border patrol

PureTech Systems Delivering on Orders of its PureActiv Software providing Rapidly Deployable Advanced Surveillance Technology to U.S. Border Patrol

PureTech Systems has announced receiving orders for its PureActiv software for over 135 Mobile Video Surveillance Systems (MVSS) vehicles being delivered to the Department of Homeland Security for use along the U.S. border. Delivery on the award began in 2020 and will conclude in the spring of 2021. The MVSS platform utilizes PureTech Systems’ PureActiv software as its central command and control, providing AI enhanced video detection and classification, user interface display, and sensor collaboration logic.

A Legal Victory For Drones Warrants A Fourth Amendment Discussion

A recent legal decision in North Dakota that used evidence against an American citizen using a drone – and gathered without a warrant – raises some interesting arguments about the Fourth Amendment in the 21 st century. Rodney Brossart was sentenced to three years in prison in January for a June 2011 incident involving police, a neighbor, and six cows. (In the end, he will serve three months in prison and three months at home. ) At some point, local police borrowed a drone used by the border patrol to take photographic evidence during a confrontation between Brossart, his family members and a police SWAT team. Brossart’s lawyer wanted the case thrown out because the drone surveillance was conducted without a warrant.  The attorney, Bruce Quick, said in March 2012 that, “it’s bizarre to me they would be using military drones for that purpose. … I don’t think those things are intended to be used for that.” State prosecutor Douglas Manbeck countered the anti-drone argument, saying there is “no existing case law that bars their use in investigating crimes.” In July 2012, State District Judge Joel Medd allowed the drone evidence to stand, saying, “there was no improper use of an unmanned aerial vehicle.” Brossart and his sons threatened and fought officers at the scene, in an armed standoff that was witnessed by the drone as it was used to show live video to police.  The drone was also used to locate Brossart’s family before the confrontation. The Brossart […]

New Thermal Imaging Cameras For U.S. Border Patrol

Illustration photo (123rf) Illustration photo (123rf) The U.S customs and border s (CBP) has awarded a contract worth more than $67,000 to General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies, Inc. to supply its Z-500 long-range thermal imaging camera s for the U.S. Border Patrol to use at its Calexico Station in California to spot criminal organizations crossing the border in ultra-light aircraft. “ The Calexico Station currently lacks the capability to efficiently monitor the criminal organizations and terrorists engaging in or planning illicit activities along the U.S. border ,” says a CBP award notice posted on November 4. “Current Thermal Cameras are insufficient, outdated, and often fail; land units are unable to exploit the use of new camera technology due to there being none. As a result, Calexico Station requests to modernize and reinforce its current capabilities based on the criminal organizations methods being used to evade Border Patrol enforcement.” According to Government Security News the Z-500 is the only camera thermal imaging system that is compatible with the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS), which is also being used at the Calexico Station. iHLS – Israel Homeland Security “ With outstanding long-range target detection and recognition, the Z-500 continuous zoom long-range thermal imager is the camera of choice for force protection and surveillance ,” says General Dynamics on its own Web site. “User-defined preset field-of-view options offer the user unprecedented mission flexibility. The camera is easily integrated into any command and control system and provides easy-to-use push button interaction. With its […]

Canadian Border ‘Most Likely Entry Point’ For Terrorists, U.S. Congress Hears

U.S. Border Patrol agents talk while at a marina on the Niagara River at the U.S.-Canada border on June 3, 2013 in Beaver Island State Park, New York. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, monitors the 5,525 mile long border, including Alaska, forming the longest international border between two countries in the world. OTTAWA — Canada represents the greatest threat from terrorists trying to enter the United States, a top U.S. border agent told congressional lawmakers this week. “As far as I am aware, all recent threat assessments have pointed to the northern border as the most likely point of entry into our country for terrorists,” Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told a House of Representatives’ subcommittee on national security. Judd, who represents more than 17,000 unionized Border Patrol agents, offered no specifics in his prepared statement to the committee, hearing testimony about reforming the agents’ pay system. Still, he warned the panel that U.S. officials must not become complacent about the dangers that lurk along the border with Canada and “the ongoing threat … to the safety of the American public.” “In the early to mid-1990s, San Diego and El Paso were ground zero for both illegal immigration and drug smuggling,” he said. “In response, the border patrol threw all of its resources at those two areas without also strengthening the other areas of the border.” The thinking was that Arizona’s inhospitable climate and terrain would help deter other illegal […]

DHS To Test Face Scanning Cameras At Tri-City Hockey Game

Source: TriCityHerald … It is planned to be used by the U.S. government to test the capabilities of facial recognition software that is available or in the prototype stage. Eventually, state-of-the-art facial recognition technologies could be used to identify terrorists and criminals in public areas, according to the national lab in Richland. The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate works to make technology available to agencies ranging from local police offices to the U.S. Border Patrol, Transportation Security Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. PNNL previously has collected video at the Toyota Center for work with the Department of Homeland Security. But past video either has not captured members of the public or has been too low resolution to identify faces. Hockey fans who don’t want to be on the video will be given options to avoid the cameras. Read More…