Terrorism and the Response of Local Police Departments - Research Paper Example

 Response on Terrorism Terrorism and the Response of Local Police Departments Introduction When crime and violence rates go beyond the control, the responsibility is raised up on law and enforcement agencies. It is through policing and enforcement of the law that violence becomes restricted. In most developed countries like United States, the responsibility lies on the local police departments, which are at stake to control crime and violence altogether. The State puts the responsibility on the local police departments to assess and restrain the crime situation in the country. Understanding this significant role of the law and enforcement agencies (the police), the question comes around that how law and enforcement agencies are dealing with terrorism, which is the most sensitive problem in America after 9/11 (Department of Justice, 2002). This study is bringing a light on the role of local police departments, which are being assigned the responsibility to deal with terror situations. The study is making a comprehensive review of the work of local police departments, which are functioning to restrain terrorism from the country. The objective here is to understand that how police and other law enforcement agencies are taking care of terrorism which is most sensitive and critical problem of the country since 9/11. The aim of the study is to comprehend the response of local police departments on terrorism and terror activities. Tragic 9/11 and the Rethought of United States Government It was September 11 2001 when terrorism entered United States quite tragically and unexpectedly (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). The country’s law and enforcement authorities were not prepared for this tragic kind of intrusion. Planes got hijacked and went off to target World Target Center and the Pentagon. It was a breach that no one ever thought about or heard about in America. However, it was a direct hit to the country’s local police departments, which were not prepared for the situation and were told to respond quickly and deliberately on this tragic happening. It was actually a charging activation of the local police to respond to the situation (Davies & Murphy, 2004). The incident of 9/11 thoroughly changed the thought of the United States Government, which after the incident tried to revise and reframe the policies of the local police. The incident actually transformed the vision of the law and enforcement authorities (Department of Justice, 2002). It transformed the authorities’ dimensions to address the problem of terrorism, which was prevailing and unwantedly invited in the country after September 11 incident. After 9/11, it was the police’ vigilance and innovation that became added dimensions of the United States local police (Wexler, 2001). The police were told to function against the terror act, which was a threatening act for each of the United States’ citizen. Protection of citizens from all possible means became solely important for the local police. Restraining terror from all the possible extent became the vision of the United States local police departments. These were some of the out led consequences which 9/11 left for the country’s local police. These were actually the positive developments that were seen in the local police segment after 9/11 (Wexler, 2001). New Approaches of the Local Police In response to terrorism, country’s local police became highly active and vigilant. The local police responded with highly innovative patterns to restrain the problem with efficiency and productive outcome (Department of Justice, 2002). It was actually proactive approach that got added into dimensions of the United States s local police departments. The departments came out with productive response to kill the problem of terrorism. It was comprehensiveness that was seen in the local police departments’ actions after 9/11 incident (Reaves, 2011). The first innovative change, which the police made, was active communication. It was strong and deliberate communication that was taken place between the law and enforcement bodies after 9/11 incident (Department of Justice, 2002). The exchange of information became patterned and proactive in order to identify and communicate the possible terror happening. The second significant change brought in the local police segment was the technological advancement (Department of Justice, 2002). Investment was majorly brought in the technology section to raise the capacity and efficiency of the local police fighting terrorism. The last and the most significant change was the incorporation of the anti-terror programs. These programs provided special training to the local police officials on anti-terrorism and anti-terrorism operation (Reaves, 2011). This was how after 9/11 a significant and effective change was brought in the country’s local police segment. The objective behind this change is to incorporate strength and capability in the police. It was to increase the efficiency of the police to maximize its potential against terrorism (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). It was a change brought in response to the need, in response to the common problem of the country (terrorism). It was the most anticipated change among the United States authorities; most specifically the law and enforcement authorities which wanted to see such innovative rise (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). According to the US Department of Justice, information management is the essential thing required by the local police departments. If information is rightly managed, accordingly and effectively to the level of problem that exists (terrorism), it really can bolster the coordination activity (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). The policing experts state that departmental coordination is significant in preventing the terror activities. When terrorists plan activities, their plans can be disrupted if departments are timely engaged and well coordinated. Information has to be well directed to effectuate the response of the local police teams on terrorists (Reaves, 2011). These are certain measures, which the United States Justice department suggests to the local police agencies dealing