document_title: Lab Rats: Elite Force

question_text: who plays kaz in lab rats elite force

question_tokens: who plays kaz in lab rats elite force

text: Lab Rats: Elite Force

text: Plot[edit]

text: Davenport has come up with a plan to form an elite team of bionic heroes and superheroes to fight a common threat from their headquarters in Centium City. He puts his plan into action after villains have destroyed Mighty Med Hospital.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text:
William Brent as Chase[note 1]
Bradley Steven Perry as Kaz[note 1]
Jake Short as Oliver
Paris Berelc as Skylar
Kelli Berglund as Bree

tag: ul

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b William Brent and Bradley Steven Perry are given equal billing as lead actors in the series.

tag: ol

text: Production[edit]

text: Lab Rats: Elite Force is created by Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore, the duo who created Lab Rats. It is produced by Britelite Productions and It's a Laugh Productions for Disney XD. On September 3, 2015, it was announced that Lab Rats and Mighty Med would have a joint spinoff series called Lab Rats: Elite Force. Only William Brent, formerly credited as Billy Unger, and Kelli Berglund from Lab Rats and Bradley Steven Perry, Jake Short, and Paris Berelc from Mighty Med were announced as returning for the new spinoff series. Production on the series began in October 2015.[3] It was subsequently announced that Lab Rats: Elite Force would premiere on Disney XD broadcast services on March 2, 2016, and will be available for earlier viewing on the channel's video-on-demand services on February 29, 2016.[1]

text: In October 2016, actress Kelli Berglund reported on Twitter that there would not be a second season of Lab Rats: Elite Force.[4]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: The series premiered in Canada on Disney XD on March 2, 2016,[5] and on Disney Channel on March 6, 2016.[6]

text: On October 13, 2016, series co-creator Bryan Moore posted on Twitter that there would be a Lab Rats marathon followed by the finale of Lab Rats:Elite Force, "The Attack", which aired on October 22, 2016.[7]

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
Title [8][9]
Directed by
Written by
Original air date [8][9]
Prod.
code [8][10]
U.S. viewers
(millions)

1
"The Rise of Five"
Guy Distad
Chris Peterson & Bryan Moore
March 2, 2016 (2016-03-02)
101
0.52[11]

Following the events of the Lab Rats finale, Davenport introduces Chase and Bree to their new team's headquarters in Centium City and new teammates, Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar, and together they will form an Elite Force. Kaz immediately wants to find the people who recently destroyed Mighty Med, while the others want to come up with a plan first. A mysterious box then shatters their window, which contains a flash drive that shows a video of the two people who destroyed Mighty Med. The pair declares that Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar will be eliminated as well as anyone else who protects them. Kaz runs off to find the culprits and meets them in an alley, but he is surprised to find that they are shapeshifters Roman and Riker, the sons of a former superhero named Rodissius whose superpowers Kaz and Oliver had earlier taken away in order to save his life, and as such, Roman and Riker want to eliminate Kaz and Oliver to get revenge. A confrontation between the villains and the Elite Force takes place, but they are eventually knocked out cold and Roman and Riker take Skylar away. The remaining heroes later locate the villains and Skylar and Oliver freezes the cloud that Roman and Riker form into. As the Elite Force team celebrates with a team selfie, Roman and Riker escape.
Special guest star: Hal Sparks as Davenport
Guest stars: Booboo Stewart as Roman, Ryan Potter as Riker

2
"Holding Out for a Hero"
Guy Distad
Mark Brazill
March 9, 2016 (2016-03-09)
102
0.64[12]

Oliver works to master his superpowers after being outshined by Kaz during superhero training. Meanwhile, when Bree says Skylar is like a sister to her, they work out their new sisterhood. Later, Kaz discovers a new superpower, which enables him to shoot fire out of his mouth and Chase and Davenport are impressed; however, Oliver feels intimidated as he's still struggling with controlling his new superpowers. Meanwhile, Bree is having trouble bonding with Skylar as a sister because on her planet all girls roughhouse with their siblings as a way of having fun and showing love to them. Oliver later discovers a new superpower that he calls cyclone fingers, but when Oliver shows Davenport his new superpower, things go awry and he knocks him off his feet and Davenport is sent flying in the air and goes over the terrace railing. Rather than plummeting to the ground below, Davenport is able to hang off a bust of his head on the side of the skyscraper. Oliver goes to save him, while Kaz and Chase watch him with no backup plan. Oliver hangs from the head for a while, but he eventually saves Davenport. Later, Skylar and Bree finally form a bond in the meantime.
Special guest star: Hal Sparks as Davenport

3
"Power Play"
Guy Distad
Andy Schwartz
March 16, 2016 (2016-03-16)
103
0.58[13]

Oliver has always had a major crush on Skylar, and now that Oliver has superpowers, Skylar does not like it because she has lost her superpowers. Chase decides to come up with a solution to give Skylar her superpowers back, but he must inject coal into her body, though it is her one weakness. Oliver gets jealous because he wants to be the one to give Skylar her superpowers back, so Chase decides to let Oliver take the credit despite being reluctant to it. After injecting the cure, Skylar starts to become weak and ill from the coal and is coughing up vapor that can kill everyone in the building. Skylar pulls through and gets her superpowers back and learns that the illness was just a side effect. Meanwhile, Kaz goes behind Bree's back and agrees to babysit Mrs. Ramsey's pig; however, this is all just a scheme for the woman impersonating their neighbor to rob the penthouse. Later, the pig outsmarts both Kaz and Bree and locks them out on the balcony and they then watch Mrs. Ramsey stealing everything until Kaz notices an open window above them and flies back into the penthouse. Chase, Oliver, and Skylar come upstairs and Skylar stops Mrs. Ramsey with her newly restored superpowers.
Guest star: Patrika Darbo as Mrs. Ramsey

4
"The Superhero Code"
Victor Gonzalez
Julia Miranda
March 23, 2016 (2016-03-23)
106
0.44[14]

When Kaz's little brother, Kyle, visits, Kaz becomes jealous that Kyle seems to like Chase more than him, and Kaz cannot reveal his identity as a superhero due to the "superhero code". Chase's controlling attitude gets on Kaz's nerves and Kaz and Kyle explore the unauthorized areas of the base. Kyle ends up trapped after messing with the mainframe computer and Chase attempts to get him out of the cage, but he is knocked out by a shock from the cage. Kaz is forced to reveal his superhero identity and uses his firepower to break the cage open. As Kaz is about to reveal the truth, Kyle thinks they made Kaz bionic, with which he goes along. Oliver and Skylar agree they will also have to pass themselves off as bionic in public so that they can use their superpowers freely.
Guest star: Tristan DeVan as Kyle

5
"Need for Speed"
Victor Gonzalez
Greg Schaffer
March 30, 2016 (2016-03-30)
104
0.50[15]

