The Ferguson Group Blog

County Government Executives and the Security Industry Join Forces

This week, the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the County Executives of America (CEA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to share resources and strengthen approaches to public safety and emergency management. The goal is to advance responsible use of security technologies while empowering county executives to make informed decisions on what works best in their community. Members of CEA will identify gaps in public safety and emergency preparedness in their communities that may be solved through the application of physical security technologies, and SIA will provide physical security solutions that may be used to protect citizens and critical infrastructure from crime and terrorism. Under this agreement, SIA and CEA will also develop best practices and case studies, a Webcast series on technology and public policy issues affecting county governments, and coordinate advocacy activities on Capitol Hill.

A new leader at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The Senate has confirmed President Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The agency has been without a settled leader since former Secretary Janet Napolitano left this summer to lead the University of California System. Secretary Jeh Johnson, approved on a 78-16 vote, will lead one of the federal governments largest and most complex agencies, without a confirmed Deputy.  

More than a third of the agency’s other top leadership positions are vacant.  Secretary Johnson, who previously served as General Counsel at the Pentagon, does come with lengthy experience in addressing terrorist threats.  Given the difficult personnel issues Johnson will face, President Obama cited his skills in implementing the repeal of the former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy at the Defense Department.  

The new Secretary is not without his critics.  Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) disputed the President’s claim that Johnson has a strong background in Homeland Security.  "I'm not saying he's not a good man, but he's not a good choice for this," the Senator said.  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said that Johnson’s failure to answer interrogatories on immigration policy were troubling.

Give Local Law Enforcement the Credit they Deserve

If your local law enforcement agency is doing excellent work to promote the quality of life in your community, consider nominating them for the  Webber Seavey Award, which is Jointly sponsored by International Association of Chiefs of Police and Motorola. The award is named for Webber S. Seavey, the IACP's first president.

The program annually honors achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• Continually improving services to the community;
• Strengthening police relations and promoting community participation;
• Effectively using resources;
• Enhancing communications within and cooperation among agencies;
• Developing creative and innovative approaches that promote excellence in law enforcement.

Don’t delay – applications are due this Friday!

Federal Agencies Want YOU To Be A Grant Reviewer

Are you looking to increase your chances of submitting a successful grant application? If so, you should consider becoming a federal grant reviewer!

Most agencies like to engage grant peer-reviewers from various fields to read applications and provide an analysis and rating of the quality of each grant application based upon the application requirements and selection criteria.

The grant review experience will help you gain knowledge in preparing grant applications and provide you with an in-depth look at the grant evaluation process.  It also gives you the opportunity to network with other professionals in your field and federal officials. Being a grant reviewer will expose you to new ideas that you may be able to bring back and implement in your own profession or agency.

Each agency has a different process, and some even offer compensation for your time and efforts. Highlighted below are some of the key offices and/or divisions within federal agencies that are seeking peer reviewers and a brief narrative on how to get involved.  

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

The BJA looks for peer reviewers with expertise in a broad range of criminal justice backgrounds including but not limited to crime prevention, adjudication, law enforcement and gangs, tribal justice, corrections, research and statistics, information, technology and social services. Participants will review remotely but are required to participate in an orientation call before beginning their reviews.  Reviewers will score 10-20 applications within 2 weeks, and are paid $125 per application.  To become a reviewer, you can submit a current resume including an e-mail address to Chris Casto at [email protected], and for more information you can visit their website by clicking here.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

The OJJDP is seeking researchers and practitioners with expertise related to the juvenile justice field.  Those interested are asked to email their current resume along with a brief explanation of their justice-related knowledge and experience (gangs, substance abuse, mentoring, tribal juvenile justice, etc.) to [email protected].  Reviewers will be compensated for their services.  Additional information can be found on OJJDP’s website under funding inquiries.

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Program (OJP), DOJ

The OJP seeks qualified professionals to evaluate grant applications based on the specialist’s expertise, demographics and prior experience as a reviewer.  A reviewer generally has 2-4 weeks to review 10-30 applications and is asked to participate in a webinar, call, or in-person peer review that lasts 1-2 days.  Non-federal reviewers are compensated $125 per application. To start the process or for more information, email the OJP at [email protected], and visit their website.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA conducts peer review on applications submitted in response to extramural research competitions.  To become a reviewer, experts may nominate themselves to be part of the Peer Reviewer Information System (PRIS) by sending an email request including brief curriculum vitae to Benjamin Packard, [email protected].  For more information on becoming an EPA reviewer, click here.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

The Department of Transportation does have grant reviewers for specific grant programs.  For more information on those grants, you can visit DOT’s website here.

Department of Labor (DOL)

To become a reviewer, prospective panelists must complete a panelist profile including contact information, your area of expertise, a brief bio and an updated resume. Secondly, one must complete an online training module and lastly, must rate a sample grant application and document evaluative feedback in a Panelist Rating Workbook. Each panelist can expect a workload of 10-15 applications. You can register online, or can contact Linda Metchikoff-Hooker, a DOL contractor for the grant reviewing process at (714) 434-3553 or [email protected].

Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS)

The IMLS urges future reviewers to familiarize themselves with IMLS grant programs and read existing reviewer handbooks before considering becoming a panelist. IMLS looks for museum reviewers and library reviewers, each expertise deals with different grants.  If you are still interested, your information can be submitted online or you can contact the IMLS Office of Library Services at (202) 653- 4700 or [email protected].

National Institute of Health (NIH)

The NIH looks for peer reviewers who have previously received grant support for the NIH as well as scientists who are well-qualified and accomplished to review applications for funding and R&D contract proposals.  To be added to the database of reviewer volunteers, email [email protected] with 1-2 sentences describing you area of expertise and a copy of a brief bio. Additional information can be found here.

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

The CNCS looks for reviewers with at least 5 years of experience in a field such as education, research, analysis, literacy, human services, nonprofit, grant writing, public health and environment.  To become a reviewer, you must complete an online application. If you have any questions, you can contact CNCS at [email protected].  For basic information on becoming a peer reviewer, visit their website.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

HRSA looks for grant reviewers with expertise in HIV/AIDS, organ transplant, rural health, primary care for underserved people, maternal and child health and health professions training.  These grant reviews are usually held in Washington, DC for 3 to 5 days, while some are conducted via teleconference or independently reviewed remotely.  If travel is necessary, HRSA makes arrangements and pays for travel expenses.  Reviewers receive an honorarium for their services.  For information on being a reviewer and how to apply, click here, or for inquiries on the process, you can contact the HRSA at [email protected].

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS

At the ACF there are opportunities to be a grant reviewer for ACF programs such as the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), the Office of Community Services (OCS), the Office of Family Assistance Child Care Bureau (CCB) and the Office of Head Start (OHS).  Each program has a different way to apply to be a grant reviewer.  For more information, click here.

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The ONDCP and the SAMHSA look for reviewers with experience and knowledge in mental health services, community-based system of care and services for adults with mental illnesses, children with serious emotional disturbances, substance abuse prevention and substance abuse treatment services, programs and activities.  If chosen, reviewers are for selected for particular grant programs based on their knowledge, education and experience.  Some grant reviews will require on site meetings usually in Washington, DC, however it varies depending on the grant being reviewed.  The reviewers receive taxable compensation for their services.  For more information, visit SAMHSA’s website.  To apply, you can fill out a reviewer contact form online or download the form at the bottom of the given website.  To email the form and submit your resume electronically, email [email protected].

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Firefighter Grant

In the case of FEMA firefighter grant peer review opportunities, FEMA directly contacts the National Association of State Fire Marshalls.  The Association then contacts stations in the area that would be of assistance.   

The Passing of a Senator

Today has been a somber day of steady rain as New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. News reports this past week cited how his passing was notable because he was the last sitting senator of the "greatest generation," that chamber's last veteran of World War II. His death came just months after Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a wounded veteran of that war, took his resting place among the nation's noted military and civilian leaders at Arlington.

It need be said that Senator Lautenberg's death on June 3, also is notable because it marked the passing of a champion of Federal policy to making communities healthier, the environment cleaner, and industry and travel safer and better. It was a personal agenda well suited to his home State of New Jersey but carried out with no less than the nation in mind. 

In his 28 years as a senator he served on virtually every committee and subcommittee that touched on authorizing and funding transportation, civil works and environmental policy. For a period he chaired the Transportation Subcommittee on Appropriations while as a senior member of the Environment & Public Works Committee. In recent years he also chaired the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.  His approach to legislating was to cover all the bases, or at least as many as he could. He championed improving airports and the aviation system, expanding the use of transit and passenger rail, modernizing freight transportation, bringing American port infrastructure to world standards, and securing them all from the those who would do us harm.  

He was appointed to the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism after the tragic downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and returned to the Senate, after a two-year hiatus, to help write and oversee anti-terrorism law after the downing of the World Trade Center towers. In those towers he had served on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey before being elected senator in 1982. That--and his building the Automatic Data Processing Corporation (ADP) from scratch--were parts of his resume about which he often enjoyed telling people if the occasion would allow.

Senator Frank Lautenberg put much effort into environmental issues. He devoted considerable time to the recovery of the old industrial wasteland through brownfields initiatives and Superfund legislation and to making the Toxic Substances Control Act more effective. He was protecting the coastline whether the recreation beaches or the nurturing marshlands. In his last year he walked the Jersey Shore in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, secured bi-partisan support for his toxic substances legislation and, from his wheel chair, cast his final vote in support of tighter gun legislation.

From start-to-finish Senator Frank Lautenberg was an advocate for his New Jersey and for improving the vitality of the United States by improving the quality of its people's lives and its means of commerce.

 

At Long Last, DHS Releases Allocations for its Major Grant Programs

Several months after the sequester took effect and the President signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 continuing resolution, the Department of Homeland Security finally released allocations for its major grant programs for state and local governments.  Awards under the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSP), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), and Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) total approximately $1 billion.  The awards are based on risk and threat profiles and designed to enhance capacity to prohibit, respond to, and recover from manmade and natural disasters. 

