Officials in Jamaica are on the trail of stolen sand. The BBC reports:

…the deputy commissioner for crime at the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Mark Shields, insisted this was not an open-and-shut case.

“It’s a very complex investigation because it involves so many aspects,” he told the BBC.

“You’ve got the receivers of the stolen sand, or what we believe to be the sand. The trucks themselves, the organisers and, of course, there is some suspicion that some police were in collusion with the movers of the sand.”

Police said they were carrying out forensic tests on beaches along the coast to see if any of it matches the stolen sand.

Wonder if they could start hiding rfid grains to ease the investigation next time.

Are you ready for the Golden Guardian Exercise Series?

Under the leadership of Governor Schwarzenegger and direction of his Office of Homeland Security, the nation’s largest state sponsored emergency exercise will take place November 13-18. Golden Guardian 2008 tests California’s capability to respond and recover during a major catastrophic earthquake. The Golden Guardian 2008 full scale exercise scenario focuses on a simulated, catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault.

Maybe I’ll dress up as a Golden Guardian for Halloween this year, and then I can just reuse my suit in November. Hmmm, should I be a planner or a player? Player seems easier — just need a black garbage bag:

Or maybe I can find one of those fancy hats and a suit with golden cuff stripes:

Golden Guardian 2008 coincides with emergency preparedness drill on Nov. 13, the The Great Southern California ShakeOut, which uses the same scenario.

ShakeOut is a strange name. At least they didn’t call it the ShakeDown.

Ok, enough kidding around. This is serious business. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security released a report in 2007 called Keeping California Safe that explains in detail the perceived risks and work to be done:

• Expanding Federal, State and Regional Collaboration
• Strengthening Information Sharing and Dissemination
• Implementing the National Incident Management System
• Enhancing Preparedness through Training and Exercises
• Community Preparedness
• Strengthening Interoperable Communications
• Public Health Preparedness Planning
• Strengthening Mass Prophylaxis and Medical Surge Capacity
• Preparing for Pandemic Influenza
• Critical Infrastructure – Foundation of California’s Economic Strength
• Enhancing Maritime Security
• Defending our Agriculture and Food System
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) Detection
• Assessing and Bolstering Response Capabilities
• Strengthening the Management of Homeland Security and Public Health Grants
• Federal Health and Human Services Grant Programs

Hardly any mention of cybersecurity at all. I suspect that will change in this year’s report.