Security Planning and the History of Security Services - Assignment Example

Explain the history of security services. How far back does this history go? What did security organizations do prior to the present? How has the role of security service organizations changed over time? The counterfeiting of money posed a major problem for the US government. Hence, it was treated as a capital crime. While the American Revolution was in progress, the British counterfeited the currency of the United States. During the Civil War, nearly half of the US currency was counterfeited. In addition, there were one thousand six hundred state banks that designed and printed their own currency bills, which were not identical. This made it very difficult to identify counterfeit currency. In order to solve this problem a national currency was adopted in the year 1862. However, even this national currency was counterfeited and a large number of such bills were in circulation. This actuated the government to establish the United States Secret Service to inhibit counterfeiting, in 1865 (History of Counterfeiting, 2006). During the war of independence, espionage, counterintelligence and covert operations were the principal strategies adopted against the well established British forces. Eminent leaders like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay established networks of agents and double agents to deceive the British army; they indulged in sabotage and encryption of messages; and spread false propaganda against the British in order to gain foreign support for their cause. The Office of Naval Intelligence and the Army’s Military Intelligence Division were formed in 1880. In 1898 when the Spanish – American war broke out, many of the officers of these organizations were employed for espionage. During the World War I in 1914, the operational capabilities of the US Secret Services had been diminished due to insufficient budgetary allocations and the apathy of the government apathy towards it. In 1917, Army and Navy intelligence were strengthened, the National Security Agency was established and the first federal espionage law was enacted. Subsequent to the World War I, American Intelligence obtained the capacity to decode encrypted material and carry out counterintelligence activities against Japan and Germany. The FBI utilized these newly acquired skills in the late 1930s and early 1940s (History of American Intelligence, 2007). At the advent of the World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had established the Office of the Coordinator of Information, the civilian intelligence agency in 1941. However, this agency had failed to predict the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor. Thus in 1942, the Office of Strategic Services was established which later known as the Central Intelligence Agency (History of American Intelligence, 2007). President George W. Bush established the Office of Homeland Security after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The objective of this agency is to secure the United States from terrorist attacks and other threats by developing and coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive national program. This agency collaborates with the executive branch in detecting, preparing, preventing, protecting against threats and risks, responding to terrorist attacks and the subsequent management of an attack within the United States. The Department of Homeland Security or the DHS has absorbed the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service or the INS (Homeland Security). Describe various types of threats to modern society’s safety and security today. Also, define “risk” and explain the 5 distinct types of risk that pose threats to people and places. Give examples of how security officials and organizations can contribute toward the protection or mitigation against various types of threats and risks, should they materialize. An action, an event or a series of both that poses the threat or the probability of causing an adverse effect is termed as a risk. The disintegration of the USSR saved the US from several threats. However, the US has proved to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The September 11 attacks clearly indicate the lacunae in the safety measures taken by Homeland Security. The separated Soviet republics fulfill their own agendas and there is no controlling agency. The services of former Soviet scientists can be utilized to develop weapons of mass destruction and nuclear warheads. These scientists do so for monetary reasons. The Russian military has the requisite technical knowledge to handle former Soviet nuclear devices, fissile material and advanced weapons systems, which are in their possession subsequent to the collapse of the USSR. If there is further economic deterioration in Russia then there is a possibility of these weapons being sold to mercenaries (Loy & Ross, 2001). Globalization enabled the world to draw near to the American economy and culture. This has posed a serious threat to some societies. US domination on the Global economy has resulted in the creation of a number of enemies to the US, like the Al Qaeda and other militant groups. They attribute their countries’ drawbacks to the US and this further aggravates the threat from these criminal organizations and terrorist groups. Furthermore, there are large numbers of ethnic minority migrants in the US who might support aliens in carrying out terrorist activities in the US. Moreover, there are some discontented groups in the US who dislike the government’s policies, industry, development and taxation rates (Loy & Ross, 2001). State sponsored violence by countries that are inimical to the US is a growing threat at the present juncture. Moreover, there exists the threat that some foreign governments could launch weapons of mass destruction against the US due to discontent with its complex foreign policy. Furthermore, the United States is facing trans border threats, which do not fall within the purview of the national security threat assessment. These include crimes like drug trafficking, illegal immigration and the smuggling in of weapons; biological warfare; and threats to natural resources and environmental terrorism (Loy & Ross, 2001). The Department of Homeland Security has assessed that potential attacks on the US could be caused due to the launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs, the free availability of weapons in retail stores and the possibility of attacks with chemical bombs made out of industrial chemicals. In addition, the proliferation of the Internet enables hackers or cyber terrorists to access vital information from the websites of national agencies. The Department of Defense is implementing several measures to mitigate the threats posed to the US. The Homeland security program includes initiatives to counter the proliferation of nuclear weapons and a comprehensive consequence management program if any such attack takes place. The state and local authorities will have to implement several measures. Most of the potential targets are owned by private sector. Hence a national program has to be drafted that applies to the entire US and areas where the federal government cannot initiate mitigation measures (Loy & Ross, 2001). Risk management initiates preventive measures to mitigate the probability of the occurrence of an adverse event and consequent management and immediate response abilities if such prevention fails. However, these measures are inadequate and the Homeland Security has to adopt preventive measures like programs that concern anti – proliferation and counter – proliferation methods; develop military and economic intelligence; deterrence of weapons of mass destruction; antiterrorist strategies by enhancing self – protection and reducing the vulnerability to such attacks; preemptive actions; significant infrastructure