modern Art and National Museum in New Delhi, Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad and Allahabad Museum.

The system entails fitting a small radio frequency device to the exhibits for identification and tracking purposes. It also includes a tag, a reading device, and a host system application for data collection, processing and transmission.

The gates at the entry and exit points will have sensors that will raise the alarm if a tagged object passes through it. The tags will also help in locating the object during stocktaking.

"The project is part of the Digital India campaign. Not only will it prevent burglary and theft but also help in digitising our inventory," said Rajesh Purohit, the director of Indian Museum.

A 5th-century sandstone half-bust of Buddha was stolen from the museum in December 2004. It was recovered from Odisha a month later.

There are 108,000 objects at Indian Museum. Only around 20 per cent of them are on display, while the rest are in the store.

"Maintaining a checklist of the items and verifying it after visiting hours every day is an exhaustive task. A hand-held reader will make it easier to check the stock. On a trial basis, the reader is detecting every tagged object within a 10-ft radius," said Satyakam Sen, the nodal officer of the RFID project at the museum.

The tender for the project was floated by the National Council of Science Museums. A Chennai-based firm has been awarded the contract to install the system across the museums.

At Indian Museum, the tagging began in July. Some 1,800 objects have been tagged. "We have set a target of tagging 10,000 objects in this financial year," said Purohit.

The Victoria Memorial museum has around 35,000 artefacts, mostly paintings and photographs. "In the first phase, which began in July, 6,000 objects have been tagged. The second phase will begin next month," said Jayanta Sengupta, the secretary and curator of the memorial.

Sengupta explained the utility of the system. "In a museum, some objects are on display, some are in the store, and some are in the conservation lab. We also loan some objects to other institutes. Once all the objects are tagged and the application is ready, detailed information on any object will be available with the click of a finger," he told Metro.

The authorities are taking precautions to ensure that the objects are not damaged during the tagging process. "The adhesive used to stick the chips are undergoing a pH (potential of Hydrogen) test to determine their alkaline or acidic nature. Especially in case of organic objects like skeletons, fossils and textiles, we have to ensure that the adhesive is not too acidic in nature," an official at Indian Museum said.

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Reposted from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

The bronze statue that greeted visitors upon their arrival at the Walk of Heroes Veterans War Memorial was a sight to behold.

Plaques adorned the entryway to a gray, bricked path that led you to five soldiers — each representing a branch of the military — hoisting an 800-pound globe atop their shoulder, intended as a symbol of sacrifice. Etched in the bricks: memorial pavers for fallen soldiers. 

But by Sunday, the usually patriotic memorial in Conyers was missing two soldiers, the globe and five plaques. 

That sight left Walk of Heroes board director Darin Riggs with a pit in his stomach. 

“When I went up there Monday morning to meet with the county, I felt like I was walking into a funeral,” Riggs told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was that type of sick feeling of disgust.” 

The thefts have stung a county that three weeks ago had two bronze frogs stolen from its library, county officials said. 

“A lot of people are wondering if they’re connected, but I’m not able to say either way,” Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Yolande Lovingood-Moore told The AJC. 

But one thing was clear: the hunt is on for the thieves.  

“This is a dishonorable and disheartening act for what we stand for in America,” Sheriff Eric J. Levett said. “Someone trying to tarnish and destroy the place where we recognize our country’s heroes will not be tolerated.

“We will find you.”

Officials are offering a $5,000 reward hoping for information leading to an arrest. Riggs said board members have discussed adding cameras inside the memorial park. 

Authorities believe the thieves hauled the items off in a 1995 to 2000 Toyota Tacoma, towing a trailer with wood-lined floors and railings. The truck also had an extended cab with a lift and all-terrain tires. 

The stolen items were bought in the early 2000s as part of a $200,000 purchase that included two other statues, Riggs said. The breakdown of the individual costs of stolen pieces was not available. 

“Aside from the financial value,” Lovingood-Moore said, “the value of them is priceless.” 

It’s partly what makes the thefts so disconcerting for retired Army veteran Larry Lanham. 

“It’s upsetting that someone would go in there and intentionally damage and steal stuff. There’s no call for that at all,” Lanham told The AJC.

Lanham served for 22 years, including during the Vietnam War, before retiring in 1995. Since then, he’s worked for the American Legion in Conyers and is the organization’s senior vice commander. 

For him, the thefts symbolize a lack of respect.

“I think this generation has forgotten what the memorials are about and what the history is about,” he said. “They really need to learn their history so they appreciate what people have done for them.” 

It’s still uncertain why the vandals targeted the memorial park, but Riggs said there could be two reasons: the bronze and the location. 

“Obviously, there’s somebody doing a lot of metal thieving,” he said. 

Another thing that caught Riggs’ eye was what wasn’t damaged: “They did not do any other additional vandalism. They didn’t spray paint, beat down walls or tear up other items.” 

But perhaps equally key to the thefts is the location. Riggs called it a blessing and a curse. 

“It’s off the beaten path, and on that aspect, it’s very quiet and peaceful,” he said, “... but people can go back there and make all kinds of noise and no one’s going to hear them.” 

