National Security
Our system of national security is full of holes – on the border, at the airports and inside our computers, where the fight against cyberterrorism rages.
Timeline: Flashpoints in urban violence
Despite an overall decline in urban violence since the early 1990s, the past century has witnessed a series of dramatic and bloody events that have prompted law enforcement to examine their tactics and demand more sophisticated equipment to deal with perceived threats. Significant police reforms – from domestic surveillance to SWAT teams and special training […]
Behind the Story: Under Suspicion
On the week of the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, the Center for Investigative Reporting and NPR published “Under Suspicion,” a joint yearlong investigation that looked at suspicious activity reports at the Mall of America and how the U.S. government has gathered intelligence since Sept. 11. For CIR’s first live Behind the Story event, we […]
Border agency’s rapid growth accompanied by rise in corruption
This story also appeared in the Los Angeles Times. A sun-faded homeland security sign awaits motorists as they enter the United States from Mexico at the border in San Ysidro, California. Image courtesy Mike Blake/Reuters When Luis Alarid was a child, his mother would seat him in the car while she smuggled people and drugs […]
VIDEO: After 9/11, Suspicions Fall on Some Shoppers
A report from the Center for Investigative Reporting and NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling and about efforts to spot terrorist activity at the Mall of America near Minneapolis, where security officials stop 1,200 people each year.
Mall of America visitors unknowingly end up in counterterrorism reports
Brad Kleinerman, at home with his youngest son, was stopped after Mall of America security guards said he looked at them in a suspicious manner.Monica Lam/Center for Investigative Reporting Audio: Part one of this story on NPR’s All Things Considered Audio: Part two of this story on NPR’s Morning Edition Bloomington, Minn. – On May […]
Finding meaning in suspicious activity reports more art than science
The suspicious activity reports submitted by the Mall of America’s security team frequently land at the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center, one of 72 fusion centers in the United States started with federal funding. The reports are routed through various law enforcement and intelligence networks, often ending up in front of local analysts and the FBI. Those networks […]
From the Mall of America reports: Brad Kleinerman
Brad Kleinerman lives on a quiet 2-acre lot in the Connecticut countryside with his family. An American flag hangs near the front door. During a trip to the Twin Cities in January 2008, Kleinerman stopped at the Mall of America to return shoes and buy a SpongeBob SquarePants watch for one of his kids. Two […]