protection; intercepting ICBMs and crisis response systems (Loy & Ross, 2001). Explain the authority of private security personnel. Do most security officers have broad or limited police powers? Explain. Also, in your estimation, what should the powers of security officials be? Feel free to draw distinctions (i.e. powers should vary depending on context), but then also explain the distinctions. There is an absence of a clear demarcation of the authority of private security personnel. However, such private security has been quite effective in curtailing crime in modern society. Effective discharge of duty by such personnel has to involve a proper balance between the protection of their permissible activities and the rights of individuals. It has been the judicial tradition to desist from enhancing constitutional protection to the acts of individuals to the detriment of acts performed by the government. At present, citizens who are arrested, searched or subjected to seizures by private security personnel are not provided with any constitutional protection. Such protection is always forthcoming when the public police are involved. This constitutes a serious travesty of justice and is violation of the fundamental rights of citizens (Nemeth, 2004. Pp. 68 – 70). As such private security personnel have the same rights as any other private citizen in respect of arresting a person. Even if these personnel perform duties that are similar to what the public police do, they do not have any additional powers or rights in comparison to private individuals. The power to arrest being exercised by private security personnel is therefore based on common and statutory law and is akin to the rights possessed by any private person. There is a great deal of similarity between the roles performed by the public and private police. The contention that private police perform their duties to ensure the rights of the general citizenry is astounding to say the least. The principal task of these personnel is to protect property and individuals from crimes, natural calamities; provide surveillance and the monitoring of business and industrial criminal activity; and maintenance of public order. Since, they render very valuable services it would be in the fitness of things, to provide them with some form of constitutional authorization, along the lines pertaining to the public police (Nemeth, 2004. Pp. 68 – 70). Describe the 5 levels of physical security protection. Also, give examples of contexts or settings which would warrant each of the 5 levels of protection. Finally, provide examples of measures or countermeasures common to each of these levels. The five levels of physical security protection are described below. First, Level I facilities are places where the maximum number of employees does not exceed ten in number. The office space is less than two and a half thousand square feet of office space and the contact with public is either very less or is restricted to a very narrow segment of the public. At this level it is required to provide emergency power to alarms, computer systems and communications (Physical Security in Service Facilities, 2001). Second, Level II facilities are places where the number of employees is between eleven and a hundred and fifty and the office space is up to eighty thousand square feet with a modest amount of contact with the public. This security level has to adopt a system whereby there is control over visitors and answerability (Physical Security in Service Facilities, 2001). Third, Level III facilities are premises in which the number of employees varies between one hundred and fifty to four hundred employees and the office space is up to one hundred and fifty thousand square feet of space. Contact with the public contact should be between moderate to high. In such contexts, there should be procedures to disallow unlawful entry to utility areas (Physical Security in Service Facilities, 2001). Four, Level IV facilities are places in which the number of employees is more than four hundred and fifty and the office area is in excess of one hundred and fifty thousand square feet, with public interaction being quite high. This is to be implemented in courts, judicial offices, intelligence agencies and places where highly sensitive governments records are stored. Such places should install closed circuit television and the screening of all incoming packages with X – Rays (Physical Security in Service Facilities, 2001). Five, Level V facilities are places wherein organizations that are critical to national security are located. Some examples are the locations of the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (Physical Security in Service Facilities, 2001). What are the primary requirements found in the ASIS Code of Ethics? How important is a code of ethics for an occupation like security? Which elements of the code of ethics do you think are the most important? Why? In your estimation, is the code of ethics important enough to warrant personnel action (i.e. reprimands, termination, etc) against security personnel who violate it in even minor ways? Why? The American Society for Information Science or ASIS adopts a code of ethics, which its members have to follow meticulously. This code of ethics is mandatory and binding upon the members. Article I of this code requires all the members to discharge their professional duties legally and in conformance with the highest moral standards. Article II imposes compliance with the observation of candor, sincerity and uprightness upon members. Article III makes it mandatory for members to perform their duties in a precise and conscientious fashion. While discharging such responsibilities, a member has to be competent according to Article IV. Article V insists upon members to ensure that confidential information is neither disclosed nor exposed to risk. Article VI prohibits a member from causing malicious harm to the practice or professional reputation of employers, customers or colleagues (ASIS INTERNATIONAL). The fiduciary responsibility between security professionals and the company employing them requires the former to work in the best interests of the company, with consideration for all concerned. A security consultant’s primary mission is to identify needs and then provide physical security systems and procedures so that the company can mitigate the risks faced by it. However, several of these personnel behave in a manner that has scant regard for the rights of the individual. Such behavior is indulged in on the pretext of addressing crucial security concerns of the employers. Such acts are to be condemned in the strongest of terms and very severe punitive measures should be taken against such personnel. At the least such personnel should be dismissed from service and should be suspended on a permanent basis from the ASIS. References ASIS INTERNATIONAL. (n.d.). Code of Ethics. Retrieved November 13, 2007, from http://www.asisonline.org/membership/resources/codeofethics.pdf History of American Intelligence. (2007, May 11). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/6-12th-grade/operation-history/history-of-american-intelligence.html History of Counterfeiting. (2006). Retrieved November 12, 2007, from United States Secret Service: http://www.treas.gov/usss/counterfeit.shtml Homeland Security. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/ Loy, J. L., & Ross, R. G. (2001, September). Meeting the Homeland Security Challenge: A Principled Strategy for a Balanced and Practical Response. Retrieved November 13, 2007, from http://www.homelandsecurity.org/journal/Articles/Ross_Loy_USCG.htm Nemeth, C. P. (2004. Pp. 68 – 70). Private Security and the Law. Elsevier. Physical Security in Service Facilities. (2001, June 17). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from Originating Office Division of Contracting and General Services: http://www.fws.gov/policy/432fw1.pdf Read More