Clients & Services

Homeland Security, Counterterrorism, and Threat Assessment

History:

The Drug Monitoring Initiative (DMI) was created in 2014 after detecting a rise in drug-related deaths and other community drug harms. The goal was to establish a multi-jurisdictional, multi-state drug-incident information sharing environment through the robust collection and analysis of data related to drug seizures, overdoses, criminal behavior, and associated health services. By bringing together a versatile set of stakeholders and non-traditional partners and datasets, the DMI can provide a 360-degree view of the current drug environment.

Mission:

To serve as an intelligence capability that directly supports law enforcement and public health experts in better understanding the trends, implications, and threats associated with illicit drug activity in the State of New Jersey.

Training & Outreach

Bio-Surveillance

Supply

• In support of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, COG provides high-level cyber intelligence analysts who preserve, protect and defend the cyber integrity of the State and the private sector within New Jersey.  This support is provided directly to the New Jersey  New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) the State’s one-stop shop for cybersecurity information sharing, threat analysis, and incident reporting.   Located at the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC), the NJCCIC brings together analysts and engineers to promote statewide awareness of local cyber threats and widespread adoption of best practices.   The analysis correlates both historical and current data and reflects our collaborative relationship with local, state, federal, and industry partners.
• Through three contract extensions and modifications, our support for the State of New Jersey expanded to include post-disaster Recovery Bureau support, and management and design of the Emergency Operations Center for the 2014 Super Bowl in East Rutherford, NJ. COG personnel are at the focal point of emergency operations for the State.  New Jersey remains as the bedrock of our mid-Atlantic operational support. We were also part of the comprehensive statewide HSEEP training effort in 2013 – providing assessors, evaluators, trainers, and facilitators for the project.
• Operating in support of the Department of Justice Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI), we provide crime mapping and conduct trend analysis for gang units statewide.  We support the New Jersey State Police by exploiting intelligence collection platforms and social media networks to identify, analyze, and assess the threat of gangs throughout multiple regions.  We developed the quantitative methodology for collecting gang data throughout the state.

Public Assistance

• COG provides the full spectrum of support to the Public Assistance Unit in managing FEMA Public Assistance to State, Territorial, Tribal, and local (SLTT) governments, and certain types of private nonprofits (PNP) organizations so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or presidentially declared emergencies.
• COG personnel interact daily with all levels of governmental entities and offer a range of services including damage assessments, remedial measures, grant management, and grant close-outs. Our personnel are currently involved in FEMA disaster relief resulting from the disaster declarations (federal and state) resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and storm damage.
• COG provides trained, experienced personnel through its in-house training program, specifically tailored to the particular needs of the State of New Jersey. Similar programs exist for other states, counties, and tribal areas.
• COG now employs over 40 personnel within the Public Assistance Unit, supporting the State in its recovery efforts.

Emergency Preparedness

• COG supports the New Jersey State Police through the provision of intelligence analysts.  These analysts focus upon the full spectrum of threats and provide actionable intelligence to federal, state, and local law enforcement.  Our analysts work at the  Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC) located at the New Jersey State Police Headquarters in West Trenton.
• COG provides a cadre of highly experienced technical planners in support of the New Jersey Department of Health.  These planners support efforts across the entire spectrum of threats to the public health.  They provide exercise training to the whole of the Department of Health.
• As part of its support role for these State Departments, COG personnel serve in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).  During times of crisis, COG personnel work alongside state employees for the duration of the crisis.
• COG served as lead contractor for the State in several National Security Special Events (NSSEs), including the Super Bowl, the Papal Visit.  COG planners were also in the lead for the multi-state, multi-agency GOTHAM SHIELD exercise, involving over 30 federal, state, and local departments and agencies.
• At the New Jersey Department of Health Public Health Infrastructure, Laboratories, and Emergency Preparedness Town Hall Meeting on August 6, 2018, COG employees assigned to the NJDOH Office of Emergency Management were recognized by Acting Assistant Commissioner Shereen Semple for their work on the re-writing of the Medical Counter Measures Plan.
  The Medical Counter Measures Plan consists of the process that the State of New Jersey would utilize to implement medical countermeasures in response to a myriad of disasters to impact public health. The MCM plan could be utilized in response to incidents such as a pandemic outbreak, terrorist attack, nuclear detonation, or chemical release. The most significant aspect of the MCM plan involves the process to request, receive and distribute the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) from the Center of Disease Control (CDC). The SNS contains pharmaceuticals and medical supplies needed in response to a serious incident that has overwhelmed the State’s medical system.
• Support for the New Jersey State Police Drug Mitigation Initiative.

Safety and Security Analysis and Training

• COG supports the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) in its School Emergency Management Training (SEMT) for DoDEA schools worldwide. This new project will provide training and education to all DoDEA school communities worldwide. The support includes active threat training and exercises, guided discussions, parent-child reunification, and crisis mitigation training. The program is in the Base Year, contemplating five option years to follow.

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

• COG is now an approved vendor for the VDEM Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) – Optional Use Statewide Contract
  – Many exercises are funded with federal grant money and are often on a short timeline for expenditure and obligation of funds.  Major factors such as the time required to draft and publish an RFP and the time needed to design an exercise are covered by this omnibus contract.
  – COG now has an “in place” and ready to go contracting vehicle that may be used by VDEM and other state agencies, institutions, and public bodies to support their individual Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) needs.

Risk Analysis and mitigation

• COG has conducted safety and security assessments for the Orange County (California) Transit Authority, the Harris County (TX) Transit Authority, the Charlotte Area Transit Authority, and the Mobile (AL) Transit System.

Guidance Reform

• With our teaming partner (AATD), in September 2014 COG began a comprehensive review of all Department of the Air Force publications.  As pioneers in the field of guidance analysis and reform, COG/AATD developed a unique Publication Analysis Process consisting of four phases:
  • 1. GUICE© Ingestion
  • 2. Analysis
  • 3. Coordination and Approval
  • 4. Editing
• Using this process, COG/AATD SMEs provided an accurate accounting of Compliance Items (CI’s) within the Government-provided publications, accurately identify waiver authority numbering to support publication owners/authors and make approved edits to deliver publication-ready documents.
• In 2016, COG/AATD undertook a similar project for the Department of Defense.