NCJ Number
217488
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 74 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 36,39-42,44,45
Date Published
February 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article outlines the goals and types of terror attacks on police officers worldwide and presents a survey of selected terror attacks by type of attack and location of attack.
Abstract
Law enforcement officers and officials are viewed by both domestic and international terrorists as instruments of the government and, thus, tools of their oppressors. Terrorists chose their targets to maximize the amount of human and property damage and tend to target law enforcement officers and facilities in order to demonstrate to the public that law enforcement officers cannot defend themselves. Terrorists also target law enforcement officers in order to protest perceived political and religious injustices. A survey of international terror attacks between January 2000 and July 2006 identified many different types of attacks, including ambushes, arson, and kidnappings. An overview of these attacks is presented by the type of attack and by the location of attacks. The types of attacks include the use of different types of bombs, grenades, gunfire, kidnappings, and landmines. Locations of attacks include bars, foreign consulates, police barracks, personal and police vehicles, and police stations. The details of the terror attacks against law enforcement officers presented in the article were gathered from the Terrorism Knowledge Base, which was developed by the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Endnotes