Douglas comes to see the team and wants to start making the mission suits for them. Chase initially competes with Douglas to make the mission suits for the team and Chase and Kaz work together to make their version of mission suits while Oliver and Douglas work together to make their version of the mission suits. When Kaz and Oliver test out their mission suits, they fail to catch a fly, which proves their suits' impracticality. Chase and Douglas decide to put their differences aside and work together to make the best mission suits for the team. Meanwhile, Bree is filming a shoe commercial and she and Skylar compete in a super speed race. The shoe commercial is not successful as Bree and Skylar end up sabotaging each other in the super speed race.
Guest stars: Jeremy Kent Jackson as Douglas, Johnathan McClain as Tony

6
"Follow the Leader"
Guy Distad
Ken Blankstein
April 6, 2016 (2016-04-06)
105
0.58[16]

After Chase is left behind during a mission because Perry shot out the controls of the hyperlift, Skylar steps in as mission leader. However, this makes Chase jealous, and on the next mission, when Skylar is downstairs with Perry, Chase disables the hyperlift. Perry helps Skylar out of headquarters and to the mission site through the underground tunnels that Perry used to break into headquarters. At the mission location, the tunnel becomes unstable and almost collapses on Skylar and Perry, but Chase pushes them out of the way; however, it traps them in the process. Perry tells Skylar that Chase disabled the hyperlift before the mission so that he could be mission leader again and Chase later admits that he feared losing the respect of the entire team. On the other side of the rubble, Kaz manages to make a stable tunnel to where Chase, Skylar, and Perry are trapped and rescues Chase, Skylar, and Perry. Later, when Skylar is asked by the rest of the team as to why she missed the mission, she tells them that the hyperlift malfunctioned again. When Chase asks why she didn't say anything about the incident, she explains it was the exact same way she felt when she lost her superpowers and that she would not wish that to happen to anyone. Perry uses this opportunity to blackmail Chase into getting her a penthouse next door to theirs.
Guest star: Maile Flanagan as Perry

7
"The List"
Victor Gonzalez
Kenny Byerly
April 13, 2016 (2016-04-13)
107
0.62[17]

This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The team receives a box from Davenport with all the gadgets they used back at Mission Creek. Chase hosts a team meeting and compiles a list of all the superheroes from Mighty Med and warns them that they are being hunted. Along with Skylar's mentor and first friend: Crossbow. Skylar wants to see her again, but Chase refuses. Skylar is worried that Crossbow did not get the message and she and Oliver set out to find her. When they leave, it's discovered that Roman and Riker had been eavesdropping on them as ravens. As soon as they start to leave, Roman shows up and attacks Crossbow who suffers a tough blow. When Bree talks about the dolls that Kaz was playing with, he does not remember it as he's not Kaz and transforms into Riker, who was looking for the list. Back at the park, Oliver tries to attack Roman, but he is easily defeated; then Skylar attacks him, but she is defeated as well. As Roman tries to walk away with Crossbow, Riker shows up and informs him that the other superheroes know of their presence. Chase and Bree follow Riker to the park and Roman and Riker try to form their deadly swarm. Bree informs Roman that Riker is locked in a freezer, causing Roman to make a deal. Skylar agrees and Bree brings back Riker; however, when Roman tosses the list to Riker, Crossbow destroys it and is defeated in the process. Skylar becomes upset and attacks Roman and Riker and defeats them. Roman and Riker retreat. Later, Kaz and Oliver are able to revive Crossbow.
Guest stars: Booboo Stewart as Roman, Ryan Potter as Riker, Eric Steinberg as Rodissius, Pepi Sonuga as Crossbow

8
"Coming Through in the Clutch"
Hal Sparks
Jason Dorris
July 25, 2016 (2016-07-25)
TBA
0.44[18]

This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

When Oliver's hero is in town, he gets excited and wants to meet him at the Olympics Send-off Celebration at the park. Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar go to meet Clutch while Chase and Bree go to a mini-Olympics competition for children, where they run into Bob. He had signed up for the competition and would win by using his bionic abilities, but Bree convinces him not to cheat. Meanwhile, Oliver, Kaz, and Skylar are waiting for Clutch to arrive; when Clutch arrives, he shows off his skills, impressing Oliver. However, things go wrong when Oliver asks Kaz to hold his sign and Clutch notices Kaz instead and asks Kaz to be his spotter, which causes Oliver to become jealous. Clutch attempts to lift 1,000 pounds, but he quickly starts struggling; when Oliver attempts to help, he drops the weight on Clutch's foot. Meanwhile, Bree discovers that Chase has become Bob's coach and is upset that they are going to cheat. Later, Oliver feels sorry for hurting his hero and Skylar runs to the hospital and abducts Clutch. She brings Clutch back to the penthouse and Skylar pep talks Oliver to fix him with his old Mighty Med supplies. Oliver quickly responds by saying it is not possible, but he will try to help Clutch. Meanwhile, Bree has found a child named Zoe who was originally going to compete in the competition with her dad; however, something had come up and Bree decides to become her new coach, though her plan is also to use her bionics. During the final part of the competition, Chase tells Zoe that Bree does not think Zoe can win by herself and Zoe wants to do it without Bree's help; consequently, Chase agrees he will not help Bob. When Chase sees that Zoe is winning, he cheats and uses his bionics to hold Zoe back, so Bree uses her bionics and pushes Bob back. Chase and Bree start fighting while Bob and Zoe run to the finish line. Bob wins the mini-Olympics competition and Chase feels joyful and grabs the prize out of Bob's hands; however, Bob takes it back and hands it to Zoe as he wants her and her dad to run with the flame. Meanwhile, Oliver finds out a way to fix Clutch and freezes his foot while Kaz heats his foot.
Guest stars: Brandon Salgado-Telis as Bob, Justin Lopez as Clutch, Sanai Victoria as Zoe

9
"The Intruder"
Jody Margolin Hahn
Ken Blankstein
September 10, 2016 (2016-09-10)
112
0.41[19]

A ten-year-old computer genius boy living on the floor below the Elite Force manages to break into the penthouse, so Chase improves the security system by installing retina scanners, but the boy manages to get back in because he hacked Chase's chip. He later uses his tablet to make Chase disable the security system. Meanwhile, the others are having a contest to determine who can go longer without using superpowers or bionics and they make two teams: Oliver and Kaz versus Bree and Skylar. Bree uses her super speed when Oliver lies and says he sees Harry Styles from One Direction in front of their building. In retaliation, Bree asks to borrow Oliver's phone and throws it off from the terrace and Oliver uses his flying power to go after it, which gets him disqualified. Bree tries the same thing with Kaz by throwing off many of his valuables, but he resists using his superpowers. Meanwhile, Chase's magnetism app glitches because of what AJ did to his chip and every metal object starts flying toward Chase. As a result, Kaz and Skylar have to put the contest on hold to help Chase. AJ then realizes that Chase's capsule can reset his operating system and fix the glitch and Oliver and Bree quickly bring down his capsule. With Chase rescued, the contest is back on and Bree manages to trick Kaz into using his superpowers by using her cyber cloak to pretend to be Oliver and make him fire up the grill; as a result, the girls win the contest.
Guest stars: Jeremy Kent Jackson as Douglas, Elisha Henig as AJ

