New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Laurie Doran named Daniel Engelhardt as the agency’s new deputy director.
Engelhardt, who has served as NJOHSP’s Director of Preparedness since October 2022, assumed his new role effective Aug. 29. He will assist the director in leading the Office’s mission areas, serve as a principal advisor and manage the administrative and internal operations of the agency. Engelhardt joined NJOHSP after a two-decade career with the New Jersey State Police, where he retired with the rank of Major, serving as the Division Executive Officer in the Office of the Deputy Superintendent. His responsibilities in that role included managing and coordinating daily operations for the Division of State Police, an agency comprised of over 5,000 enlisted and civilian members. Prior to that assignment, he served as commanding officer of the New Jersey Regional Operations and Intelligence Center. As NJOHSP’s Director of Preparedness, Engelhardt oversaw and managed the operational functions of the division’s Training and Exercise Bureau, Risk Management Bureau and Infrastructure Security Bureau. Engelhardt also served as a U.S. Department of Homeland Security executive fellow at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia, working with the U.S. Intelligence Community on domestic and international projects from 2015 to 2017. Engelhardt holds a Master of Arts in education and management and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history.

Threat actors are targeting business and residential utility customers with impersonation scams that take advantage of extreme weather events, including the recent hot weather in New Jersey and across the nation. Cybercriminals are attempting to steal funds, access sensitive personal and financial information and install malware using a variety of in-person, online and telephone tactics. In one scheme, threat actors claim a utility bill is past due and threaten to disconnect service unless the customer immediately submits payment using prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cash apps, gift cards or cryptocurrency. The threat actors may also claim that the payment portal is offline but that individuals can submit their payment using another portal accessed via a link or QR code. The fraudulent portal often uses spoofed domains and stolen branding to appear legitimate. The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell recommends users refrain from answering unsolicited or unexpected communications, especially those containing QR codes. Additionally, NJCCIC advises customers to avoid providing personal or financial information or transfer money, particularly cryptocurrency, to unverified entities. If suspicious, customers should locate their utility bill or navigate directly to the utility company’s official website or to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Utility Contact Info web page to confirm the legitimacy of the communication. Visit the NJCCIC’s website for additional information.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Sept. 6 it will award $20 million in grant funding to local communities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will administer grant funds to these communities for training, equipment, hiring threat analysts and other resources to assist safeguarding successful applicants from domestic violent extremism. Citing the recent racially motivated shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, in which a white gunman killed three Black individuals, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the department “will continue to work with communities to prevent such abhorrent targeted acts from occurring.” Since the program began in 2020, DHS has awarded more than $70 million in grants to communities in 35 states and Washington, D.C. DHS noted that 41 percent of this year’s grant recipients plan to target underserved populations, which is an increase compared to 25 percent the year prior. “The strength of this program is that it recognizes that today the United States deals with a threat that’s very different than the one it faced after 9/11 and it requires a different investigative and violence-prevention toolbox,” said former DHS Acting Under-Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis John Cohen. “These grants are a step in that direction and are important because they can be local efforts to better address threats that have caused too many mass shootings in the United States already.”