States and territories are eligible to apply through their State Administrative Agency (SAA).  The deadline to apply for drawdown of these formula funds is June 24, 2013 and grantees will have 24 months to spend the funds beginning on October 1, 2013. In general, these funds can be used for planning, equipment, training, exercises, maintenance and sustainment, critical emergency supplies, and construction/renovation. There are no matching requirements. States and territories are required to pass through 80% of their allocated funds to local agencies, making every local government in the Country eligible for SHSP funds.  For UASI funds, DHS has the discretion to set the number of UASI eligible communities and have capped the awardees to the top 25 most threatened urban areas. 

If your local government has a need to enhance and further expand their emergency response capabilities, you should get in touch with your SAA and speak to them about tapping into a portion of their allocation. Contact information for each state’s SAA can be found here. The list of SHSP, UASI, and OPSG allocations can be viewed by reviewing the FY 2013 Homeland Security Grant Program Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Ready, Set, Go…..FY 2014 Appropriations Race is Now Underway

The House of Representatives is the first chamber out of the gate as they begin consideration this week of two out of the twelve annual appropriations bills that will fund the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.

The House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee will mark up its FY 2014 bill today (May 15th) and the Homeland Security Subcommittee will markup its bill on Thursday (May 16th). The House Appropriations Committee has already released drafts of both bills. Highlights include the following:

FY 2014 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill 

• The bill provides a total of $38.9 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Homeland Security, a decrease of $617.6 million below the FY 2013 enacted level and a decrease of $34.9 million compared to the President’s request.
• $10.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection, an increase of $35 million above the President’s request.
• $6.2 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, the same amount as Obama requested, $6.2 billion.
• $2.5 billion for first responder grants, $36.4 million above the fiscal year 2013 enacted level and $402 million above the President’s request. This includes $1.5 billion for State and Local grants, $675 million for Assistance to Firefighter Grants, and $350 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants.

FY 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill 

• The bill provides a total of $73.3 billion in discretionary funding, which is $1.4 billion above the enacted level for FY 2013, but nearly $1.4 billion below the President’s request.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will continue to conduct hearings this week, with the goal of drafting individual bills after the week long Memorial Day recess, which is scheduled to begin on May 27th.

Although the appropriations process is underway in both Chambers, we expect the process will highlight the wide gap of $91 billion between the budgets passed individually by the House and Senate for FY 2014. The House plans to adhere to their $967 billion spending cap, which reflects the sequester cuts, while the Senate will use $1.058 trillion as a cap and ignore the sequestration cuts.

At this present time, there is no indication the House and Senate will come together on a compromise budget, so each body will produce different spending bills based on these spending limits, so brace yourself for another potentially drawn out appropriations process this year.

FEMA Begins to Announce the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Winners

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has begun to unveil the FY 2012 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant recipients.

The FP&S Grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.

Awards will continue to be announced on a weekly basis until all funds have been exhausted. A list of grant awardees, to date, can be found here.

COPS Hiring Program Is Now Open – It’s Time to Get Your Applications In!

The Department of Justice announced this week that the application period for the 2013 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is now open. The Cops Hiring Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies having primary law enforcement authority for the hiring or re-hiring of additional officers to impact their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

CHP grants will provide up to 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of full-time officers for a 36-month period; with a minimum 25 percent local match requirement and a maximum federal share of $125,000 per officer position. Grant funds may be used to hire new, full-time sworn officer positions, to re-hire officers who have been laid off, or to re-hire officers who are scheduled to be laid off on a specific future date as a result of local budget cuts. As in the past, CHP requires that each position awarded be retained with local funds for a minimum of 12 months at the conclusion of 36 months of federal funding for each position.

A few differences to note in the 2013 CHP grant round are:

• New hire officer positions are not required to be military veterans; however applicants who commit to hiring or rehiring veterans will receive additional consideration.
• Applicants that focus on homicide and/or gun violence as their community policing problem area will receive additional consideration.
• Applicants that request officer positions in order to deploy School Resource Officers (SRO) will also receive additional consideration.

Applications are due on May 22, 2013. To obtain a copy of the application guide, click here.

House Moves First on Cybersecurity

Today, the House of Representatives  will consider two cybersecurity bills.  H.R. 756, the “Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013,” by Rep.  Michael McCaul (R-TX).  and H.R. 967, the “Advancing America's Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2013,” whose lead sponsor is Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).  President Obama made cybersecurity a major focus of his State of the Union Address and called on Congress to join the fight to protect the nation’s critical information technology infrastructure. His White House initiative better coordinates existing federal cybersecurity resources and establishes a task force to set voluntary industry standards.  H.R. 756 codifies those goals but with a more rigorous coordinated approach among federal agencies. It also expands NIST’s mission to include providing cybersecurity education to federal program managers.  HR 967 would authorize more research and development of systems to detect and defend IT infrastructure, and the CBO estimates that ongoing authorized costs would total $50 million. It focused on work being done by the National Science Foundation and support undergraduate and graduate specialty work in the field of cybersecurity.  Rep. McCaul said that he hopes his legislation will create a new employment field in cybersecurity, increasing the number of experts the nation can call on to defend against IT-related attacks.   Both measures are expected to pass.  While Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) voiced strong support for cybersecurity, the direction his committee will take is unclear.