by
Willis, Henry H.
Call Number
363.32 22
Publication Date
2005
Summary
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for protecting the United States from terrorism. It achieves this goal partly through the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which allocates resources to states and urban areas. Until DHS can know the effectiveness of available risk-reduction alternatives or determine reasonable minimum standards for community preparedness, allocating homeland security resources based on risk is the next best approach; areas at higher risk are likely to have more and larger opportunities for risk reduction than areas at lower risk. This monograph offers a method for constructing an estimate of city risk shares, designed to perform well across a wide range of threat scenarios and risk types. It also proposes and demonstrates a framework for comparing the performance of alternative risk estimates given uncertainty in measuring the elements of risk. Finally, it makes five recommendations for improving the allocation of homeland security resources: DHS should consistently define terrorism risk in terms of expected annual consequences; DHS should seek robust risk estimators that account for uncertainty about terrorism risk and variance in citizen values; DHS should develop event-based models of terrorism risk; until reliable event-based models are constructed, DHS should use density-weighted population rather than population as a simple risk indicator; and DHS should fund research to bridge the gap between terrorism risk assessment and resource allocation policies that are cost-effective.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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6.7507
by
Welsh-Huggins, Andrew.
Call Number
344.730532517 23
Publication Date
2011
Summary
"One day in 2002, three friends--a Somali immigrant, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, and a hometown African American--met in a Columbus, Ohio coffee shop and vented over civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan. Their conversation triggered an investigation that would become one of the most unusual and far-reaching government probes into terrorism since the 9/11 attacks. Over several years, prosecutors charged each man with unrelated terrorist activities in cases that embodied the Bush administration's approach to fighting terrorism at home. Government lawyers spoke of catastrophes averted; defense attorneys countered that none of the three had done anything but talk. The stories of these homegrown terrorists illustrate the paradox the government faces after September 11: how to fairly wage a war against alleged enemies living in our midst. Hatred at Home is a true crime drama that will spark debate from all political corners about safety, civil liberties, free speech, and the government's war at home"--Provided by publisher.
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Electronic Resources
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5.0147
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by
Libicki, Martin C.
Call Number
363.325 22
Publication Date
2007
Summary
Governments spend billions to protect against terrorism. Might it help to understand what al Qaeda would achieve with each specific attack? This book examines various hypotheses of terrorist targeting: is it (1) to coerce, (2) to damage economies, (3) to rally the faithful, or (4) a decision left to affiliates? This book analyzes past attacks, post hoc justifications, and expert opinion to weigh each hypothesis.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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4.6230
by
Jones, Tony.
Call Number
347.7310684
Publication Date
2003
Summary
In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in acts of violence in the courts. These acts range from minor disturbances and physical assaults to murder and mass destruction. The potential exists for violence to occur in any court system regardless of location. Unfortunately, many courts at all levels of the judicial system have been slow or even reluctant to implement adequate security measures. This book is designed to prove the folly in such denial. It provides hard statistics and observations that highlight this unique visceral security environment. The text is specifically designed to hel.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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4.6209
by
Kushner, Harvey W.
Call Number
364.1 21
Publication Date
1998
Summary
This text was written by an internationally recognized expert on terrorism, antigovernment violence, and extremism for criminal justice and security administration professionals. The first chapter focuses on the definition of terrorism, the history of terrorism in the United States, and contemporary terrorism. The second chapter covers international terrorism and contains information on the Soviet Union, the Persian Gulf War, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasir Arafat, and Carlos the Jackal, all considered to be old terrorist threats. The new terrorist threats are identified as Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, boot camps for terror, the Islamic Resistance Movement, freelancers, suicide bombers, and cyberspace. The third chapter explores domestic terrorism in the United States and includes information on various organizations and antigovernment extremists. The fourth chapter assesses terrorist groups of the future, with emphasis on freelancers and what law enforcement agencies can do to cope with the threat. The fifth chapter analyzes domestic and international organizations that are currently active or in a position to make an immediate comeback. The sixth chapter presents a chronological summary of terrorist and terrorist-related incidents in the United States. The final chapter contains names and addresses of organizations to contact for additional information on terrorists and extremists. Actual case examples are used throughout the text to illustrate specific terrorist groups and freelancers.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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4.5761
by
Jenkins, Brian Michael.
Call Number
363.3251560973 22
Publication Date
2006
Summary
Brian Michael Jenkins presents a clear-sighted and sobering analysis of where we are today in the struggle against terrorism. Jenkins, an internationally renowned authority on terrorism, distills the jihadists' operational code and suggests how they might assess their situation very differently from how we might do so. He distills the jihadists' operational code and outlines a ferociously pragmatic but principled approach that goes beyond attacking terrorist networks and operational capabilities to defeating their entire missionary enterprise by deterring recruitment and encouraging defections. Jenkins believes that homeland security should move beyond gates and guards and become the impetus for rebuilding America's decaying infrastructure. Americans need to adopt a realistic approach to risk and get a lot smarter about security. We need to build upon the nation's traditions of determination and self-reliance. Above all, we need to preserve our commitment to American values. Preserving these values is no mere matter of morality, he argues; it is a strategic imperative. Jenkins brings to his prose the driving rhythm, no-nonsense language, passion, and energy of a warrior, and he brings to his analysis the steady, informed perspective of a historian. Unconquerable Nation is a rallying cry from a man who has dedicated his life to defending America, who has been dismayed by the propagation of homegrown terror, yet who refuses to surrender his faith in what he believes are America's finest, unconquerable values. How America deals with the terrorist threat is one of the major challenges of this century. Jenkins points the way forward.
