Politics

New York City plans to use an eye-popping $24.3 million this year for paying overtime to its police department -- money that's generally set aside to prepare for disasters.

The TSA's website hosts a fellow nicknamed "Blogger Bob" who's responsible for debunking perceived myths about airport security. Sometimes Bob is right. Other times the TSA doesn't help itself by appearing to muddy the truth further.

A defense mega-contractor recently unveiled another expensive product for keeping the nation safe: a remote detection device to catch would-be border crossers. And if all of this is starting to sound familiar, it should.

It's no surprise that government employees can't fight the urge to pry into the private lives of high-profile figures using something they do have: access to vast digital repositories of sensitive personal information.

The U.S. Border Patrol's announcement that it was seeking to hire a contractor for "strategic consulting" services first raised eyebrows in July. Perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise that the contract went to a firm loaded with former government insiders.

Today's effort at a more collaborative atmosphere includes security at privately-owned companies, many of which have fostered deeper ties to the government as part of the war on terror.

Government agencies have purchased hundreds of van-mounted X-rays that reveal the contents of passing vehicles without relying on manual searches to find human stowaways, narcotics or bombs.