According to information provided by the Washington Post, California leads the nation in the number of homeland security organizations and domestic counterterrorism organizations statewide. In fact, the National Homeland Security Association held its 2013 National Homeland Security Conference in Los Angeles. Organizations that contributed to this effort included Los Angeles County Health Service Agency, LAX Airport, Port of Los Angeles, and the Joint Regional Intelligence Center.
Threats to Los Angeles, as stated by the City of Los Angeles Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department, include both man-made and natural disasters. Threats that are of greatest concern to homeland security officials in Los Angeles include:
- Chemical emergencies
- Public health threats
- Cybercrime
- Terrorism
Training for Homeland Security in Los Angeles, California
The right education is the first step toward g a career in homeland security in Los Angeles. Certificate and degree programs for both undergrads and graduate students are widely available in Los Aneles. In the greater LA area, homeland security degree and training options include:
- Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
- Master of Science or Graduate Certificate in System Safety and Security
- Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (Homeland Security Emphasis)
- Diploma in Criminal Justice – Private and Homeland Security
- Certificate in Criminology and Emergency Response Management
Homeland Security Careers with Los Angeles Based Companies
In Los Angeles, homeland security jobs are found not only in government agencies but also in corporations that contract to do work for these agencies. Examples of potential employers of homeland security professionals in LA include:
- Aecom – This Fortune 500 company has three government clients and provides management and technical support services in the facilities, environmental, energy and transportation fields. Potential homeland security jobs here include project manager, business intelligence developer, assistant program safety manager, and senior computer systems analyst.
- Futurestep, Inc. – This personnel and staffing company in Los Angeles has one government client. Possible homeland security jobs from this organization include regional master analyst, managing consultant and business development director.
- Language Weaver, Inc. – This intelligence analysis and language technology company in Los Angeles has one government client. Homeland security jobs here may include intelligent machine translation analyst, research scientist, research engineer and software engineer.
- LinQuest Corporation – With two government clients, this Los Angeles technical services company may offer homeland security jobs such as systems engineering, operations support and future systems acquisition.
- Northrop Grumman – With headquarters in Los Angeles, this global security company currently has 27 government clients. Potential homeland security jobs here include cyber security specialist, intelligence analyst, and wireless monitoring/surveillance specialist.
- Los Angeles World Airports – This airport system has its own Homeland Security and Intelligence Section, including a Canine Unit, Intelligence Unit, Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit, and Dignitary Protection Unit. Homeland security jobs here include Transportation Security Agent, intelligence analyst, law enforcement, and detective.