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Electronic Resources
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4.5638
by
Barkun, Michael.
Call Number
363.325160973 22
Publication Date
2011
Summary
This title explores the gap between the reality of terrorism and the imagined threat of terrorism. Linking this gap between reality and paranoia to the Bush administration's 'overreaction' to terrorist threats, the author focuses on the issue of unseen dangers.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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4.5555
by
Cordesman, Anthony H.
Call Number
355.033073 21
Publication Date
2002
Summary
New threats require new thinking. State attacks involving long-range missiles or conventional military forces are not the only threat to the U.S. homeland. Covert attacks by state actors, state use of proxies, independent terrorist and extremist attacks by foreign groups or individuals--and even by residents of the United States--are significant issues for future U.S. security. In this comprehensive work, Cordesman offers a range of recommendations, from reevaluating what constitutes a threat and bolstering homeland defense measures, to improving resource allocation and sharpening intelligence. Annotation. Cordesman (Middle East program, Center for Strategic and International Studies) argues that homeland defense must respond to a constantly changing threat, and especially to the kind that may be impossible to predict, and which may emerge as a pattern of attack in the years to come. He discusses such aspects as assessing risks, prioritizing threats, types of attacks, creating a homeland defense capability, and federal cooperation.
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Electronic Resources
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4.4937
by
Jenkins, Brian Michael.
Call Number
363.32516097
Publication Date
2011
Summary
This book provides a multifaceted array of answers to the question, In the ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, how has America responded? In a series of essays, RAND authors lend a farsighted perspective to the national dialogue on 9/11's legacy. The essays assess the military, political, fiscal, social, cultural, psychological, and even moral implications of U.S. policymaking since 9/11. Part One of the book addresses the lessons learned from America's accomplishments and mistakes in its responses to the 9/11 attacks and the ongoing terrorist threat. Part Two explores reactions to the extreme ideologies of the terrorists and to the fears they have generated. Part Three presents the dilemmas of asymmetrical warfare and suggests ways to resolve them. Part Four cautions against sacrificing a long-term strategy by imposing short-term solutions, particularly with respect to air passenger security and counterterrorism intelligence. Finally, Part Five looks at the effects of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. public health system, at the potential role of compensation policy for losses incurred by terrorism, and at the possible long-term effects of terrorism and counterterrorism on American values, laws, and society.--Publisher description.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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4.4201
by
Davis, Lois M.
Call Number
363.325160973 22
Publication Date
2010
Summary
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the need for increased counterterrorism (CT) and homeland security (HS) efforts at the federal, state, and local levels has taken the spotlight in public safety efforts. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, many law enforcement agencies (LEAs) shifted more resources toward developing CT and HS capabilities, and the federal government continues to support these efforts with grants provided through the Department of Homeland Security. This monograph examines the long-term adjustments that large urban LEAs have made to accommodate the focus on CT and HS, as well as the advantages and challenges associated with it. The study relies primarily on in-depth case studies of five large urban LEAs, as well as a review of federal HS grant programs and a quantitative analysis of the potential costs associated with shifting law enforcement personnel from traditional policing to focus on HS and CT functions. Major trends among the five case study LEAs include the creation of specialized departments and units, as well as an increased emphasis on information-sharing, which, nationwide, has led to the creation of fusion centers that serve as formal hubs for regional information-sharing networks. LEAs' HS and CT efforts are also greatly influenced by the restrictions and requirements associated with federal HS grant funding. Finally, using cost-of-crime estimates, it is possible to partially quantify the costs associated with LEAs' shifting of personnel away from traditional crime prevention toward CT and HS -- there are also clear benefits associated with law enforcement's focus on CT and HS, but they are difficult to quantify, and this is posing a challenge for LEAs as the economic downturn puts pressure on public budgets.
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Electronic Resources
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4.4143
by
Purpura, Philip P., 1950-
Call Number
363.325160973 22
Publication Date
2007
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
4.2875
by
Landree, Eric.
Call Number
363.32593880973 22
Publication Date
2006
Summary
How much data regarding U.S. anti- and counterterrorism systems, countermeasures, and defenses is publicly available and how easily could it be found by individuals seeking to harm U.S. domestic interests? The authors developed a framework to guide assessments of the availability of such information for planning attacks on the U.S. air, rail, and sea transportation infrastructure, and applied the framework in an information-gathering exercise that used several attack scenarios. Overall, the framework was useful for assessing what kind of information would be easy or hard for potential attackers to find. For each of the attack scenarios, a team of 'attackers' was unable to locate some of the information that a terrorist planner would need to gauge the likely success of a potential attack. The authors recommend that procedures for securing sensitive information be evaluated regularly and that information that can be obtained from easily accessible, off-site public information sources be included in vulnerability assessments.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
4.0593
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