Homeland Security at the State Level

About the Book

Have you harbored questions about what Homeland Security is and how it affects you at the hometown level? This book is directed at the general audience, not necessarily the homeland security professional. A simple Question & Answer format is used to supplement understanding of concepts and terminologies and answer rudimentary questions as posed by an interested, yet casually informed, public. Basic questions about:  The Role of Individual State Homeland Security Agencies  Information Sharing Programs  Risk-based Management  Public/private Partnerships  Fusion Centers  Emergency Operating Centers  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources  Grant Programs  Preparedness and Prevention Programs  Public Awareness  Legal Issues  The Role of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The content also focuses on the relationships required of comprehensive and individual STATE homeland security programs – a relationship that encompasses state and local governments, the private sector, and the public at large.

About the Author

Richard “Dick” Cañas is the former Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (2006-2010), and a member of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) (2009 – Present). Prior to joining OHSP, he managed information-sharing programs for the U. S. National Guard Bureau and the U. S. National Security Agency. In 1998 Cañas concluded a 26 year career with the U. S. Department of Justice, which included serving as Director of the National Drug Intelligence Center, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Phoenix Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Advisor to the Central Intelligence Agency, and Director at the White House's National Security Council and various domestic and international assignments while with DEA. He served four years at the NSC as Director for counterterrorism and counternarcotics under both President George H.W. Bush and President William J. Clinton. Cañas has a diverse background in state and federal law enforcement, both domestic and foreign. Before starting his 24 years with DEA, he was a police officer and detective for the Salinas, California Police Department for eight years. A native Californian, he is a graduate of San Jose State University, and has a Life-time Police Science Teaching Credential from the University of California at Berkeley. He has taught criminal justice subjects in California, Virginia and Tennessee and authored numerous articles on a variety of national security, intelligence, and homeland security subjects. He has also authored two historical novels about El Salvador, Jaguars and Decade of Iron. He is currently a resident of Brentwood, Tennessee and continues to consult for the public and private sector on homeland and national security matters and serves on various national, state, and university boards.