Security System Brings Big Brother to Life

Researchers are looking to develop an intelligent image system that can monitor large areas, perhaps miles wide,  identify potential threats based on the correlation of events and anomalies it detects, and issue timely alerts with few false alarms. 
Such a surveillance system is at the heart of what researchers at the  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency calls a Persistent Stare Exploitation and Analysis System (PerSEAS) that can automatically and interactively discover intelligence from optical or infra-red devices in the air on drones, for example, or spread over urban, suburban, and rural environments.
DARPA said it envisions two major applications for such a system.  Perhaps most important,  the first would use the system in a near real-time mode to receive alerts and warnings to react to and avert disasters. For example, if it notices a number of activities that were out of the usual, such as the gathering of lots of soldiers and trucks it could alert local authorities.
The second would be to use the data gathered from the system to use archived data from the system to analyze events, such as an attack to determine the movements and origins of the entities involved in the event, DARPA said.   For both types of applications DARPA said the PerSEAS system ideally could receive or generate cues from/to other sensor systems to identify places or people of interest for additional details.
Overall the challenge is to identify potential threats based on the accumulation and correlation of multiple events and anomalies, and issue alerts so military folks in the field can take quick action or other officials can alert the public of problems, DARPA said.
Specifically the PerSEAS system will gather data from sensors and feed the data into an intelligent software engine supporting algorithms that discover relationships and anomalies that are indicative of suspicious behavior, match previously learned threat activity, or match user defined threat activity should also be incorporated, DARPA stated.

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Obama Stands Behind ‘State Secrets’ in Spy Case

SAN FRANCISCO – Hours after the Justice Department announced it would limit its use of the state secrets privilege in new cases, the administration appeared before a federal judge here Wednesday and continued to invoke that defense in a closely watched spy case.

The litigation at issue, now five years old, tests whether a sitting president may bypass Congress and adopt a warrantless surveillance program, as President Bush did in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks.

“We need to protect information concerning the manner and methods by which we seek to detect and prevent a terrorist attack,” Justice Department special counsel Anthony Coppolino said Wednesday while arguing to a federal judge to dismiss the case on the basis of state secrets.

The 5-year-old case, having a tortured procedural history, is the furthest along in challenging the Bush administration’s warrantless Terror Surveillance Program.

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Iphone App Acts as Personal Private Investigator

In less time than it takes to share a drink, a new iPhone application can tell you whether your date is a dream boat or a dirt bag.

On Tuesday Intelius, a Bellevue-based company, launched Date Check, a mobile application that acts like the user's own private eye.

All you need to enter is your date's name, e-mail or phone number, and the application, which cross-references public records, lets you know if your date is really who you think he or she is.

"You can find out all kinds of things, from drug possession to DUI, to sexual assault and battery, to sexual offenders," said Sue Koehler Intelius' chief marketing officer. "Some things aren't serious, but some things are very serious things you should be aware of."

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Missing Persons Group Celebrates 15 Years of Service

Wilmington, N.C. – While it’s the CUE Center’s birthday, the all-volunteer missing person’s organization is giving a gift at a celebration this Saturday to mark the group’s 15th year of service working on the behalf of missing persons nationwide.

Monica Caison became a tireless advocate for the missing after being exposed to the families of missing persons at least three times before she was 25 years old. In 1994, she singlehandedly started the non-profit Community United Effort (CUE) Center for Missing Persons from a tiny back yard shed and a mere $76.00 dollars in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Now, the non-profit group, which is entirely funded by donations, has hundred’s of volunteers aiding the centers mission and receives calls for help from across the nation. CUE Center is proud of their all-volunteer network made up of more than 8,000 people and professional search groups — all of whom share the same goals: to find the missing, to advocate for their causes, and to support their families through what is often the most confusing and desperate times of their lives.

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Learn to Make a Home Surveillance System

Make a Surveillance Video Camera at Home
A video surveillance camera is something which you should have in your home, if you want to beef up your home security. Video surveillance camera’s are great if you want to keep an eye on your home, car, children, other belongings etc. No matter what you need the camera for, its always going to prove itself useful. However getting a video surveillance camera in today’s world is going to put a big dent in your pocket. Even if you purchased it from a web store, you would still have to pay for installation anyway. So keep reading if you want to know how to make your very own surveillance system to check on your belongings and may be neighbors as well !

Buying a surveillance system that is very basic in nature will cost you around $300 or more. Frankly speaking, that’s too much for a home security system, but this is what most electronic stores will charge you. However, you might not be aware that you can still make a home surveillance system by the help of a webcam or webcam capable digicam or camcorder.


