The Department of Homeland Security is recommending that the Homeland Security Threat Advisory System -- known as the "color code" -- be scrapped in favor of warnings that would be more specific, according to senior administration officials.
The final decision is not expected for several weeks and is currently undergoing an interagency review and consultation with the White House. This change in DHS culture and philosophy began under former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, who grew weary of criticism and complaints about raising and lowering the threat level without specifics--often based on so-called intelligence "chatter".
In July, 2009, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano ordered a 60-day review of the system used to inform the public of the terror threat environment to see if it needed to be altered. The task force appointed by Napolitano was split on whether to keep the current advisory system in place.
Per Department of Homeland Security Internal Memorandum 1129308966/BNK-ii33167L this is the replacement for the color code system formerly used for terror alerts. An explanation for each alert stage is below.
Republican Warning Level: Suspect(s) capable of random acts in accordance with the new order but usually object to approved new order tax policies. Dangerous when cornered. 100% audit by all revenue authorities when possible. Spade or neuter upon detection.
Good Ole Boy Warning Level: Suspect(s) capable of racism via accent, inflection, or state of residence. Usually a gun owner and Baptist. Avoid direct contact and refer any information to SPLC or DHS authorities if spotted in groups of more than four or playing checkers while wearing a holster.
Tea Party Warning Level: Suspect(s) capable of extreme violence up to and including signage, voting against the party line, independent thought, and promotion of radical documents called the Declaration of Independence and/or “The Constitution.” Approach with caution as almost impossible to reason with. Action is usually imminent when this warning level is achieved.
Ron Paul Warning Level: Suspect(s) capable of extreme acts against the Federal Reserve, established financial system norms, and both political parties. Opposition to the new order program could result in long rambling speeches which could create confusion among political elites causing mass confusion and disorder. Isolate and neutralize with lobbyists immediately when warning level declared.
Beck Listener Warning Level: Suspected activity which encompasses, supports and appears during other warning levels. Known to attack with screams and tears. If this level is declared, books are imminent along with videos, movie theater bookings, and mass promotion unseen since Moses came down from the mountain. If this level is declared all government and private organizations and officials are to be mobilized to neutralize the threat.
November 25th, 2010, 18:44
American Patriot
Re: Homeland Security Recommends Sunset for Color Code System
lol
April 18th, 2013, 17:33
American Patriot
Re: Homeland Security Recommends Sunset for Color Code System
Government Looking for Gov’t-Issued Terror Alerts? DHS Has Never Used the ‘Terrorism Advisory System’ (Here’s the Evidence)
Americans looking for information in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings were greeted with silence if they turned to the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) for real-time alerts.
As of Thursday morning, the Department of Homeland Security notification system has still not sent a single message alerting citizens about the ongoing investigation into the terror attack. In fact, since its inception in April 2011, not a single alert has been sent through its website or social media accounts associated with the NTAS.
Naturally, some obvious questions emerge. To begin: If there’s a supposedly-useful and important alert system that hasn’t been employed in two years, what’s the purpose of having one in the first place? To answer this, it’s important to first look at the stated purpose of the NTAS.
According to the DHS website setup to describe the system, the public is only notified when there is “credible information about a threat.” Here’s how it works, as per DHS’s description:
When there is credible information about a threat, an NTAS Alert will be shared with the American public. It may include specific information, if available, about the nature of the threat, including the geographic region, mode of transportation, or critical infrastructure potentially affected by the threat, as well as steps that individuals and communities can take to protect themselves and help prevent, mitigate or respond to the threat. The advisory will clearly indicate whether the threat is Elevated, if we have no specific information about the timing or location, or Imminent, if we believe the threat is impending or very soon.
According to the government, these alerts will go out through a variety of sources: The DHS alerts web page, Facebook, Twitter and RSS. However, to date, as noted, when one visits the alerts page, no such message is present. Below, a screen shot shows that there are no “current” or “expired” alerts on the website. http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/u...1-620x553.jpegScreen shot from the DHS web site
Likewise, the government Twitter account setup — and verified by the social media company — to advertise NTAS alerts is devoid of any messaging since the system’s 2011 inception. As you can see, the account appears vacant, offering no alerts or messages for public consumption. http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/u...r-620x545.jpegScreen shot from DHS Twitter account
Since no alerts have ever been sent, it’s difficult to discern how Americans, in practical terms, would respond to government notification that dangerous information has been intercepted. That said, text on the NTAS web site does provide a brief blueprint outlining how individuals should react in the case that an actual alert is eventually sent.
