Like other transit agencies, the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority has been working for some time to prepare for the Y2K transition. A Y2K Management Office is in place and that staff is overseeing the work for the entire Authority.
The MARTA Police Department is also actively engaged in Y2K preparations. The Department has worked closely with the Project Management Office to find potential problems, identify corrective measures, prepare written contingency plans, and test those plans. At this point, the Police Department's plans are complete and testing has also been completed. Specific issues which have been addressed include potential failures of the Department's CAD and records management systems and power and communications failures.
Earlier this year, the Department took the lead in establishing a working group of operations level employees to consider actual procedures to be used during the Y2K transition period. Bus and Rail Operations, Facilities Maintenance, Police, Safety, Customer Service, and the Y2K Project Management Office have been directly involved in developing detailed plans to be used New Year's Eve. These plans are designed to ensure the safety of customers and employees and the continued operation of the transit system.
Activities associated with New Year's festivities will bring tens thousands of people into the downtown Atlanta area. Many will ride MARTA trains and buses. In many respects, the problems inherent with the celebrations will be identical to those associated with major events that occur regularly in Atlanta. But with all the attention being given to Y2K, and with the potential for problems such as power failures, MARTA as a whole, and the Police Department in particular, are making every effort to identify potential problems and to be prepared to take action to assure the safe and efficient movement of riders.
For further information, contact John Dankel at 404, 848-4916.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), along with the entire Department of Transportation, is fully involved in a coordinated effort to maintain public confidence in transit systems throughout the Y2K rollover. FTA will have staff at the Department's Crisis Management Center during the rollover period, which runs from 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 1999, through 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 4, 2000 EST. During the period of 7:00 a.m. on Friday, December 31, through 7:00 p.m. Sunday, January 1, the CMC will be staffed around the clock. The primary function of the CMC is to facilitate the flow of information to the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) at the White House. During the Y2K rollover period, the ICC will be monitoring events throughout the country. To assure that information regarding the well-being of transit systems across the country is provided, FTA is asking transit agencies to provide information on any problems or incidents which impact transit operations that may arise during the rollover period. Additionally, FTA plans to periodically contact the transit agencies to affirm that all is going well.
For further information, contact Edith Rodano (see below).
FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Aviation Security R&D. FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center, located adjacent to the Atlantic City, New Jersey, International Airport, provides assistance in anticipating and assessing future risks to civil aviation. To accomplish this, the "Tech Center" includes programs that accelerate and expand the R&D and implementation of advanced technologies. Products include both equipment and methods to counteract terrorist efforts against civil aviation. While the Tech Center was established to deal with civil aviation, much of the work done by the Aviation Security Human Factors Program has applicability to other modes of transportation.
The Aviation Security R&D organization accomplishes its mission through four interrelated program areas: explosives and weapons detection, aircraft hardening, human factors, and airport security technology integration. The six projects within these areas include checked luggage, cargo, checkpoints, explosives vulnerability and mitigation techniques, human factors, and security of civil aviation airports and air carriers. Since no one program will provide a solution to all issues, the Center has adopted a systems approach to security requirements. This approach balances the application of people, procedures, and technology to each threat classification.
Since its establishment in 1974, the Aviation Security R&D program has resulted in productive relationships which include other U. S. government agencies, industry, academia, and other countries. Among their products are: a total airport security systems definition and concept of operations; standard test protocols and performance criteria to aid in operational deployment of improved aviation security systems; a list of approved explosives detection devices and explosives detection systems; definitions of methods for airport security screener training and evaluation; tests of explosive-resistant luggage containers and exploration of other blast mitigation techniques to help ensure that potentially catastrophic terrorist acts do not result in loss of an aircraft with attendant loss of lives; and major products including systems, devices, technologies, specification, and analysis tools.
For further information contact the Aviation Security Research and Development Laboratory at 609, 485-4958, or via the Internet at www.tc.faa.gov.
MBTA Police Officers Honored. Governor Paul Cellucci bestowed the George L. Hanna Medal of Valor to several police officers for acts of bravery during 1998. Included were two MBTA police officers who jumped into an electrified train pit to rescue a woman who was trapped. MBTA Police Officers Jason Morris and Omar Ricketts climbed into an electrified pit at South Station on October 29, 1998, to prevent further injury to a woman who had jumped in front of a train. They prevented the woman from grasping the electrified third rail.
Those selected for the award were nominated by their superiors and selected for recognition by the Hanna Committee. The ceremony was attended by family members of the slain Massachusetts State Trooper in whose name the awards are given. Trooper Hanna was killed in February 1983 during a traffic stop in Auburn.
