Boston Marathon Bombing

It is no secret that since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 the way of life in the United States changed forever. People are more observant, more mindful, and more prepared. This is especially true for the law enforcement agencies all across the country. They have always had the duty to serve and protect, but that has been bumped up a few notches in the recent years and the day of the Boston Marathon Bombing is a perfect example. Today police are essentially at the center of Homeland Security. They try to prevent crime, respond when crime does occur, and make criminal cases against suspected offenders. For the most part, the rest of the criminal justice system depends on the police (Cordner., & W, G. (2013). When the Boston Marathon …show more content…
Perhaps the most important as well as controversial national security role for police is intelligence collection (Waxman, M. (n.d.). After the bombs were detonated police had to gather as much information as they could from as many of the eye witnesses as they could. This information gathering involved going to the hospital to recover cell phones, take statements, and collect clothing to help in obtaining as much physical evidence as possible from the scene of the explosion. They also had to gather evidence at the actual crime scene as well. This was no easy task for the Boston Police Department so it was very important that they worked closely with other agencies during this …show more content…
Part of that includes investigating and prosecuting international and domestic terrorism, export control violations, espionage, unlawful disclosure of classified information, threats against high-ranking public officials, non-terrorist extraterritorial violent crimes against American citizens, immigration violations, and other sensitive matters that implicate national security (National Security. (2015, February 24). They did a good job of this by doing door to door searches looking for the men responsible for the bombs, as well as apprehending and arresting one of the brothers, and creating a case against him for his trial. They did not violate his rights even if his involvements in the bombings are considered a terrorist crime against United States citizens. The role of police officers has evolved in many ways over the years and it will continue to evolve in the years to come simply because the threat of a terrorist attack will always be a possibility. Police need to continue training to be prepared for the unfortunate event of an attack as well as work together with other agencies in order to effectively execute the training and precautionary plans they established in order to keep the citizens of the United States safe from