“Where possible and applicable, NTAS Alerts will include steps that individuals and communities can take to protect themselves to help prevent, mitigate or respond to the threat,” the FAQ page reads. “Individuals should review the information contained in the alert, and based upon the circumstances, take the recommended precautionary or preparedness measures for themselves and their families.”
And with no actual alert to view or even show as a literal example, citizens are left with a sample alert that is shared, in PDF form, on the NTAS web site. Now, let’s take a look at what, exactly, this newer system replaces. http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/u...ap-620x348.jpgHomeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) (Photo Credit: AP)
In a Jan. 2011 press release, DHS announced that the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) would be ceased — and that the NTAS would be used instead. The statement heralded the new system as one that would “effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector.”
After a review of the old, Bush-era system, it was determined by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano that this change was much-needed. The release further explains the replacement plan:
The National Terrorism Advisory System alerts will be based on the nature of the threat: in some cases, alerts will be sent directly to law enforcement or affected areas of the private sector, while in others, alerts will be issued more broadly to the American people through both official and media channels—including a designated DHS webpage (www.dhs.gov/alerts), as well as social media channels including Facebook and via Twitter @NTASAlerts.
Additionally, NTAS will have a “sunset provision,” meaning that individual threat alerts will be issued with a specified end date. Alerts may be extended if new information becomes available or if the threat evolves significantly.
A timeline documenting the many times that the HSAS system was changed and the public alerted throughout its use from 2002 until 2006, DHS describes the newer NTAS system that replaced the Bush-era alert plan as “a robust terrorism advisory system.”
In further dismissing the HSAS system, Napolitano said at the time: “This means that the days are numbered for the automated recordings at airports, and announcements about a color code level that were, too often, accompanied by little practical information.”
To date, though, no “practical information” has been disseminated through the NTAS system. If its creation was intended to alert the public about credible and important information regarding threats, then one must assume that there has either been no legitimate information about threats intercepted by the government since its official adoption in April 2011 — or that the system is simply not being used.
In the case of the Boston attack, if there was no such information found before the attack, it’s understandable why an NTAS alert wasn’t disseminated. However, such a system could have had potential benefits to alerting the public about issues following the event, but it seems as though it was not created for such a purpose.
This development is particularly striking, considering recent controversy over President Barack Obama’s initial hesitation to label the Boston bombing “terror.” While the president inevitably did call the incident terrorism, the alert system’s stagnant state does raise additional questions about what, exactly, the administration considers “terror.”
A spokesperson for DHS had no immediate comment when TheBlaze inquired about why the system has yet to issue an alert two years after it was implemented to replace HSAS.
April 18th, 2013, 18:12
vector7
Re: Homeland Security Recommends Sunset for Color Code System
That's because Obama gave our working system to Russia...
Russia's parliament today gave preliminary approval to a law creating a color-coded terrorist threat alert system modeled on the U.S. system instituted after 9/11.
The Russian decision comes one day after the Obama administration announced it will abandon its system by the end of April because of complaints that issuing general color alerts is unhelpful.
The Russian measure was rushed forward in the wake of the Moscow airport bombing last week that left 35 dead and raised questions about the country's ability to handle attacks, the Associated Press reports.
December 10th, 2015, 00:02
vector7
Re: Homeland Security Recommends Sunset for Color Code System
http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnew....jpg?ve=1&tl=1
Jeh Johnson, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security takes part in a panel discussion at the 70th International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, June 3, 2014. (AP)
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced on Monday the rollout of a new national terror alert system that
warns Americans of risks on U.S. soil.
Johnson said his department would unveil the new system in the coming days and that it would reflect the “new phase” of the terror threat.
The new system will include an intermediate terror threat warning.
The new system will be the third since Sept. 11, 2001. The original color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System was ditched for the current system. Johnson said the current system has never been used because it has a “trigger that is a pretty high bar.” He added the new system would represent “the current environment and current realities.”
Johnson, who made the announcement at a Defense One magazine event, said threats to the U.S. have evolved in recent years. Though he did not reveal specifics of the new system, he did say the changes will keep Americans better informed.
“We need a system that informs the public at large of what we are seeing,” he said. “Removing some of the mystery about the global terrorist threat, what we are doing about it and what we are asking the public to do.”