There are number of benefits of doing this. First of all, you might already possess a webcam that is not in use and lying around your house. If not then you can easily purchase it, since they are cheap to purchase. Say around 50$ or more, but its still less in comparison to the $300 that you would spend on the home video surveillance camera. Secondly, webcams are not very noticeable, so not many people would look at them. This would allow us to watch all the action happening outside, without the knowledge of the person standing in front of the door.

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Canadian Private Schools Hire Private Investigators to Check Parents

Several Vancouver private schools are screening applicants to determine if their families are linked to gangs and pose a risk to students and staff.

``We have recently been engaged by private schools in the Vancouver area to conduct due diligence on the families of prospective students,'' Kim Marsh, managing director of private investigation firm IPSA International, confirmed to the Vancouver Province.

Marsh, a former RCMP inspector who headed a police organized-crime unit, won't identify the schools, for privacy reasons, but he acknowledged ``it's fair to say'' his business has increased following the shooting of West Point Grey Academy parent Betty Yan, in April.

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Casey Anthony Case Turns to Private Investigator

Attorneys for a Central Florida woman suing murder suspect Casey Anthony for defamation continued to fight Wednesday to question a private investigator involved in the case.

Dominic Casey said the information he may have is confidential since he was working for Casey Anthony, her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, and her defense attorney. He testified Wednesday he entered into contracts with the family and the defense team in July 27, 2008, 12 days after Casey Anthony's daughter, Caylee, was reported missing.

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NY Times Leaks Kennedy's Book, Publisher Hires Private Investigator

All hell broke loose at the Hachette Book Group building last week when The New York Times published a story detailing some of the most newsworthy bits contained in the late Ted Kennedy’s forthcoming memoir, True Compass. A spokeswoman for the paper said Times reporters had purchased multiple copies of the book at a bookstore the day before, and, much to the chagrin of Twelve publisher Jonathan Karp and his publicity director, Cary Goldstein, quickly broke the strict embargo that the imprint had tried to impose on it. The trouble was, of course, that the $8 million memoir wouldn’t be hitting stores for another 11 days, and all the publicity generated by the Times piece—not to mention the glowing review by Michiko Kakutani that ran the following day—was likely to confuse and frustrate customers who went looking for it in the meantime.

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Lindsay Lohan Hires Private Investigator

Lindsay Lohan's house has been burgled.

The 'Mean Girls' star returned to her home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills to find it ransacked.

The 23-year-old star's mother Dina said: “The safe was ripped out of the wall, and the door was off the hinges and door handles removed. Bags, Lindsay's father Michael is convinced the burglary was an "inside job" and has hired a private investigator

to look into the case.

He said: "I’m sick of people bugging my daughter and using her. This is not the first time she’s been robbed. I’m working with the police but at the same time, I have my own people.

"I’ve hired private investigators

and I’m going to work my own investigation and find out who did this. Lindsay is not OK. She’s very upset and feels extremely violated.shoes and jewellery were taken too.


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Westside Private Investigators Flourish

THEY say cheaters never prosper but the industry set up to catch out those who stray is doing just that.
Sales of spy equipment are reportedly up and one private investigator has found the field so successful - and so colourful - she has written a book about it.

Next month, the westside-based Tiffany Bond, founder of Detection Group. will launch Confessions of a Female Private Investigator, a fictionalised account of her work exposing infidelity and betrayal.
The 35-year-old former police officer, who once caught her now ex-husband cheating, said she found it to be common practice in the western suburbs.

``We’ve got everyone from housewives, business men, cleaners to chief executive officers,’’ she said.

``If this book makes someone think twice about betrayal, or supports them in leaving a relationship, or encourages them to seek help then I have achieved what I set out to do.
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American Idol's Adam Lambert Hires a Private Investigator

Last season’s American Idol runner-up, Adam Lambert, has reportedly hired a team of private investigators to track an obsessed fan who hacked into his voicemail and several email accounts—gaining access to Lambert’s private information and contacts list.

Sources said “The stalker, who calls himself ‘Jose,’ acts like he is totally obsessed with Adam,” according to an upcoming issue of ‘The National Enquirer,’ due to hit newsstands on Sept. 7.

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Inside the life of a P.I. with hush-hush list of celeb, major corporate clients

Daniel Nardello had never heard of Pearl Jam when he got a call: the world-famous rock band was in deep trouble.
Nine concertgoers had been crushed to death as Pearl Jam performed at a festival in Denmark nine years ago. The grunge rockers were facing possible criminal charges and needed a trusted investigator to ferret out the facts.
Through a detailed examination, Nardello, an ex-federal prosecutor who’d spent years as a globe-trotting private eye, helped demonstrate the group was not responsible for the deaths.

