NCJ Number
193275
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2002 Pages: 50-52,55,58
Date Published
2002
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article develops a model for assessing threats to communities
Abstract
The red, gray, and blue model discussed in this article provides a starting point for organizations that wish to conduct an analysis of their community threat level. In the model, the gray box stands for the environment within which the organization conducts its mission. Red and blue circles are situated within this gray box. The red circle represents the many types of threats that exist. The blue circle represents the organization’s own characteristics and design. A Venn diagram is drawn to show each of these circles with security policies at the overlap point between the blue and red circles. An equilateral triangle is drawn in the center of the overlap area and represents a security policy that addresses threat, environment, and self and labeled “balanced.” Unbalanced policies are those that fail to recognize the interdependent and interactive nature of the model’s three components. Each of these areas will be addressed. First, the threat: Red. Identifying threats has become more difficult. To simplify the assessment process, there must be identification in communities of those known threat actors. Understanding one threat better enables an understanding of similar threats. Second, the environment: Gray. A police chief cannot really know his or her environment until they look at it as a terrorist would. In completing the assessment, expert help may be obtained from governmental, corporate, and community resources. Third, self: Blue. Understanding self means the way of viewing the role of police chiefs, law enforcement executives or individual police officers responding to the new terrorist challenge. There must be a clear evaluation of capabilities, available resources, courses of action and desired outcomes. The red, gray, and blue framework is a way of helping law enforcement executives think about the changed security environment.