Posted 2/7/2007 10:11 PM ET
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — An early-warning program in more than 30 cities aimed at detecting biological weapons was bungled by the Homeland Security Department and has since undergone a revamping, according to a federal watchdog.
Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner released a report Wednesday citing a series of problems in the BioWatch program, which costs $1 million a year per city. Among the issues was sloppy handling and storage of sensors designed to give early warnings of a bioterrorism attack.
Such problems "could jeopardize (the department's) ability to detect biological agents and protect the populace of the United States," the report says.
Jeff Steifel, BioWatch's program manager, says the problems cropped up because the program was created quickly in 2003 in response to concerns that terrorists could spread deadly biological agents in densely populated areas.
Homeland Security officials say they have "taken action to resolve the issues," the report says. Steifel says that "without question, those issues (raised by the report) are resolved." More....
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Sure is nice to see agencies policing themselves, making improvements and being pro-active and not reactive. KING
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