10
"The Rock"
Hal Sparks
Mark Brazill
September 17, 2016 (2016-09-17)
114
0.46[20]

AJ reveals that he knows that Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar are superheroes and compiles a list of the team's usefulness, causing hurt feelings with Chase and Bree. Meanwhile, Oliver discovers that Kaz has been keeping the Arcturion in storage, though he wasn't aware of it, and Chase tells Kaz and Oliver to take the Arcturion to Facility Y, which is one of Davenport's storage locations. However, they discover it is missing and suspect AJ who was fascinated by it earlier. Chase kicks AJ out of the penthouse in anger, but the team later realizes that Bree took it because she was jealous of the others. Meanwhile, Bree plans on touching the Arcturion to get more powers, but Skylar blasts the Arcturion before Bree can grab it; however, the blast redirects and hits Bree. Later, Chase is determined to raise his rank and builds a hover bike with AJ in order to get to missions faster; however, when the bike goes missing and it's discovered that AJ has taken it, Chase, Kaz, and Oliver go to his rescue. Meanwhile, Bree grows weak from the Arcturion's blast and Skylar is forced to touch the Arcturion to redirect its healing energy into Bree. However, it comes with a cost because Skylar loses a few of her superpowers. Since Bree made indirect contact with the Arcturion, she gains superpowers known as thermo touch and proton ring generation, which makes Bree the world's first bionic superhero hybrid, and Bree and Skylar agree to keep Bree's new powers a secret for now.
Guest star: Elisha Henig as AJ

11
"Home Sweet Home"
Victor Gonzalez

Greg Schaffer
Andy Schwartz

September 24, 2016 (2016-09-24)
110
0.54[21]

When Skylar's friend Scarlett from Caldera visits. She attempts to convince Skylar to come back to Caldera. But when she refuses, Scarlett kidnaps her and takes her to Caldera and imprisons her. Scarlett reveals that Caldera is having a civil war with ones wanting to help others and the opposition, who want to help themselves and she is part of the opposition. Bree and Oliver find out about Skylar and head to Caldera to rescue her. There Bree reveals her new superpowers to Oliver when they are attacked by Scarlett. Oliver and Bree find Skylar but are too imprison with Skylar. Scarlett threatens Oliver and Bree unless Skylar joins. Skylar agrees and is stripped of her powers. Bree send an email to Chase. Skylar reveals that she is leaving the team and joining the opposition. Meanwhile, Chase creates a robotic girlfriend named Sabrina. But she falls in love with Kaz. Chase creates multiple girlfriends but they all fall in love with Kaz. When they get Bree's message they head for Caldera. When Bree and Oliver try to leave Caldera, Oliver refuses to leave Skylar but is beaten by Scarlett, who imprisons them in a metal cage hovering over lava. Chase, Kaz and the robotic girls come and saves them. Bree reveals her superpowers to Kaz and Chase when she uses it to defeat Scarlett. Scarlett attempts to kill the group but falls to her death trying to do so. Once they get back home, Skylar is depressed over Caldera's civil war. But Bree informs her that Earth is her home. Kaz and Chase play a prank on Oliver using the robotic girls.
Guest stars: Angeline Appel as Christina, Alexxis Lemire as Scarlett Double, Melissa Christine as Skylar Double
Note: Premiered as a 1-hour episode.

12
"Sheep-Shifting"
Bradley Steven Perry
Maxwell Theodore Vivian
October 1, 2016 (2016-10-01)
115
0.41[22]

Chase attempts to learn more about Roman and Riker's shape-shifting abilities by developing a potion. While Chase is not around, Kaz drinks the potion to test it out on himself, and gains shape-shifting abilities. While demonstrating his abilities to Oliver and Skylar, Kaz turns himself into a sheep, but then does not revert to his human appearance. Chase discovers that Kaz drank the potion, and explains that when he became a sheep, he took on the mental capacity of the animal, preventing him from knowing how to change back. The effects of the potion eventually wear off and Kaz returns to his former self. Meanwhile, Perry reveals to Bree that she starred on a television series when she was a child, and that a cast or crew member has died on every Halloween since the show ended. Perry is the last surviving member of the series and fears for her life, so she has Bree protect her.
Guest star: Maile Flanagan as Perry

13
"Game of Drones"
Guy Distad
Mark Brazill
October 8, 2016 (2016-10-08)
108
0.34[23]

Oliver becomes jealous when Kaz begins spending time with Chase to build a drone for a drone race. Chase agrees to implement Kaz's unusual ideas into the drone design, but reveals to Oliver that he plans to remove the designs before the competition to increase the chances of winning. After Oliver tells Kaz about Chase's plans, they decide to take one of Davenport's drones to enter it in the competition against Chase. At the competition, Chase tells Kaz and Oliver that the drone they activated is an attack drone designed to destroy any threat it senses. Chase also reveals that he chose to leave Kaz's design ideas intact. Meanwhile, Perry reveals that she comes from a family of circus people, and that the women in her family were skilled tightrope walkers. Perry, feeling the need to achieve an accomplishment of her own, decides to tightrope-walk between two skyscrapers, which makes Bree nervous for Perry's safety. Perry dresses up with a circus outfit and umbrella for the stunt. Perry slips from the tightrope after the attack drone flies past her, although she manages to grab onto the rope before falling. The attack drone targets Perry, who destroys it with her umbrella.
Guest star: Maile Flanagan as Perry

14
"They Grow Up So Fast"
Paul Hoen
Julia Miranda
October 15, 2016 (2016-10-15)
113
0.27[24]

Chase becomes obsessed with developing an age-reversal device after Kaz uses a mobile phone app to show him a picture of what he will look like when he is older. Tasha brings her baby daughter Naomi to visit the Elite Force. Naomi cries whenever she is held by Bree, who becomes jealous when she sees that Naomi likes being held by Skylar. Tasha says she has had little free time since Naomi was born, and asks the children if they would like to watch the baby for a while. Despite that she is not well-liked by Naomi, Bree insists on taking care of the baby to show Tasha that she can be trusted. While Bree is distracted by cleaning baby food off of her shirt, Naomi wanders away and finds the mission command center, where she uses Chase's anti-aging device. However, the device was not finished and instead ages Naomi by 12 years. Tasha returns and meets the older Naomi, whom Bree and Skylar say is actually a friend of theirs. When Chase is unable to turn Naomi back into a baby, Bree realizes she must confess to Tasha. As Bree is about to tell Tasha, Chase realizes how to turn Naomi back, and successfully does so without Tasha finding out what happened.
Guest stars: Angel Parker as Tasha, Camille Hyde as Naomi

