Watch where you go when carrying one of those camera and video cell phones. They've been dubbed a threat to homeland security.
The cellular telephones, which allow users to send pictures to e-mail addresses, are not permitted at Air Force offices that handle classified information, officials with the Air Force Communications Agency said yesterday.
"As technology advances, we notice that it is like an emerging problem," said Paul Taylor, a branch chief with the agency's technology directorate. "Cell phones are like a second item now. People don't think about them; they have them in their pockets. . . . We want to raise awareness. Now, you have the camera phones, and it does become a concern."
Federal officials said the Air Force alert on camera phones was an extension of current practices that discourage government employees from bringing cell phones into restricted areas. Agencies usually post signs at entrances to secure rooms that warn employees to either turn off their cell phones or leave them outside.
"As a general rule, photographic equipment, recording devices, and personally owned cellular telephones or other communications devices are not permitted in classified areas due to the need to protect sensitive information from potential compromise, whether inadvertent or deliberate," said a spokeswoman for the National Security Agency at Fort Meade.
The government is not alone in its concerns. A number of communities are debating the potential problems posed by wireless picture-taking devices, especially in places where people expect privacy, such as dressing rooms, locker rooms and restrooms.
Air Force officials noted that camera phones are not their only concern. Many miniature computers, known as personal digital assistants, can take photographs and easily fit in shirt pockets.
Air Force rules "prohibit taking pictures of classified information and material," said Cyril Prikazsky, a certified emission security technical expert with the Air Force Communications Agency. "The cell phone is just a different way of taking that picture, but it makes it much easier."
The camera phone ban applies across the Air Force, and offices have been notified through a "mission security policy" posted on the Air Force Web site. Persons who bring the phones into restricted areas could have them confiscated and could face federal charges.
The first report about the Air Force's concerns over camera phones came in a news release issued last week at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
Retirements
Teresa M. Jenkins, deputy associate director for management services and deputy chief human capital officer at the Office of Personnel Management, will retire tomorrow after 31 years of federal service. She previously served as OPM's director for workforce relations, implementing policies on telework, e-training, child care and labor-employee relations for the government.
David Drachsler, a lawyer at the Labor Department for 34 years, retired Jan. 3. He has held various positions in the solicitor's office, including counsel for equal opportunity programs, and has been a staff attorney for the department's administrative review board.
John Lunt, a supervisory special agent at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has retired after more than 31 years of federal service. He served the last three years as chief of demand reduction at DEA headquarters.
Robert McKiernan, the area case director for federal student aid in the Education Department's New York Regional Office, retired Jan. 2 after more than 30 years of service.
Talk Shows
Mary Tyler, a psychologist with the work/life group at the Office of Personnel Management, will be the guest on "FEDtalk" at 11 a.m. today on federalnewsradio.com.
Lindy Ritz, director of the Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, will be the guest on "The Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. tomorrow on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).
"Safety at Work" will be the topic for discussion on the Imagene B. Stewart call-in program at 8 a.m. Sunday on WOL radio (1450 AM).
E-mail: barrs@washpost.com.
