Critical Releases in Homeland Security: August 29, 2018

"On October 1, 2017, over 22,000 people attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the third and final night of the festival, a lone gunman opened fire into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The gunfire continued for over ten minutes, resulting in the deaths of 58 people and injuring more than 850, including first responders. Two local police officers responding to the incident were among those wounded by gunfire. As the shooter engaged in this horrific act of mass violence, first responders made quick decisions, acting with bravery and professionalism to secure the scene and save lives. The cooperation between local fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and local private ambulance companies at the scene was exceptional. Off-duty public safety personnel also assisted in the response, providing valuable surge support for local responders. The Las Vegas community as a whole came together in response to this unprecedented situation to assist the survivors and responders of the shooting. In the wake of this incident, it is important to evaluate the strengths and areas for improvement observed during the response--both to enhance the internal response capabilities of the Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), as well as to share the knowledge gained from this incident with public safety agencies from across the country to assist in their preparedness efforts."

"Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using social network analysis (SNA) to understand the organization of gangs and other criminal networks, to identify their relationships, and to analyze data that can be used to focus crime prevention efforts. This report details the implementation of a SNA program developed by the COPS Office in partnership with Yale University. Created as part of a violence prevention initiative in New Haven, Connecticut, the Project Longevity SNA program emphasizes the value of community collaboration when gathering critical information such as the location and membership of these groups. Noting that transparency and community involvement in data collection encourage community support, the report also describes the benefits of focused deterrence activities, thereby reducing arrests and increasing efficiency. In addition to a detailed introduction to SNA and the ways it can be adapted to community and law enforcement needs, this report provides examples of SNA strategies used in other cities and practical guidelines for implementation."

This is a Staff Report of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. This Report addresses concerns regarding the thousands of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) that arrive in the U.S. annually: "Each year, thousands of UACs enter the United States, unaccompanied by their parents or relatives and are taken into U.S. custody. Congress has tasked the Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) with finding appropriate homes in which to place UACs temporarily pending the resolution of their immigration proceedings. Through procedures described below, HHS attempts to place each UAC with a suitable adult sponsor--someone who can care for them and ensure their appearance at their immigration hearings. [...] Over a period of four months in 2014, however, HHS placed a number of UACs in the hands of a ring of human traffickers who forced them to work on egg farms in and around Marion, Ohio, leading to a July 2015 federal criminal indictment. [...] The Subcommittee sought to determine whether the Marion placements were caused by a tragic series of missteps or more systemic deficiencies in HHS's UAC placement process. The Subcommittee reviewed 65 case files of UACs placed by ORR, including 34 UACs whose files contained at least some indication of human trafficking or other neglect or abuse, and a sample set of 28 other UACs placed with sponsors who were not close relatives. Based on that investigation, the Subcommittee concludes that HHS's policies and procedures were inadequate to protect the children in the agency's care."