15
"The Attack"
William Brent
Chris Peterson & Bryan Moore
October 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)
116
0.55[25]

The Elite Force is surprised to see that Chase now has a girlfriend named Reese, who he just met at a library. They later learn that Roman and Riker are using their shape-shifting abilities to terrorize the city. Power goes out all over the city, and the Elite Force goes out to stop Roman and Riker. Reese is left at the penthouse with Douglas. Perry comes to be with Douglas as she is afraid of the chaos outside. Douglas leaves to activate the skyscraper's emergency generator, while Perry insists on her and Reese giving each other makeovers. The Elite Force arrives on the city streets to battle Roman and Riker, but they realize that they are actually up against a dozen shape-shifters. Rodissius arrives and reveals that the shape-shifters are his children, who are avenging him and the loss of his powers by attacking the city. Rodissius reveals that Reese is one of his children, and that his plan is for her to obtain the superhero list from the mission command center while it is unprotected by the Elite Force. Bree uses a new superhero ability to attack Rodissius. Douglas activates the generator, and then flees after seeing Perry's makeover, allowing Reese to enter the mission command center. Douglas retreats to the command center, where he is attacked by Reese. She escapes with the superhero list and then rescues her father. Perry and the Elite Force find Douglas badly injured, and discover that communications have been blocked, preventing them from warning the superheroes of Rodissius' plan. Chase declares war against Rodissius and his children.
Guest stars: Maile Flanagan as Perry, Jeremy Kent Jackson as Douglas, Eric Steinberg as Rodissius, Fivel Stewart as Reese

tag: table

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
First aired
Last aired
Avg. viewers
(millions)

Date
Viewers
(millions)
Date
Viewers
(millions)

1
15
March 2, 2016 (2016-03-02)
0.52[11]
October 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)
0.55[25]
0.49

text: Reception[edit]

text: Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series four out of five stars.[26]


document_title: United States Department of Homeland Security

question_text: who does department of homeland security report to

question_tokens: who does department of homeland security report to

root

text: United States Department of Homeland Security

text: Function[edit]

text: Whereas the Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad, the Department of Homeland Security works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States within, at, and outside its borders. Its stated goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism.[7] On March 1, 2003, DHS absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and assumed its duties. In doing so, it divided the enforcement and services functions into two separate and new agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services. The investigative divisions and intelligence gathering units of the INS and Customs Service were merged forming Homeland Security Investigations. Additionally, the border enforcement functions of the INS, including the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were consolidated into a new agency under DHS: U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Federal Protective Service falls under the National Protection and Programs Directorate.

tag: p

text: Structure[edit]

text: The Department of Homeland Security is headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security with the assistance of the Deputy Secretary. The Department contains the components listed below.[8]

text:
Child Agency
Title of Head/Leader
Incumbent

Citizenship & Immigration Services Ombudsman
Director
Maria M. Odom[9]

Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
Director
James F. McDonnell

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Administrator
Brock Long

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Director
Connie L. Patrick[10]

Management Directorate
Under Secretary
Russell Deyo[11]

National Protection and Programs Directorate
Under Secretary
Suzanne E. Spaulding

Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
Officer
Megan H. Mack[12]

Office of General Counsel
General Counsel
Stevan E. Bunnell[13]

Office of Health Affairs
Assistant Secretary/Chief Medical Officer
Kathryn Brinsfield[14]

Office of Intelligence and Analysis
Under Secretary
David Glawe

Office of Legislative Affairs
Assistant Secretary
M. Tia Johnson[15]

Office of Operations Coordination
Director
Richard M. Chávez[16]

Office of Partnership & Engagement
Assistant Secretary

Office of Policy
Assistant Secretary

Office of Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary

Office of the Inspector General
Inspector General
John Roth[17]

Privacy Office
Chief Privacy Officer/Chief FOIA Officer
Jonathan R. Cantor[18]

Science & Technology Directorate
Under Secretary

Transportation Security Administration
Administrator
Huban A. Gowadia[19]

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Acting Director
James McCament[20]

United States Coast Guard
Commandant
Admiral Paul F. Zukunft[21]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Acting Commissioner
Kevin K. McAleenan [22]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Acting Director
Thomas D. Homan[23]

United States Secret Service
Director
Randolph D. Alles[24]

text: Agencies:

text:
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services: Processes and examines citizenship, residency, and asylum requests from aliens.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Law enforcement agency that enforces U.S. laws along its international borders (air, land, and sea) including its enforcement of U.S. immigration, customs, and agriculture laws while at and patrolling between all U.S. ports-of-entry.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Law enforcement agency divided into two bureaus:

text:
An agency that enforces U.S. laws while it investigates and gathers intelligence on national and international criminal activities that threaten the security of the homeland (Homeland Security Investigations); and
An agency that investigates violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act and enforces the detention, deportation, and removal of violators of United States immigration law (Enforcement and Removal Operations).

text:
Transportation Security Administration: Responsible for aviation security (domestic and international, most notably conducting passenger screenings at airports), as well as land and water transportation security
United States Coast Guard: Military service responsible for law enforcement, maritime security, national defense, maritime mobility, and protection of natural resources.[25]
United States Secret Service: Law enforcement agency that investigates threats against and provides protective services for the President and Vice President of the United States and their immediate families as well as other important governmental officials. It also investigates crimes against the U.S. monetary system including the crime of counterfeiting U.S. currency and other financial instruments.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: agency that oversees the federal government's response to natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, etc.

text: (Passports for U.S. citizens are issued by the United States Department of State, not the Department of Homeland Security.)

text: Advisory groups:

text:
Homeland Security Advisory Council: State and local government, first responders, private sector, and academics
National Infrastructure Advisory Council: Advises on security of public and private information systems
Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee: Advise the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council: Coordinate infrastructure protection with private sector and other levels of government
Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities
Task Force on New Americans: "An inter-agency effort to help immigrants learn English, embrace the common core of American civic culture, and become fully American."

text: Other components:

text:
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office: Develop nuclear threat detection capabilities at all levels of government and in the private sector
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Interagency law enforcement training facilities located in Georgia, New Mexico, and South Carolina.
National Protection and Programs Directorate: risk-reduction, encompassing both physical and virtual threats and their associated human elements.

