Policing terrorism

Description from Brief 01: It has been said that 9/11 changed everything. This is certainly true for local police agencies and other chiefs. It is increasingly clear that federal agencies, such as the FBI and the US Secret Service, can no longer work alone in protecting the United States from further attack. Rather, they must work in partnership with other public and private agencies, and most important, with local police. Local police can identify potential terrorists living or operating in their jurisdictions, they can help protect vulnerable targets, and they can coordinate the first response to terror attacks. These are heavy new responsibilities that significantly expand the workload of already busy departments. Many departments welcome these new responsibilities, but they cannot be shrugged off because elected officials and the public will increasingly expect their police to be prepared.