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Reposted from the Data Center Journal

The paradigm for physical-security design in data centers has flipped nearly 180 degrees in the past few years. Whereas data centers were once designed in a way similar to other facilities—with a focus on the perimeter first and then the facility’s interior—a data center’s true value is at its core: the servers.

Thus, when looking at physical security, we begin at the server spaces and then cascade outward to the facility’s entry points and the perimeter of the grounds.

This new approach forces the security industry at large to break its own habits. And it’s intriguing for manufacturers, as it requires a shift in the solutions presented to data center owners, facility managers and security managers. Also, whether it’s new construction or a retrofit, these new technologies and approaches can benefit nearly every data center looking to add more-robust security.

Starting at the Heart of the Facility

The new starting point for security design is a lock that controls access to individual server cabinets and can provide an audit trail. It can connect to the facility’s access-control system using its wireless infrastructure or a hard-wired connection—typically, depending on the facility’s preference—and solves a number of potential problems and vulnerabilities in the data center.

Mainly, it can restrict access to individual cabinets while also logging who accessed a server and when. For those controlling and protecting their own data, this capability is critical, as it enables a high level of in-house auditing. And it’s especially critical for data centers that host space for clients, who require the greatest assurance that their data is adequately protected.

In addition to having card access through the cabinet lock, this approach should offer the ability to use intelligent keys as an override in a network failure. The keys also provide an audit trail, ensuring that accountability remains intact even in an emergency.

Simply put, no one should access a rack unless it needs service or buildout. To show that employees are only going to areas where they have a reason to be is critical for both the owner’s liability and the client’s peace of mind. And it helps facilities meet PCI and FISMA requirements.

Moving Toward the Perimeter

Once the rack is secure, begin to look at the access points into the server room. Biometrics—whether it’s an iris, hand-geometry or fingerprint scanner—has virtually become an expectation at server-room access chokepoints.

I believe biometric components will and should become a bigger part of data center security. One way is through the use of mobile technologies. The ability to carry your credential with you by embedding it in a mobile device, and perhaps using mobile biometrics as a component, can affordably increase the security of a data center.

For example, let’s say I’m an off-site technician or I work for corporate security. I’m being dispatched to handle an emergency in a location I generally wouldn’t have access to. Through mobile credentialing, the dispatcher can now push the credential to me on my mobile device, and a biometric system can verify my identity.

At the perimeter, data center operators should consider high-security fencing, bollards, guard booths and entry barriers as the first defense against unauthorized access.

Robust Physical Solutions

Physical solutions in data centers have changed drastically. When the market first began, several structures were built in a warehouse style that lacked robust physical security. It’s therefore critical for owners and managers of older facilities to be aware of the upgrades.

New facilities are moving toward more-resilient and more-resistant openings that include bullet resistance, the ability to repel a forced entry, blast resistance, RF shielding, thermal-shielded doors and hardware, and other options that go beyond traditional access control. These openings provide that additional protection from all types of external threats.

Future Development

Earlier I discussed the implementation of mobile credentialing and increased biometrics, but a few other technologies will also accelerate the development of data center security.

Wireless implementation has increased in the past year, as an increasing number of data center operators see the flexibility and benefits it brings to the security of their building or campus. We’re seeing more products that affect physical and network security. The SIA Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) and other standards are helping drive product development by manufacturers and helping drive behaviors by owners.

Partnerships Are Critical

Implementing these new and emerging technologies with traditional security systems can be complex. Further, if all these systems are to work together, a manufacturer must approach security as a total solution rather than offer just a single product.

To that end, I always recommend that data centers find manufacturers that can listen to their needs and respond as a consultant. One that provide a full solution and answer every question will give you more-comprehensive safety and security at your facility. Finally, such a manufacturer is more likely to be around in the long term. Any system or component you install in your facility must be backed by a company that will support it—and upgrade it—for decades to come.

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Reposted from CBC News

An artist who worked with the late Nisga'a carver Norman Tait is working to expose fraudulent versions of Indigenous North Coast art after discovering unsanctioned copies of Tait's work being passed off as originals.

"I was quite incensed," said Lucinda Turner, who started as Tait's apprentice and later became his carving partner, helping create multiple works that sell for thousands of dollars. 

Turner started researching the issue and soon discovered about 20 North Coast artists whose work she says is being copied and sold at lower prices.

In some cases she's found the work is being mass-produced overseas and sold by people posing as the original artists.

"They're really all over the place," Turner said, adding she worries the false pieces are lowering the value of work genuinely connected to North Coast cultures.

"It's making it really difficult for young artists to come out."

After connecting with other artists, Turner started a Facebook group where people are invited to post pictures of possibly fraudulent pieces alongside pictures of original works so she and others can reach out and investigate.

Aside from hurting artists' livelihoods, Turner said she's worried about the culture contained within North Coast art being lost.

"The culture and the stories behind it are not being transferred," she said.

"The art itself is going to be diminished."

Turner has spoken to lawyers but has yet to take any legal action, and cautions members not to make public accusations until the possible fraud can be assessed.

She is also exploring the idea of creating an authentication system for North Coast artists, in conjunction with the Authentic Indigenous website.

In the meantime, she encourages people interested in purchasing North Coast art to do their homework to make sure it is authentic.

"Ask questions, look at biographies," she advised. 

"Become an educated consumer."

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