Federal Protective Service: Federal law enforcement and security agency that protects and investigates crimes against U.S. federal buildings, properties, assets, and federal government interests.
National Communications System

Directorate for Science and Technology: Research and development
Directorate for Management: Responsible for internal budgets, accounting, performance monitoring, and human resources
Office of Policy: Long-range policy planning and coordination

Office of Immigration Statistics

DHS Office of Health Affairs: Medical preparedness
Office of Intelligence and Analysis: Identify and assess threats based on intelligence from various agencies
Office of Operations Coordination: Monitor domestic security situation on a daily basis, coordinate activities with state and local authorities and private sector infrastructure
Office of the Secretary includes the Privacy Office, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Office of Inspector General, Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Public Affairs, Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement (CNE), Office of the Executive Secretariat (ESEC), and the Military Advisor's Office.
National Cybersecurity Center

text: In an August 5, 2002 speech, President Bush said: "We're fighting ... to secure freedom in the homeland."[26] Prior to the creation of DHS, American presidents had referred to the U.S. as "the nation" or "the republic", and to its internal policies as "domestic".[27] Also unprecedented was the use, from 2002, of the phrase "the homeland" by White House spokespeople.[27]

text: National Terrorism Advisory System[edit]

text: In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security phased out the old Homeland Security Advisory System, replacing it with a two-level National Terrorism Advisory System. The system has two types of advisories: Alerts and Bulletins. NTAS Bulletins permit the Secretary to communicate critical terrorism information that, while not necessarily indicative of a specific threat against the United States, can reach homeland security partners or the public quickly, thereby allowing recipients to implement necessary protective measures. Alerts are issued when there is specific and credible information of a terrorist threat against the United States. Alerts themselves have two levels: Elevated and Imminent. An Elevated Alert is issued when there is credible information about an attack but only general information about timing or a target. An Imminent Alert is issued when the threat is very specific and impending in the very near term.

text: On March 12, 2002, the Homeland Security Advisory System, a color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale, was created as the result of a Presidential Directive to provide a "comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to the American people." Many procedures at government facilities are tied into the alert level; for example a facility may search all entering vehicles when the alert is above a certain level. Since January 2003, it has been administered in coordination with DHS; it has also been the target of frequent jokes and ridicule on the part of the administration's detractors about its ineffectiveness. After resigning, Tom Ridge stated that he did not always agree with the threat level adjustments pushed by other government agencies.[28]

text: In January 2003, the office[clarification needed] was merged into the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Homeland Security Council, both of which were created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Homeland Security Council, similar in nature to the National Security Council, retains a policy coordination and advisory role and is led by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security.[29]

text: As of 13 January 2011, the DHS advised the American public of an 'elevated national threat' level, recommending that all Americans 'should establish an emergency preparedness kit and emergency plan for themselves and their family, and stay informed about what to do during an emergency'.[30]

text: History[edit]

text: Creation[edit]

text: In response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) to coordinate "homeland security" efforts. The office was headed by former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who assumed the title of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. The official announcement stated:

text:
“
The mission of the Office will be to develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks. The Office will coordinate the executive branch's efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States.[29]
”

text: Ridge began his duties as OHS director on October 8, 2001.

text: According to Peter Andreas, a border theorist, the creation of DHS constituted the most significant government reorganization since the Cold War,[31] and the most substantial reorganization of federal agencies since the National Security Act of 1947, which placed the different military departments under a secretary of defense and created the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency. DHS also constitutes the most diverse merger of federal functions and responsibilities, incorporating 22 government agencies into a single organization.[32]

text: The Department of Homeland Security was established on November 25, 2002, by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. It was intended to consolidate U.S. executive branch organizations related to "homeland security" into a single Cabinet agency. The following 22 agencies were incorporated into the new department:[33]

text:
Original agency
Original department
New agency or office after transfer

U.S. Customs Service
Treasury
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Immigration and Naturalization Service
Justice
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Federal Protective Service
General Services Administration
National Protection and Programs Directorate

Transportation Security Administration
Transportation
Transportation Security Administration

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Treasury
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(part)
Agriculture
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Office for Domestic Preparedness
Justice
Responsibilities distributed within FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency
none
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Strategic National Stockpile
National Disaster Medical System
Health and Human Services
Returned to HHS, July, 2004

Nuclear Incident Response Team
Energy
Responsibilities distributed within FEMA

Domestic Emergency Support Team
Justice
Responsibilities distributed within FEMA

National Domestic Preparedness Office
Justice (FBI)
Responsibilities distributed within FEMA

CBRN Countermeasures Programs
Energy
Science & Technology Directorate

Environmental Measurements Laboratory
Energy
Science & Technology Directorate

National Biological Warfare
Defense Analysis Center
Defense
Science & Technology Directorate

Plum Island Animal Disease Center
Agriculture
Science & Technology Directorate

Federal Computer Incident Response Center
General Services Administration
US-CERT, Office of Cybersecurity and Communications
National Programs and Predaredness Directorate

National Communications System
Defense
Office of Cybersecurity and Communications
National Programs and Predaredness Directorate

National Infrastructure Protection Center
Justice (FBI)
Office of Operations Coordination
Office of Infrastructure Protection

Energy Security and Assurance Program
Energy
Office of Infrastructure Protection

U.S. Coast Guard
Transportation
U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Secret Service
Treasury
U.S. Secret Service

text: Prior to the signing of the bill, controversy about its adoption centered on whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency should be incorporated in part or in whole (neither were included). The bill itself was also controversial for the presence of unrelated "riders", as well as for eliminating certain union-friendly civil service and labor protections for department employees. Without these protections, employees could be expeditiously reassigned or dismissed on grounds of security, incompetence or insubordination, and DHS would not be required to notify their union representatives.

text: The plan stripped 180,000 government employees of their union rights.[34] In 2002, Bush officials argued that the September 11 attacks made the proposed elimination of employee protections imperative.[35]

text: Congress ultimately passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 without the union-friendly measures, and President Bush signed the bill into law on November 25, 2002. It was the largest U.S. government reorganization in the 50 years since the United States Department of Defense was created.

text: Tom Ridge was named secretary on January 24, 2003 and began naming his chief deputies. DHS officially began operations on January 24, 2003, but most of the department's component agencies were not transferred into the new Department until March 1.[29]

text: After establishing the basic structure of DHS and working to integrate its components and get the department functioning, Ridge announced his resignation on November 30, 2004, following the re-election of President Bush. Bush initially nominated former New York City Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik as his successor, but on December 10, Kerik withdrew his nomination, citing personal reasons and saying it "would not be in the best interests" of the country for him to pursue the post.