with the problem of terrorism in the country. Making these measures part of the strategy, part of the plan of the local agencies can increase the operational coordination of the local police (Wexler, 2001). When coordination in the police is decisive and on the precise level, it really can kill the influence of the problem, even if it is present with its tiny existence as what the Justice Department states. So to address terrorism from its roots, information has to become the asset of the local police teams. This is the asset, which enables the police to respond proactively and in a deliberate manner (Wexler, 2001). The local police departments have worked accordingly to what the US law authorities and Department of Justice have demonstrated (Reaves, 2011). The local police have incorporated new technologies in order to effectuate the information exchange activity and the departmental level of operation. Technologies such as active communication devices, geographical information input systems (GIS), automated information dispatch systems (ADS), and record management systems (RMS) have been added to the local police offices. The trainings are brought in the police’ section to prepare the officials on these newly added technologies (Department of Justice, 2002). This is all to raise the efficiency of the police, to capitalize the police’ resources and to deal terrorism at the higher country level. Diversity has been added to the police’ segment by including these vibrant innovative technologies. These technologies have strengthened the departmental and level of police operation (Wexler, 2001). Moreover, the shortcomings of the police over terrorism have significantly been overcome by this advanced level of innovative technologies. Active departmental coordination is one significant output of these technologies. This is all what the police needed at the departmental level to fight terrorism and the terror segment (Department of Justice, 2002). Terrorism and the response of the POLICE Office In response to terrorism, the role of Police Office has remained decisively important in US. Since 1997, the Police Office funds the Police Foundation’s Lab, which is a reporting, body on country’s annual crime control and terror statistics (Davies & Murphy, 2004). The Lab publishes annual reports in three segments, crime analysis, crime mapping and problem solving which decisively guides the local police departments to proceed against the terror activities. The local police departments are quite responsive to the Office’s reports and approvals. They understand that it is through these reports they are able to connect to the target segments of the country (Department of Justice, 2002). Since after 9/11, the Police Foundation with funding of the Police Office has been arranging special training programs for the policemen. These programs are delivered directly to the local police officials in order to bring them guidance and awareness on anti-terrorism strategies and operations. Moreover, the programs teach officials with special policing activities such as problem analysis, crime analysis and terrorism plan distortion (Davies & Murphy, 2004). All these programs give the analytical skill- the analytical mindset to the policemen dealing with the prevalent terrorism problem. In this way the Office comes out with a central role in forming the country’s local anti-terrorism strategy. This strategy is implemented in the local police departments in order to fight terrorism in the comprehensive and strategic way (Davies & Murphy, 2004). The Police Office comes out significant in integrating the local policing community. The Office brings all the support, the financial and equipment support to the local policing community in order to fight terrorism in the country. In recent years, the Office funded and supported Baltimore City Police Department to bring out a local city plan against terrorism (Department of Justice, 2002). The city’s department was funded to bring out a masterwork strategy against terrorism. Moreover, the department was provided the equipment support by the Office as it was given the charge of the city’s Command Control Equipment Center. This was to assess the activities in the city regarding terrorism and to control such activities in the efficient manner (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). The Command and Control Center was added with technologies such as monitoring phone systems, integrated communication systems, and crime mapping systems in order to fight out terrorism in the radical manner. It was all by the support of the Police Office, which wanted the city center to come out active in responding terror activities (Wexler, 2001). The Police Office comes out significant in protecting critical locations. Locations like highways and subways are under the decisive control of the Police Office team. The Police Office team immediately collaborates the local police departments if any suspicious event is identified and detected in such locations. In this way, the Office strategically connects all the departments in response to terrorism and terror activities (Department of Justice, 2002). Response of Community Policing on Terrorism Since after 9/11 incident, a common threat was declared for each American citizen and that was that terrorists are going to take over the country. After the incident, the importance of community policing got raised up in the country. It was by means of community policing each community member felt safe and protected as what the Department of Justice asserted (Department of Justice, 2002). Identifying terrorism as a common threat, the activities in making community policing strong became more precise and frequent. It was understood that the right way to protect citizens is the way of community policing, which is the best possible solution the police have in the present times. In recent years, a high alert signal is left in the entire policing community (Davies & Murphy, 2004). This signal is a mention that terrorism is a common problem of the country. It is a common problem of each American citizen and therefore has to be a problem of each public official. A unity has been shown by the police and the government to safeguard the State and the State’s community members (Davies & Murphy, 2004). After