NCJ Number
193272
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2002 Pages: 19-22,25,28-32,33
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article is an excerpt from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Project Response. It offers important information to chiefs of police and includes sections on gathering and processing intelligence, measuring community vulnerability, using the media to reach the community, utilizing voice and data communications, developing a crisis management plan, and gathering resources.
Abstract
Some key areas where police chiefs can acquire important information to prevent or avert a terrorist threat or attack include: accessing law enforcement databases, building strong ties with Federal law enforcement agencies, networking with local chiefs, critically assessing each unusual, event and participating in intelligence clearinghouses. Reducing a community's vulnerability to attack also requires analyzing a locality to identify likely targets and working to improve the security at these locations. Many entities have created a rating system that sorts problem areas into four levels: fatal, critical, important, and routine. Taking advantage of these functions within a police department demonstrates how risk can be determined in a community. During an incident such as a terrorist attack, a law enforcement executive must release information to the local community as quickly as possible. The foundation for effective communication to the community starts with a strong, open media relations program. Agency incident response plans should include processes for communicating with and through the media. Another important area that must be considered by police chiefs is consideration of how voice and data communications will be managed during a critical incident. Chiefs must think about how they will communicate with fire services, emergency medical services, public works, departments of transportation (local and State), and neighboring and concurrent jurisdictions. An incident management plan includes training personnel and installing required systems or protective devices. In addition, a community’s response plan must be continually updated to ensure it contains current information. And finally, components of a comprehensive incident response plan should include: identifying the sources of food in the community; discovering those facilities to be used as shelters; considering the various types of emergency aid available in a community; considering the types of vehicles available to law enforcement; and identifying individual civilians and civilian groups that can provide assistance.