Domestic and international terrorist groups threaten the very foundation of society with acts of violence on an all too frequent basis. We hear of atrocities committed on a daily basis at the international level. Here at home, in the United States of America, the acts of violence are not to frequent. However, terrorist acts are slowly creeping their way into the fabric of our society. The influx of illegal immigrants and refugees brings with them the hatred and violence toward our country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for keeping our borders secure and the citizens of the United States safe from acts of terrorism. In keeping with its duty to keep us safe comes the gathering of intelligence and planning in preparation
…show more content…
In addition, “the traditional U.S. forensic science community generally has not been included directly in planning, preparedness, resourcing, response, training, and the exercising of large-scale or specialized forensic science capabilities for terrorism and homeland security” (National Research Council, 2009, p. 283), making it necessary for federal agencies to intervene. Regardless, if a foreign entity perpetrates the incident, both smaller and larger agencies will need to have the assistance of federal agencies. In the case of a terrorist attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and DHS will be lead participating agencies in the investigation. The publication by the National Research Council, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, the authors suggest that in order “to capitalize on this potential, the forensic science and medical examiner communities must be well interfaced with homeland security efforts, so that they can contribute when needed” (National Research Council, 2009, p. 285). This means local and federal resources working together to solve the crime and bring the perpetrators to …show more content…
285-286). This is very important because interoperability, at the investigative level, is usually lost between local and federal agencies, even with the establishment of an Incident Command Center, because there is little exchange of information. Another reason this is important is that “forensic science is heavily woven into homeland security and disaster response” (Pyrek, 2007, p.
In addition, “the traditional U.S. forensic science community generally has not been included directly in planning, preparedness, resourcing, response, training, and the exercising of large-scale or specialized forensic science capabilities for terrorism and homeland security” (National Research Council, 2009, p. 283), making it necessary for federal agencies to intervene. Regardless, if a foreign entity perpetrates the incident, both smaller and larger agencies will need to have the assistance of federal agencies. In the case of a terrorist attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and DHS will be lead participating agencies in the investigation. The publication by the National Research Council, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, the authors suggest that in order “to capitalize on this potential, the forensic science and medical examiner communities must be well interfaced with homeland security efforts, so that they can contribute when needed” (National Research Council, 2009, p. 285). This means local and federal resources working together to solve the crime and bring the perpetrators to …show more content…
285-286). This is very important because interoperability, at the investigative level, is usually lost between local and federal agencies, even with the establishment of an Incident Command Center, because there is little exchange of information. Another reason this is important is that “forensic science is heavily woven into homeland security and disaster response” (Pyrek, 2007, p.