text: Changes under Michael Chertoff[edit]

text: On January 11, 2005, President Bush nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff to succeed Ridge. Chertoff was confirmed on February 15, 2005, by a vote of 98–0 in the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in the same day.[29]

text: In February 2005, DHS and the Office of Personnel Management issued rules relating to employee pay and discipline for a new personnel system named MaxHR. The Washington Post said that the rules would allow DHS "to override any provision in a union contract by issuing a department-wide directive" and would make it "difficult, if not impossible, for unions to negotiate over arrangements for staffing, deployments, technology and other workplace matters."[35]

text: In August 2005, U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer blocked the plan on the grounds that it did not ensure collective-bargaining rights for DHS employees.[35]

text: A federal appeals court ruled against DHS in 2006; pending a final resolution to the litigation, Congress's fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for DHS provided no funding for the proposed new personnel system.[35] DHS announced in early 2007 that it was retooling its pay and performance system and retiring the name "MaxHR".[29]

text: In a February 2008 court filing, DHS said that it would no longer pursue the new rules, and that it would abide by the existing civil service labor-management procedures. A federal court issued an order closing the case.[35]

text: Seal[edit]

text: A DHS press release dated June 6, 2003[36] explains the seal as follows:

text: The seal is symbolic of the Department's mission – to prevent attacks and protect Americans – on the land, in the sea and in the air. In the center of the seal, a graphically styled white American eagle appears in a circular blue field. The eagle's outstretched wings break through an inner red ring into an outer white ring that contains the words "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF" in the top half and "HOMELAND SECURITY" in the bottom half in a circular placement. The eagle's wings break through the inner circle into the outer ring to suggest that the Department of Homeland Security will break through traditional bureaucracy and perform government functions differently. In the tradition of the Great Seal of the United States, the eagle's talon on the left holds an olive branch with 13 leaves and 13 seeds while the eagle's talon on the right grasps 13 arrows.

text: Centered on the eagle's breast is a shield divided into three sections containing elements that represent the American homeland – air, land, and sea. The top element, a dark blue sky, contains 22 stars representing the original 22 entities that have come together to form the department. The left shield element contains white mountains behind a green plain underneath a light blue sky. The right shield element contains four wave shapes representing the oceans alternating light and dark blue separated by white lines.

text: The seal was developed with input from senior DHS leadership, employees, and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. The Ad Council – which partners with DHS on its Ready.gov campaign – and the consulting company Landor Associates were responsible for graphic design and maintaining heraldic integrity.

text: Headquarters[edit]

text: Since its inception, the department has had its temporary headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s Nebraska Avenue Complex, a former naval facility. The 38-acre (15 ha) site, across from American University, has 32 buildings comprising 566,000 square feet (52,600 m2) of administrative space.[37] In early 2007, the Department submitted a $4.1 billion plan to Congress to consolidate its 60-plus Washington-area offices into a single headquarters complex at the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus in Anacostia, Southeast Washington, D.C. The earliest DHS would begin moving to St. Elizabeths is 2012.[38]

text: The move is being championed by District of Columbia officials because of the positive economic impact it will have on historically depressed Anacostia. The move has been criticized by historic preservationists, who claim the revitalization plans will destroy dozens of historic buildings on the campus.[39] Community activists have criticized the plans because the facility will remain walled off and have little interaction with the surrounding area.[40] On January 8, 2009, the National Capital Planning Commission approved the Department of Homeland Security's plans to move into the campus of St. Elizabeths Hospital.[41] In February 2015 the General Services Administration said that the site would open in 2021.[42]

text: Disaster preparedness and response[edit]

text: Ready.gov[edit]

text: Soon after the formation of Department of Homeland Security, the department worked with the Ad Council to launch the Ready Campaign, a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. With pro bono creative support from the Martin Agency of Richmond, Virginia, the campaign website "Ready.gov" and materials were conceived in March 2002 and launched in February 2003, just before the launch of the Iraq War.[43][44][45] One of the first announcements that garnered widespread public attention to this campaign was one by Tom Ridge in which he stated that in the case of a chemical attack, citizens should use duct tape and plastic sheeting to build a homemade bunker, or "sheltering in place" to protect themselves.[46][47] As a result, the sales of duct tape skyrocketed and DHS was criticized for being too alarmist.[48]

text: On March 1, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was absorbed into the DHS, and in fall of 2008, took over coordination of the campaign. The Ready Campaign and its Spanish language version Listo.gov asks individuals to do three things: build an emergency supply kit,[49] make a family emergency plan[50] and be informed about the different types of emergencies that can occur and how to respond.[51] The campaign messages have been promoted through television, radio, print, outdoor and web PSAs,[52] as well as brochures, toll-free phone lines and the English and Spanish language websites Ready.gov and Listo.gov.

text: The general campaign aims to reach all Americans, but targeted resources are also available via “Ready Business” for small- to medium-sized business and “Ready Kids” for parents and teachers of children ages 8–12. In 2015, the campaign also launched a series of PSAs to help the whole community,[53] people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs prepare for emergencies, which included open captioning, a certified deaf interpreter and audio descriptions for viewers who are blind or have low vision.[54]

text: National Incident Management System[edit]

text: On March 1, 2004, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was created. The stated purpose was to provide a consistent incident management approach for federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Under Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, all federal departments were required to adopt the NIMS and to use it in their individual domestic incident management and emergency prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation program and activities.

text: National Response Framework[edit]

text: In December 2004, the National Response Plan (NRP) was created, in an attempt to align federal coordination structures, capabilities, and resources into a unified, all-discipline, and all-hazards approach to domestic incident management. The NRP was built on the template of the NIMS.

text: On January 22, 2008, the National Response Framework was published in the Federal Register as an updated replacement of the NRP, effective March 22, 2008.

text: Surge Capacity Force[edit]

text: The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act directs the DHS Secretary to designate employees from throughout the Department to staff a Surge Capacity Force (SCF). During a declared disaster, the DHS Secretary will determine if SCF support is necessary. The Secretary will then authorize FEMA to task and deploy designated personnel from DHS components and other Federal Executive Agencies to respond to extraordinary disasters.[55]

text: Cyber-security[edit]

text: The DHS National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is responsible for the response system, risk management program, and requirements for cyber-security in the U.S. The division is home to US-CERT operations and the National Cyber Alert System.[56][57] The DHS Science and Technology Directorate helps government and private end-users transition to new cyber-security capabilities. This directorate also funds the Cyber Security Research and Development Center, which identifies and prioritizes research and development for NCSD.[57] The center works on the Internet's routing infrastructure (the SPRI program) and Domain Name System (DNSSEC), identity theft and other online criminal activity (ITTC), Internet traffic and networks research (PREDICT datasets and the DETER testbed), Department of Defense and HSARPA exercises (Livewire and Determined Promise), and wireless security in cooperation with Canada.[58]

text: On October 30, 2009, DHS opened the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. The center brings together government organizations responsible for protecting computer networks and networked infrastructure.[59]

text: Expenditures[edit]

