Terrorist Activities & Community Members - Assignment Example

However, the first major step is getting information from the community as this is the largest information gathering sector for law enforcement. Introduction Terrorist activities are planned crimes against the people in the form of bombings, fires, disruptions of services through electronic hacking, and in shootings of innocent people which cause injuries and death (EMD 2013). Other crimes may also be attached to terrorist activities in the form of robberies when terrorists commit these in order to build up financial funding for their endeavors.

It is essential when law enforcement departments are setting up programs on surveying potential terrorism activities, that community members are also included in the process of observing specific activities and people who act suspiciously and could indicate a potential for an upcoming terrorist act (EMD 2013; SARA 2013). Training may also be included so that people understand what it is they must look for so as to report it correctly to law enforcement members. 1. Some of the types of businesses that would be a hunting ground for terrorists are pawn shops that carry firearms for sale, old cell phones, huge amounts of hardware tools, nails, nuts and bolts, knapsacks and other cheap items; home improvement centers which carry everything listed above, new, but can be bought in huge quantities; libraries that have Internet access for information searches as an anonymous users, plus literature that can be reviewed for free without checking them out of the library (Smith 2008).

Terrorists may also visit their target areas, such as stadiums, airports, specific high-risk government buildings such as town halls, or capital buildings, large hotels with international clientele, and well-known businesses (EMD 2013). New York City and Washington, D.C. both have a large number of buildings that are high-risk for terrorist attacks, such as the Financial District in New York City, and the Capital Building in Washington (Smith 2008). Depending on the type of terrorist, national or international, other businesses at risk are newspapers, hospitals, colleges, utility and nuclear plants, abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics, train and railroad centers, and Internet provider businesses (EMD 2013). 2. Businesses can be monitored by agreement and in partnership with the owners, who agree to hand over information about people and events that occur that might preclude an eventual attack.

A pawn shop, for example, can inform the police if someone comes in and wants to purchase a large amount of old cell phones in the shop case. While some non-profit businesses do purchase these as part of a program for the elderly, the poor or for women who have been in abusive relationships and are being relocated elsewhere, normally, large purchases of these types would signal a potential for a terrorist who will use the phones as bomb detonators (EMD 2013). Internet connections can also be monitored, so long as a proper warrant has been approved through regular channels, not only for what businesses are doing but also to observe customers’ communications or even if there is tampering from the outside that indicates hacking from a terrorist organization (Menn 2013). 3. If business owners and community members become suspicious