After the terror attacks in the United States, different methods and approaches were designed to aid in dealing with domestic terrorism – a concept that only came up after the various intelligence and security agencies realized that some of the terrorist acts were being conducted by American citizens. This paper, therefore, tries to develop a policy proposal that can be utilized in the event of terrorist attacks within the United States. The policy tries to address the issue of the line of communication to be used; it goes on to address the issue of first responders in case of an attack and it also tries to address the issue of evacuation. Utilization of specific tactics and command centers is also placed into considerations (Borgeson and Valeri, 2009).
Under the patriot act, a person who tries to intimidate a given civilian population or tries to influence and impact the policy of a government through the means of intimidation or a person or group that involves itself in mass destruction and assassination in an attempt to change the conduct of the government can be termed as a domestic terrorist. Proposed conduct and action that should be used upon such an individual should be able to make sure that proper procedures are used in investigating and apprehending such perpetrators (Levin, 2006).
First responders may be in the form of separate agencies; this means that first responders maybe law enforcers or medical service providers. However, the responsibility of the first responders at the scene of terrorism should ensure that they coordinate and make sure that the information is shared so that people can avoid the area. They should be in a position to evaluate and analyze the threat and the nature of the incident. Initial responders have the responsibility of establishing safe routes that will allow for additional responding resources (Levin, 2006). Personal safety and security are paramount even for individuals who are first responders (Crelinsten, 2009). The first responders have to guarantee that their own safety, and protective measures and equipment have to be given an upper hand.
Evacuation, relief and screening centers have to be set around the scene. This ensures that many people are evacuated, treated and screened before being permitted to pass. The presence of security and law enforcement agencies should ensure that the command center is put in place in that area. The last and most important aspect for the first responders is to ensure that they limit and restrict access to the area of the crime. This guarantees that contamination of evidence is minimized, and evacuation of people from the area of crime is not hampered with (Levin, 2006).
The command center is among the very first things that are set up at the scene of a terrorist attack. The command center is placed under the direction of the incident commander, and this is what acts as the brain for the mission that is at hand.
The national security agency, counterterrorist center for central intelligence agency and the federal bureau of investigation are crucial to the terror attack scene (Borgeson and Valeri, 2009). At the command center, the main activity that is carried out is the management of personnel and proper utility of equipment. Regardless of the agency in control, the command center needs to be involved in intelligence and information generation. Secondly the agency in charge has to have a center for processing all the information and data and finally output section.
References
Borgeson, K., & Valeri, R. (2009). Terrorism in America. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett.
Crelinsten, R. D. (2009). Counterterrorism. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Levin, J. (2006). Domestic Terrorism. New York: Infobase Pub.
