Homeland security a thriving business

Demorest, Ga. — The screen saver on Kim Harrison's computer is startling and raw. It is a moment-by-moment account, in pictures, of the carnage that unfolded throughout the day on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Twin Towers engulfed in flames. Stunned onlookers. The smoldering Pentagon. The scorched Pennsylvania farm field.

"When you see that on a daily basis, you don't forget what people are capable of'" Harrison's co-worker Amanda Gano said.

The pair have another good reason to keep that day uppermost in their minds: Their jobs are a direct result of Sept. 11.

Harrison and Gano run 600 to 800 criminal background checks a day for U.S. businesses looking to root out the bad element among job seekers. The service is a thriving side business for the Demorest, Ga., Police Department.

Far to the south, Savannah State University became the first college in Georgia - and the nation's only historically black college - to offer a four-year undergraduate degree in homeland security this fall.

"Given our society since Sept. 11, obviously there's a growing need for trained professionals in this industry'" school spokeswoman Loretta Heyward said.

Six years after terrorists cut deep into America's emotional and economic epicenter, Sept. 11 is creating jobs, businesses, services, college curricula and other opportunities.

States have homeland security offices. Companies have beefed up internal security and supply chains, and fortified their facilities to protect against manmade or natural disasters. There's a push for people with language and security skills. Law firms are running thriving homeland security practices.

Worldwide, homeland security is expected to grow from a $40 billion-a-year industry in 2004 to nearly $180 billion by 2015, according to Homeland Security Research Corp. In the United States, 85 percent of the nation's critical infrastructure ' water and food supply, chemical plants, utilities and the like - are under private control. More than a third of U.S. companies plan to invest in and expand security programs.

A law firm in Atlanta set up a homeland security practice shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. McKenna Long & Aldridge represents dozens of companies that make everything from security cameras to counterterrorism technology to software that lets emergency responders keep track of their vehicles.

"Atlanta is a major player, as strong as any other part of the country'" said Jason Klitenic, a partner at the firm.

"It's a strong breeding ground for security firms. We have the world's busiest airport. So that's going to lend itself to companies that are focused on security, airport and cargo screening'" he said.

"You have a city that's a financial capital of the South. We have major universities that are critical in the area of R&D (research and development).'

Georgia Tech, for example, added a homeland security director to its campus police department, a key job because of the university's various research, some of which includes projects related to homeland security.

The school has hosted an annual business plan competition for seven years. In the beginning, during the tech boom, the hot area for students in the contest was the Internet. That's changed.

"We're beginning to see more homeland-security-related plans coming out of the competitions'" said Alan Flury, co-director of the Georgia Tech Business Plan Competition. 'About 30 percent of the student teams had some application or focus on homeland security.'

Michigan businessman Luke Pinkerton's team won the contest several years ago with a product he's now marketing in the homeland security arena.

Pinkerton owns Polytorx, a 3-year-old company in Ann Arbor, Mich., that he says is a 'direct result of 9/11' and Georgia Tech's competition.

The company makes toothpick-sized metal fibers used in blast-resistant concrete and other products.

The technology, known as Helix, was developed originally by Pinkerton's professors when he was at the University of Michigan. It reinforces concrete to resist blasts and earthquakes and is used in many homes.

It found new uses after the 2001 attacks. It's part of fortification barriers around nuclear plants and in concrete sheets that resist improvised explosive devices.

"The last thing I want to do is to capitalize on what happened'" said Pinkerton, co-founder and chief technology officer at Polytorx. 'But at the same time, there's a big need for products that could resist these horrible sorts of explosions.'

'Laid-back town'

Except for the occasional break-in and domestic squabble, Demorest is as far from trouble as you can get. Its bucolic charm has attracted an influx of newcomers looking for time-shares, fresh mountain air and escape from big-city life.

"It's a pretty laid-back town'" said Greg Ellingson, Demorest's police chief for the past 17 years.

That is, until the FBI showed up three months ago, wanting more information about a man who had applied for a railroad job, said Ellingson, whose team had conducted the original background check for the railroad. It turned out the job applicant had ties to a terrorist cell in the United States.

The background checks done in Demorest mostly uncover DUIs, traffic court no-shows, drug violations, bad checks, sex offenses, assaults, embezzlement and the like.

Requests come in from around the country, including banks, hospitals, day care centers, nursing homes and other employers. An individual's data ' name, Social Security number and birthday ' are checked against the Georgia Crime Information Center.

"Just about any crime you can commit, we've come across'" said Gano, who spends her day in a room the size of a two-car garage scanning documents.

Her office conducted 14,073 background checks last September. The service brings in $175,000 a year for the police department, a hefty supplement to its annual budget of $300,000 from the city.

Language skills vital

Two days after the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, Savannah State University got the go-ahead to enter the field of homeland security. It was a year in the making.

"We saw the importance of Sept. 11 and Katrina'" said Bernard Bongang, assistant professor of political science. Bongang teaches American foreign policy and related courses.

Savannah State's homeland security major is modeled after one at Virginia Commonwealth University, which graduated its first class in homeland security last year.

Savannah State's program is part of the university's department of political science, public administration and urban studies.

In addition to being trained in counterterrorism and emergency management, homeland security majors are expected to be proficient in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi or Spanish when they graduate.

Foreign language skills, especially Middle Eastern languages, are in demand.

"This new major is a significant step in helping to create a new generation of policy-makers, managers and scholars who are prepared to confront the devastation that cuts across economic, social and racial lines in the aftermath of a major crisis'" said Jane Gate, vice president for academic affairs at Savannah State.

VCU associate professor William Parrish said market demands have created this new profession.

"This generation witnessed the events that occurred five years ago'" said Parrish, a retired Marine colonel who teaches some of the security courses. 'They're leaning toward a career of service. We're producing professionals to go out into the work force.'