NCJ Number
219577
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2007 Pages: 313-321
Date Published
May 2007
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This case study of law enforcement census data from a single State (South Carolina) considered variations in terrorism preparedness and predictors of preparedness.
Abstract
The study found that many agencies which varied in size, mission, type (police and sheriffs' departments), and budget have made significant progress in terrorism preparedness. A number of agencies have requested or acquired funding for the specific purpose of terrorism preparedness, have conducted exercises designed to prepare for specific terrorist events, and have adopted a policy toward terrorism. Less than half of all responding agencies, however, had developed a policy toward handling terrorism threats or events. Approximately 60 percent of responding agencies had requested Federal funding for support of counterterrorism preparations, significantly less had requested funding from the State or locality. A minority of agencies have conducted any type of terrorism prevention training or response exercises. Factors related to terrorism preparedness were agency size, having a SWAT team, orientation toward technology, and accreditation status. Data were collected as part of the South Carolina law Enforcement Census, a semiannual survey of all local and State law enforcement agencies. Of the approximately 290 law enforcement agencies in the State, 171 returned usable, completed surveys. Participating agencies included 135 police departments, 32 sheriffs' departments, and 4 State agencies. Included in the survey were a series of questions on an agency's homeland security policies, funding requests, response plans, and training efforts. 6 tables and 21 references