JUSTNET on the Internet. The correct URL for the JUSTNET maintained by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is http://www.nlectc.org, not http://www.nletc.org as given in the September issue of this newsletter.
DART Anniversary. Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority is celebrating their 10th anniversary, not their 15th.
National Criminal Justice Research Service Database. There is available on the Internet a National Criminal Justice Research Service database. This site can be reached at http://www.nchrs.org/database.htm. For further information, contact Roberto A. Sarmiento, Head, Transportation Library, Northwestern University Library, 1935 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2300 (847, 491-2913; Fax: 491-8601) or via E-Mail at r-sarmiento@nwu.edu.
Project Megiddo: A Threat for the New Millenium. The FBI has just released an unclassified version of a report entitled "Project Megiddo." This report assesses the potential for extremist criminal activity in the U. S. by individuals or domestic extremist groups who profess an apocalyptic view of the millenium or attach special significance to the year 2000. Due to intense public and media interest about this topic, the FBI posted this copy of the report on its web site at www.fbi.gov as the Featured Item of the Week.
11/13-17 Canadian Urban Transit Association Fall Conference and Trans-Expo Trade Show, Edmonton, Alberta (416, 365-9800; Fax: 365-1295)
1/9-13/00 Transportation Research Board 79th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (202, 334-2934; Fax: 334-2003)
4/9-11/00 American Public Transit Association Commuter Rail Conference, Long Island, NY (202, 898-4040; Fax: 898-4029)
5/00 Canadian Urban Transit Association Annual Conference, Victoria, British Columbia (416, 365-9800; Fax: 365-1295)
5/7-11/00 American Public Transit Association Bus Conference, Houston, TX (202, 898-4040; Fax: 898-4029)
6/11/15/00 American Public Transit Association Rapid Transit Conference, St. Louis, MO (202, 898-4040)
9/24-28/00 American Public Transit Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (202, 898-4040; Fax: 898-4029)
11/11-15/00 American Public Transit Association Light Rail Conference, Dallas, TX (202, 898-4040; Fax: 898-4029)
11/9 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Des Moines, IA, Federal Transit Administration/Trans-portation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
11/10 Transit Explosives Incident Management Seminar, Des Moines, IA, Federal Transit Administration/Trans-portation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
12/6-9 Transit System Security, Denver, CO, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
1/11-12/00 Response to Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Transit Incidents, Denver, CO, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
1/19/00 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar (site available on request), Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
1/19-20/00 Fatigue Awareness Seminar (location upon host request), Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
1/20/00 Threat Management and Emergency Response to Bus Hijackings Seminar (site available on request), Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/2-3/00 Response to Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Transit Incidents, Port Authority, PA, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/7-10/00 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Chicago, IL, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/7-18/00 Collision Investigation for Transit Police and Law Enforcement, Oklahoma City, OK, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/7-10/00 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Chicago, IL, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
2/16-17/00 Fatigue Awareness Seminar, Jacksonville, FL, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
5/1-4/00 Congress and the Intelligence Community, Washington, DC, The Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University (202,333-4838; Fax: 333-8165)
5/16-19/00 Transit System Security, Las Vegas, NV, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
5/18-19/00 Fatigue Awareness Seminar, Baton Rouge, LA, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
5/22-24 Instructor’s Course in Bus Collision Investigation, Honolulu, HI, Federal Transit Administration/Trans-portation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
6/10-13/00 Congress and the Intelligence Community, Washington, DC, The Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University (202,333-4838; Fax: 333-8165)
7/11-14/00 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Chicago, IL, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
7/31-8/4/00 Instructor’s Course in Bus Collision Investigation, Oakland, CA, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
9/11-22/00 Collision Investigation for Transit Police and Law Enforcement, Oklahoma City, OK, Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
9/25-28/00 Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Las Vegas, NV, Federal Transit Administration/Transportation Safety Institute (405, 954-3682; Fax: 954-0367)
Do We Have the Correct Information? Please complete all of the items on the attached form and return it to me. I want to be sure I have all of the correct information.
Let Us Hear From You. If you have any activities that would be of interest regarding transit security, a staff member whom you want to commend for some outstanding or heroic tion, or just about anything dealing with transit security, please let us hear from you. Simply fax your material to the number given below--we will find a place for it in the newsletter.
Address Corrections. If you note any inaccuracies on the address label, please fax corrections to the number below along with your phone and Fax numbers and E-Mail address.
Note: Information for inclusion in the next issue of this newsletter should be sent to Edith Rodano, Office of Safety and Security, Federal Transit Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D. C. 20590 (202, 366-0191; FAX: 366-7951) or by E-Mail to Edith.Rodano@fta.dot.gov no later than October 15, 1999.