the tragic 9/11 incident, the focus of the local law and enforcement agencies became community policing. The authorities thought that police should make community policing strong by making partnerships based on trust and coordination (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). The authorities depicted that these partnerships can be essential to prevent the victimization of each community member, which are in the direct threat of the terror activities after 9/11. In response of community policing efforts, security got ensured for each community member including politicians, governmental bodies, and the common man. To ensure the security, all the class discrimination got avoided by the law and enforcement agencies, which is a positive development made in recent times in the community policing segment (Reaves, 2011). According to the US law and enforcement authorities, total integration is required in America to counter off this common challenge of terrorism. Integration is needed between community members and the law and enforcement agencies to fight back terrorism at the right effective level. In the result of such propositions, The Police Office and other law agencies have come forward to join and integrate the community (Reaves, 2011). A series of sessions are held between community members and the law authorities to discuss about security and terrorism issues. It has become the Statesman’s discussion that how terrorism can be dealt in the country at the societal and communal level. The concerns of the community members are being heard because these sessions are allowing members to bring out their voice and their word of expression. The problems of the community regarding terrorism are being identified with this dialogue based sessions. It is another positive development seen in the recent years of time, where community and law and enforcement agencies are found close to each other (Wexler, 2001). The community members have illustrated that to understand terrorism in the right context, the need is to understand its roots and its nature of diversity. It is cultural diversity in the country, which brings diversity in the nature of terrorism (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). So the need is to understand this cultural diversity by the law and enforcement agencies to understand terrorism in the right context. The law authorities have to go to deeper to analyze the ethnic, gender and racial diversities that are prominent within the country. Without understanding these diversities, the nature of terrorism can never be comprehended by the lawmakers and prosecutors. In this way, the right way to respond to terrorism is to understand it from its cultural and sociological contexts (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). Response of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) PERF, which is a non-profiting organization of the local police departments, has responded progressively to the problem of terrorism (Department of Justice, 2002). The organization has responded decisively well by coordinating the senior police professionals in a mission to trace and eliminate terrorism from the country. PERF keeps a holistic insight on how the local police can respond to the problem of terrorism. It keeps the insight of what role the domestic police can play in eliminating terrorism right from its root of origination. It is professional police reporting which PERF brings for the local police authorities. This reporting helps in detecting and tracing the possible threatened locations of the country. Moreover, PERF initiates the model of response if an incident of terrorism takes place at any time or at any place in the country. It is the strategic accumulation of data and information, which PERF does in its role of local police agency. Actually, PERF comes out a central supporting body to execute missions of local anti-terrorism. Recently, PERF has detailed a report on the capacity of local police to deal terrorism (Department of Justice, 2002). The report has acknowledged jurisdictions about the capacity challenges which local police is facing in dealing with the domestic terrorism. This is how the PERF’s report is enabling the police to get prepared for the future challenges. Moreover, the report has signified the importance of the local police in controlling the problem of terrorism. This is how PERF remains in the ideal importance of the local law and enforcement agencies. It is a body that is conductive, and apprehensive in its response to State’s terrorism (Wexler, 2001). Conclusion Since after 9/11 incident, America has undergone with the direct threat of terrorism. It is a challenge that has become common for the country, common for the people of it and common for its law agents. The entire community is under the cover of this common threat- the real ultimate challenge, which America is facing since after 9/11. In response to terrorism, different initiatives have been made by the local law and enforcement agencies. At the first, the agencies have responded by understanding the nature of terrorism at the domestic level. Similarly, the agencies have responded by restructuring the local police system, which is directly in association with the domestic violence and terrorism. The efforts are made in the community-policing segment to restrain the problem at the community level. Similarly, the efforts are raised up in inducing new technologies to conform the capability and potential of local police fighting terrorism. The intentions have been kept positive by the local law and enforcement authorities as they have sidelined all the discrimination aspect to fight terrorism in the country. A unity is shown by the lawmakers and law executors (the police) to fight terrorism in a communal way. References List Davies, H. J., & Murphy, G. R. (2004). Protecting your Community from Terrorism. Washington: PERF. Dempsey, J., & Forst, L. (2011). An Introduction to Policing. London: Cengage Learning. Department of Justice. (2002). Local Law Enforcement Responds to Terrorism. Washington: US Department of Justice. Reaves, B. A. (2011). Local Police Departments (2007). New York: DIANE Publishing. Wexler, C. (2001). Local Law Enforcement’s Role in Preventing and Responding to Terrorism. Washington: PERF. Read More