text: In the United States Federal Budget for 2010, entitled 'A New Era of Responsibility', the DHS was allocated a discretionary budget of $42.7 billion (financial year 2009: $40.1 billion).[60] The end-of-year DHS Annual Financial Report for financial year 2010 showed a net cost of operations of $56.4 billion (FY 2009, restated: $49.9 billion), out of total budgetary resources of $83.2 billion (FY 2009, restated: $85.2 billion).[61] The components with the highest net cost were US Coast Guard ($12.1 billion), U.S. Customs and Border Protection ($11.6 billion), and Federal Emergency Management Agency ($10.5 billion).[61] Revenues of $10.4 billion were generated in the year (FY 2009, restated: $9.8 billion).[61]

text: According to the Washington Post, "DHS has given $31 billion in grants since 2003 to state and local governments for homeland security and to improve their ability to find and protect against terrorists, including $3.8 billion in 2010."[62]

text: Audit of expenditures[edit]

text: The DHS independent auditor is KPMG, one of the Big Four audit firms.[63] Due to the level of material weaknesses identified, KPMG was unable to audit the DHS financial statements for FY 2010.[63] KPMG was unable to express an audit opinion on the FY 2009,[64] FY 2008,[65] FY 2007,[66] FY 2005,[67] and FY 2003[68] financial statements. Attempts to access the reports for FY 2006 and FY 2004 within the 'information for citizens' portal met with a 404 error.[69] The Message from the DHS Chief Financial Officer in the FY 2010 report states 'This Annual Financial Report (AFR) is our principal financial statement of accountability to the President, Congress and the American public. The AFR gives a comprehensive view of the Department's financial activities and demonstrates the Department's stewardship of taxpayer dollars.'[70] The Message from the DHS Chief Financial Officer concludes 'I am extremely proud of the Department's accomplishments ... we will continue to build upon our successes.'[70] The Secretary of Homeland Security endorsed this message saying that the DHS is 'continuing to be responsible stewards of taxpayer resources. The scope of our mission is broad, challenging, and vital to the security of the Nation ... Thank you for your partnership and collaboration. Yours very truly, Janet Napolitano.'[71]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: The Department of Homeland Security has received substantial criticism over excessive bureaucracy, waste, fraud, ineffectiveness and lack of transparency. Its information sharing centers have been accused of violating American civil liberties and targeting American citizens as potential threats to national security.

text: Excess, waste, and ineffectiveness[edit]

text: The Department of Homeland Security has been dogged by persistent criticism over excessive bureaucracy, waste, ineffectiveness and lack of transparency. Congress estimates that the department has wasted roughly $15 billion in failed contracts (as of September 2008[update]).[72] In 2003, the department came under fire after the media revealed that Laura Callahan, Deputy Chief Information Officer at DHS with responsibilities for sensitive national security databases, had obtained her bachelor, masters, and doctorate computer science degrees through Hamilton University, a diploma mill in a small town in Wyoming.[73] The department was blamed for up to $2 billion of waste and fraud after audits by the Government Accountability Office revealed widespread misuse of government credit cards by DHS employees, with purchases including beer brewing kits, $70,000 of plastic dog booties that were later deemed unusable, boats purchased at double the retail price (many of which later could not be found), and iPods ostensibly for use in "data storage".[74][75][76][77]

text: A 2015 inspection of IT infrastructure found that the department was running over a hundred computer systems whose owners were unknown, including Secret and Top Secret databases, many with out of date security or weak passwords. Basic security reviews were absent, and the department had apparently made deliberate attempts to delay publication of information about the flaws.[78]

text: Data mining (ADVISE)[edit]

text: The Associated Press reported on September 5, 2007, that DHS had scrapped an anti-terrorism data mining tool called ADVISE (Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement) after the agency's internal Inspector General found that pilot testing of the system had been performed using data on real people without required privacy safeguards in place.[79][80] The system, in development at Lawrence Livermore and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory since 2003, has cost the agency $42 million to date. Controversy over the program is not new; in March 2007, the Government Accountability Office stated that "the ADVISE tool could misidentify or erroneously associate an individual with undesirable activity such as fraud, crime or terrorism." Homeland Security's Inspector General later said that ADVISE was poorly planned, time-consuming for analysts to use, and lacked adequate justifications.[81]

text: Fusion centers[edit]

text: Fusion centers are terrorism prevention and response centers, many of which were created under a joint project between the Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs between 2003 and 2007. The fusion centers gather information not only from government sources, but also from their partners in the private sector.[82][83]

text: They are designed to promote information sharing at the federal level between agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice, US Military and state and local level government. As of July 2009[update], the Department of Homeland Security recognized at least seventy-two fusion centers.[84] Fusion centers may also be affiliated with an Emergency Operations Center that responds in the event of a disaster.

text: There are a number of documented criticisms of fusion centers, including relative ineffectiveness at counterterrorism activities, the potential to be used for secondary purposes unrelated to counterterrorism, and their links to violations of civil liberties of American citizens and others.[85]

text: David Rittgers of the Cato Institute has noted:

text: a long line of fusion center and DHS reports labeling broad swaths of the public as a threat to national security. The North Texas Fusion System labeled Muslim lobbyists as a potential threat; a DHS analyst in Wisconsin thought both pro- and anti-abortion activists were worrisome; a Pennsylvania homeland security contractor watched environmental activists, Tea Party groups, and a Second Amendment rally; the Maryland State Police put anti-death penalty and anti-war activists in a federal terrorism database; a fusion center in Missouri thought that all third-party voters and Ron Paul supporters were a threat....[86]

text: MIAC report[edit]

text: The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) made news in 2009 for targeting supporters of third party candidates (such as Ron Paul), pro-life activists, and conspiracy theorists as potential militia members.[87] Anti-war activists and Islamic lobby groups were targeted in Texas, drawing criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union.[88]

text: According to the Department of Homeland Security:[89]

text: The Privacy Office has identified a number of risks to privacy presented by the fusion center program:

text:
Justification for fusion centers
Ambiguous Lines of Authority, Rules, and Oversight
Participation of the Military and the Private Sector
Data Mining
Excessive Secrecy
Inaccurate or Incomplete Information
Mission Creep

text: 2009 Virginia terrorism threat assessment[edit]

text: In early April 2009, the Virginia Fusion Center came under criticism for publishing a terrorism threat assessment which stated that certain universities are potential hubs for terror related activity.[90] The report targeted historically black colleges and identified hacktivism as a form of terrorism.[91]

text: Mail interception[edit]

text: In 2006, MSNBC reported that Grant Goodman, "an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the official Homeland Security seal."[92] The letter was sent by a devout Catholic Filipino woman with no history of supporting Islamic terrorism.[92] A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection "acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it's deemed necessary":

text: "All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination," says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. "All mail means 'all mail,'" said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point.[92]

text: The Department declined to outline what criteria are used to determine when a piece of personal correspondence should be opened or to say how often or in what volume Customs might be opening mail.[92]

