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Law Enforcement Response to Terrorism

In: Social Issues

Submitted By gale
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Local Law Enforcement Response to Terrorism
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Abstract
The synchronization of the different levels of response agencies is vital to the national effort against terrorism because when incidents cross disciplinary or jurisdictional boundaries, or if they are complex in nature, coordination of activities is important to ensuring an effective and efficient response to containing, controlling, and resolving the incident. However, when incidents do strike, local law enforcement personnel are the first responders on the scene. The Boston Marathon bombing incident was a demonstration of how local law enforcement worked with state and federal law enforcement to coordinate the clearing of the scenes and location of the perpetrators.

Since the terrorism incident that occurred on September 11, 2001, city leaders across the United States have assumed greater roles of responsibility in homeland security (Downing, 2009). This new responsibility has brought with it issues and practical challenges that city leaders and policymakers are confronted with during times of crisis that necessitate the securing of their communities. Although assistance comes from a variety of sources during emergency events, it is critical that local leaders are endowed with the knowledge to aid them in meeting the terrorism challenges that could occur not just now, but also in the future. Presented in this paper is information that local leaders can employ to ensure that they respond appropriately to acts of terrorism. The Boston Marathon bombing and law enforcement response to the incident will be used as a framework for the discussion.
What is Terrorism?
According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system, terrorism is classified into two categories: domestic terrorism and international terrorism (FBI, 2006). Domestic terrorism is defined as:

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