For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Washington, D.C. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in three new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) during her latest tri-annual meeting with HSAC, which took place at DHS headquarters this week. The HSAC is comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector who provide recommendations and advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security on a variety of homeland security issues.
The new members include: former New York City Police Commissioner and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who will join as vice-chair to former CIA and FBI Director Judge William Webster; Massachusetts General Hospital Director of Police, Security and Outside Services Bonnie Michelman; and Freedom and Justice Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Elibiary.
"I congratulate the newest members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council on their appointments," said Secretary Napolitano. "Their diverse backgrounds and experiences in security, law enforcement and counterterrorism will be a valuable asset as they provide their independent advice and guidance to the Department."
During the HSAC meeting, Secretary Napolitano discussed the Department's ongoing efforts to ensure all partners have the tools they need to combat threats of terrorism. She highlighted the national expansion of DHS's "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
Further, she emphasized the Department's joint efforts with the Justice Department to expand the nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative—an Administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to specific threats and terrorism-related crime; standardize how those observations are documented, vetted and analyzed; and expand and enhance the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DHS. This initiative is being implemented in partnership with state and local officials across the nation and has been launched in 19 locations.
For more information about HSAC including a full list of members, visit www.dhs.gov/hsac.
HSAC Members:
Chief William Bratton (vice-chair) was recently named the Chairman of Kroll, part of Altegrity Security Consulting. Bratton began his law enforcement career in 1970, and has served as Los Angeles Police Department Chief, Chief of the New York City Transit Police, Boston Police Commissioner, and New York City Police Commissioner. He is also the only executive to serve two terms as the elected President of the Police Executive Research Forum. Chief Bratton's professional honors include the Schroeder Brothers Medal—the Boston Police Department's highest award for valor.
Bonnie Michelman (sworn-in in absentia) is the Director of Police, Security and Outside Services at Massachusetts General Hospital and has been an instructor at Northeastern University's College of Criminal Justice since 1988. Previously, she served as President of the Board of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety and President of the American Society for Industrial Security International. Michelman has over twenty years of security management experience with positions ranging from District Manager at First Security Services to Assistant Vice President for General Services at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
Mohamed Elibiary is the President and CEO of the Freedom and Justice Foundation, and has advised numerous federal, state and local law enforcement organizations including the Texas Department of Safety and National Counterterrorism Center Global Engagement Group on matters relating to homeland security. Recently, Elibiary served on DHS's Homeland Security Advisory Council Countering Violent Extremism Working Group, and currently serves on the Texas Department of Public Safety Advisory Board. In December of 2009 he helped establish the Texas Fusion Center Policy Council to enhance information sharing, analytical capabilities and community relations at the state and local law enforcement levels.
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