text: Goodman's story provoked outrage in the blogosphere,[93] as well as in the more established media. Reacting to the incident, Mother Jones remarked that "[u]nlike other prying government agencies, Homeland Security wants you to know it is watching you."[94] CNN observed that "[o]n the heels of the NSA wiretapping controversy, Goodman's letter raises more concern over the balance between privacy and security."[95]

text: Employee morale[edit]

text: In July 2006, the Office of Personnel Management conducted a survey of federal employees in all 36 federal agencies on job satisfaction and how they felt their respective agency was headed. DHS was last or near to last in every category including;

text:
33rd on the talent management index
35th on the leadership and knowledge management index
36th on the job satisfaction index
36th on the results-oriented performance culture index

text: The low scores were attributed to major concerns about basic supervision, management and leadership within the agency. Examples from the survey reveal most concerns are about promotion and pay increase based on merit, dealing with poor performance, rewarding creativity and innovation, leadership generating high levels of motivation in the workforce, recognition for doing a good job, lack of satisfaction with various component policies and procedures and lack of information about what is going on with the organization.[96][97]

text: DHS is the only large federal agency to score below 50% in overall survey rankings. It was last of large federal agencies in 2014 with 44.0% and fell even lower in 2015 at 43.1%, again last place.[98]

text: Freedom of Information Act processing performance[edit]

text: In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act FOIA requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the Department of Homeland Security earned a D by scoring 69 out of a possible 100 points, i.e. did not earn a satisfactory overall grade. It also had not updated its FOIA policies since the 2007 FOIA amendments.[99]


document_title: Bank of England £1 note

question_text: when did pound notes stop being legal tender

text: Bank of England £1 note

text: History[edit]

text: One pound notes were introduced by the Bank of England for the first time in 1797, following gold shortages caused by the French Revolutionary Wars. The earliest notes were handwritten, and were issued as needed to individuals. These notes were written on one side only and bore the name of the payee, the date, and the signature of the issuing cashier. Between 1797 and 1821 the lack of bullion meant that banks would not exchange banknotes for gold, but after the end of the Napoleonic Wars the shortage was alleviated such that notes could be exchanged for an equivalent amount of gold when presented at the bank. One pound notes ceased to be issued in 1821 and were replaced by gold sovereigns.[1]

text: During the First World War the British Government wanted to maintain its stocks of gold and so banks were ordered to again stop exchanging any and all denominations of banknotes for gold. Gold sovereigns were replaced by one pound notes issued by the Treasury. These notes were nicknamed "Bradburys" because of the prominent signature of Sir John Bradbury, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury displayed on the notes.[2] Britain returned to the gold standard in 1925, although the Bank of England was only obliged to exchange notes for gold in multiples of 400 troy ounces (12,000 g) (the typical size of a "Good Delivery bar") or more. The responsibility for the printing of one pound notes was transferred to the Bank of England in 1928, and the ability to redeem banknotes for gold ceased in 1931 when Britain stopped using the gold standard.[1]

text: The Bank of England's first post-World War I one pound notes were two-sided green notes which were printed – not handwritten. The name of the payee was replaced by the declaration "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of one pound". This declaration remains on Bank of England banknotes to this day. This signature of the issuing cashier was replaced by the printed signature of the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England. In 1940, following the outbreak of the Second World War, one pound notes were issued in a new blue-orange colour scheme to deter counterfeiters, although the design remained the same. At the same time, metal thread running the paper was introduced as a security feature. After the war one pound notes were issued in their original green colour. The earliest post-World War II notes did not have the metallic thread security feature, but those issued from September 1948 onward did.[2]

text: A new design for one pound notes was introduced in 1960, with the old notes ceasing to be legal tender in 1962. These new series C notes were slightly narrower, and were the first one-pound notes to feature a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front. The reverse design incorporated the logo of the Bank of England. Series C notes were replaced by the series D notes from 1978 onward. These slightly smaller notes featured an entirely new design with Queen Elizabeth II on the front and scientist Isaac Newton on the back. The note was redesigned slightly in 1981 to feature brighter background colours.[2] Following a consultation with retailers and other groups it was announced on 31 July 1981 that the one pound note would be replaced by a one pound coin. Part of the reason for this change was that notes, on average, lasted only nine months in general circulation, while coins could last forty years or more. The government also believed that the growing vending industry would benefit from the introduction of a one-pound coin. The new cupro-nickel coin was introduced on 21 April 1983 and the one pound note ceased to be legal tender on 11 March 1988.[2][3] Bank of England £1 notes are still occasionally found in circulation in Scotland, alongside Royal Bank of Scotland £1 notes. This is because Scotland has no concept of Legal Tender, and any Sterling bank note, of any age, may be used provided the trader is content to accept it. The Bank of England will exchange old £1 notes for their face value in perpetuity.

text: Designs[edit]

text:
Note

First issued

Last issued

Ceased to be legal tender

Colour

Size

Design / Picture

Additional information

White
2 March 1797
1821/1825–6
Unknown
Monochrome (printed on one side only)
200mm x 113mm (may vary)

1st Series Treasury Issue
7 August 1914
Unknown
12 June 1920
Black on White (printed on one side only)
127 × 64 mm
Designed at Royal Mint from sketches by Frederick Atterbury. Signed by Sir John Bradbury

2nd Series Treasury Issue
23 October 1914
Unknown
12 June 1920
Black on White (printed one side only)
149 × 83 mm
George Eve. Printed by LA Rue & Co on banknote paper.

3rd Series Treasury Issue
22 January 1917
Unknown
1 August 1933
Brown & Green
151 × 84 mm
Front: Britannia; Back: Bank of England
Reissue of unthreaded pre-war notes

Series A (1st issue)
22 November 1928
Unknown
28 May 1962
Green
151 × 85 mm
Front: Britannia; Back: Saint George and the Dragon

Emergency wartime issue
29 March 1940
Unknown
28 May 1962
Pale blue and orange
151 × 85 mm
Front: Britannia; Back: Saint George and the Dragon
Incorporated metal thread for the first time; same design as series A

Series A (2nd issue)
17 June 1948
Unknown
28 May 1962
Green
151 × 85 mm
Front: Britannia; Back: Saint George and the Dragon
Reissue of unthreaded pre-war notes

Series A (3rd issue)
13 September 1948
Unknown
28 May 1962
Green
151 × 85 mm
Front: Britannia; Back: Saint George and the Dragon
Metal thread introduced permanently

Series C
17 March 1960
1978
31 May 1979
Green
151 × 72 mm
Front: Queen Elizabeth II; Back: Bank of England logo
First £1 note to carry portrait of monarch

Series D
9 February 1978
31 December 1984
11 March 1988
Predominantly green
135 × 67 mm
Front: Queen Elizabeth II; Back: Isaac Newton
Those issued from 20 March 1981 onward featured additional background colours.

text: Information taken from Bank of England website.[1][2]