Terrorist-Conscious Law Enforcement Agencies Should Think Locally

Since 9/11 we’ve heard a lot about homeland security. We in law enforcement need to concern ourselves with hometown security. Our profession has recently gone through an evolution of sorts, as it’s done throughout our history. As a more sophisticated criminal has come along we've had to adapt and evolve to meet the challenges presented to us by that element. Now, big department or small, we must be terrorist-conscious.

Many agencies claim to be “the nation’s first line of defense” but in fact, public safety departments are truly the first line of defense. When a situation arises people don’t call the military, they dial 911. There are things that can be done in all departments, big or small, to prepare officers in handling unusual calls or calls of a hometown security nature.

SWAT and HAZMAT units train on a regular basis, but patrol units (shifts) do not. Why? There are things that can be done at the shift level to prepare the officers and the jurisdiction they serve as well. Look at it as a three-step process:

1. Threat Assessment — Have the patrol officers do threat assessments while on patrol. What do they see that could be a problem or a potential target? This could be done on all shifts. We all know that each shift is different and what a day-shift officer sees a night-shift officer might not.
    
2. TOPOFF Exercise — Since autumn of 2001, we’ve heard a great deal about the homeland security TOPOFF exercise. Put together a scenario based on the threats identified by the patrol officers and do tabletop exercises based on these scenarios. What is the best way to approach this problem? That is best answered prior to the problem when time is a luxury, not as the problem is taking place.
    
3. Scenario-Based Training — Based on the ideas discussed in the tabletop exercises, put together a scenario-based training exercise to see if these ideas are workable within a time frame. Do these ideas and plans need to be adapted to fit each shift? There will be more pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the day than at night; how does that affect the plan?

It's important to know your history. Do you sit above any old mines that could collapse with a slight earthquake? What are your risks as far as natural disasters? Is your area prone to earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding or heavy snows? These are hometown security events that can be preplanned for.

Public education can go a long way (in several directions) to increase the efficiency of your agency. Public education gives you the opportunity to inform the public of the steps you've taken to preplan for citizens’ safety in the event of any type of emergency, natural or man-made. It not only gives the people a degree of confidence in your agency, but also benefits you public-relations wise.

Those of us who have been through even the most minor public disruptions due to natural or man-made disasters know that during these times we always lack public safety personnel.

Along with public education, I suggest public involvement. I’m talking about a group of citizens that would augment the public safety personnel to free them up to do their jobs. This group of people would be like the Civil Defense teams that many communities had during World War II. I would recommend some type of screening process, perhaps even a testing process, to assist in weeding out the “ambulance/fire truck/police car chasers” we have all experienced.
 
Once the civilian team is established train it via an academy of sorts, similar to the Citizens Academy that many police departments now operate. Acquaint these volunteers with emergency response and their role in it. FEMA has training for Community Emergency Response Teams. These people could be used for numerous jobs that are usually done by public safety personnel.
    
Let the citizen teams be autonomous with their own set of responsibilities so that your agency isn’t overburdened during a crisis. This could be especially beneficial to smaller communities where the police department is the only 24/7 public safety department. Often those departments, because they are the only full-time public safety agency in the city, become overburdened trying to do it all.

I recently permitted some local amateur radio (ham radio) operators to set up and install an amateur radio station in our police department. Our local hospital also has an amateur radio station so communications between our department and the hospital in an emergency could be established. This was at a very minimal cost to the city. There were some guidelines that we established prior to installation. They are in close proximity to our dispatch center. I consider them another tool, a communications link, in the event of a disaster.
   
The establishment of multiple or a mobile emergency operations centers (EOCs) is a vital element as well. No matter where your EOC is located it could always wind up in the middle of a natural disaster so a backup is a necessity. Look for alternate means of communications. Expect electricity, radio towers, phone lines and cell towers to go out during a disaster or event. Perhaps amateur radio clubs in your area could assist with this.
 
Form a community disaster response agency — a smaller version of your county emergency management agency — to put together a written plan and meet on a regular basis to update that plan. Know where to get hand pumps for the bulk fuel supply so that if the electricity is out for an extended period the public safety vehicles can continue to operate and gasoline for the generators would be available. Who has equipment available for the city to use in the event of a building collapse? Where can you obtain large refrigerated trucks to use as a temporary morgue if needed? These are but a few things that cities need to look at. Of course always expect and anticipate Murphy's Law.

[Photo courtesy of Andrea Booher/FEMA.]

Mike Burg is chief of the Rittman, Ohio, Police Department.