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Is it possible to disappear in the digital world?

LONDON, ENGLAND – Writer Evan Ratliff is missing and trying to disappear in the digital world. Over the next little while, he will be trying to disappear while Wired magazine is offering a bounty of $5000 for his “capture.” Amateur PIs can try their hand at finding Ratliff. The project aims to find out how long someone can go missing in today’s high-surveillance world.

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Washington Private Eyes Get 6 Months for ID Theft

A Belfair couple who ran a private investigation firm have been sentenced to six months in prison and two years supervised release for using illegal methods to dig up dirt on people who were involved in court cases or litigation.

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Olivia Newton-John's Ex Faxes Private Investigator

A private investigator searching for Patrick McDermott, the 48-year-old ex-beau of singer Olivia Newton-John, who vanished in 2005, said a letter faxed to him confirmed their suspicions that McDermott is alive and well.

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Amy Winehouse Hires PI

Amy Winehouse has reportedly hired a private detective in an attempt to win her divorce battle with Blake Fielder-Civil

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Roethlisberger Served by PI

Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle also learned on Thursday that Roethlisberger was served court papers last week, accusing him of sexually assaulting a hotel worker, while golfing at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

Earle also learned that a private investigator attempted to serve Roethlisberger at a concert the night before, but he was cordoned off with other celebrities in a VIP area, and the private investigator couldn’t get close enough to him.

Sources told Earle the private investigator approached Roethlisberger as a fan seeking an autograph, at which point she served him with the court papers.

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Both Men and Women Can Be PIs

If Nancy Drew had grown up, had children and moved to Round Rock, her life would probably resemble Anji Fussell's life.

The former Victoria resident owns her own private investigation business called She Spies Private Eye.

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New Orleans Pays Unlicensed Private Investigator

To spy on city employees claiming workers' compensation, New Orleans City Hall paid more than $522,000 in the past two years for an unlicensed private investigator who has felony convictions in two cases and other allegations of fraud dating back two decades, according to court records.

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PIs Going Undercover to Stop Corporate Theft

Are you sure that new temp really is a temp – or could she be a private eye sent by your boss to keep an eye on what you are up to?

According to experts, covert operations by Leicestershire companies are "becoming commonplace" as the downturn in the economy continues to bite.

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PIs Helpful to Cops, Attorneys

They are used to track down dead-beat dads, to find witnesses to crimes and accidents and to dole out subpoenas.

In cultural lore, they come by the names of Sam Spade, Mike Hammer and Thomas Magnum. In reality, private investigators don't skulk around looking for the Maltese Falcon or cruising Hawaii in a Ferrari. But the thousands of private investigators who are licensed in Florida are an invaluable resource for criminal and civil lawyers.

In criminal cases, where prosecutors have law-enforcement officers for their investigation, private investigators serve as the defense's detective.

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Cheating Wife Stole $243,000 from Family to Fund Double Life

A cheating wife stole $243,000 from her family to fund a luxurious double life with a secret lover.

Fiona Gibson, 39, pretended to leave for work every morning and often stayed away on “business”, a court was told.

But the jobless Brit was really living in hotels with a secret boyfriend - and spending thousands on cars, jewellery, clothes and beauty treatments, The Sun reported.

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WI Police Need No Warrant to Use GPS to Track Vehicles

Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was "more than a little troubled" by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals.

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Did Basketball Star Hire PI to Investigate Alleged Fiancee?

Dallas police officers arrested 37-year-old Cristal Taylor Wednesday morning at Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki's house on a fraud warrant. Thursday she remained in the Dallas County Jail on $20,000 bond.

CBS 11 News has learned that a team of three attorneys converged on Dirk's house, along with several members of law enforcement, Wednesday. Among them a retired FBI agent who is now a private investigator that was either hired by Dirk or his attorneys. At least one of the attorneys specializes in family law.

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Surveillance All Part of a Day's Work for PI

Under-cover surveillance operations, covert filming and tailing cars – it all sounds like something from the movies.

But it’s all part of a day’s work for private investigator Richard Musoni, who recently set up his own firm in Heston to discreetly monitor and gather evidence for his growing number of clients.

Mr Musoni, 38, of Hounslow Road, Feltham, employs two other agents covering a large area of west London, including Hounslow and Richmond.

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