Democratic-Republican National Political Convention

Abstract 

The Democratic-Republican National Convention(DRNC) is a political event that has long been known to bring about tension and a string of raw emotions that offer avenues for dangers and tragedies to take place. This event is scheduled to take place in Miami, Florida and involves tens of thousands of civilians including agencies and organizations and hence requires proper planning from the relevant teams to ensure the safety of the people, participants and the public at large. The objective of this exercise is to formulate a multi-agency, interdisciplinary workgroup to analyze and evaluate the policy planning of the law enforcement officials and federal officers to make sure that the safety of the participants is ensured and that there is proper management of the crime scene. This exercise such as the DRNC considers important challenges that have the probability of occurring. 

KEYWORDS: DRNC, LAW ENFORCEMENT, Miami 

Statement of the purpose of the exercise 

The purpose of the exercise is to create a multi-agency, inter-disciplinary task force that will provide crime scene and forensic laboratory services on a region-wide basis during the duration of the DRNC special event. This will enable the workgroup to touch upon the vital setbacks and the scenarios that could occur during the DRNC event and come up with viable solutions and recommendations to ensure the well being of the participants. 

Participating entities and their roles 

The DRNC is a huge event, and hence multiple agencies have to work together and come up with ideas that would help in preparing for the event (Lawton-Barrett, 2011) . The participating entities include:the Miami-Dade police department(MDPD), the Miami Police Department(MDP), the Miami-Dade police crime lab. also, the Broward County sheriff’s office crime scene investigations bureau, the FBI hazardous material response unit, the Jackson memorial hospital, the Miami-dade police department bomb squad, the Miami-dade fire rescue urban search and rescue, the Miami Dade medical examiner’s office and the 44th civil support team of the Florida national guard. 

The mdpd, the MPD and the U.S secret service with the support of the 44th civil support team of Florida national guard have the resources and the necessary personnel to offer both air and ground support if need be for the event (Spitz & Spitz, 2006) . Moreover, law enforcement officers can be positioned in civilian clothes to give feedback and reports from the observations they make. 

The Broward county sheriffs office crime scene investigations and the city of Miami police department crime section will provide the personnel necessary for carrying out crime scene investigations hence the ability to control and properly manage a crime scene is well handled (Agrawal, 2019) . Proper management of the crime scene in the event of its occurrence is the most precious source of evidence used to solve investigations. 

The FBI hazardous material response unit, the Miami-dade medical examiner’s office, the Miami-dade fire rescue urban search and rescue team together with the Jackson Memorial hospital are all well equipped to handle forensic analysis and studies. Extensive forensic analysis of material found at the crime scene and examination of the casualties is fundamental in carrying out of the investigations. The fire and rescue team is capable of conducting search and rescue operations as well as transporting the injured to the hospital or for the examinations by the medical examiners. 

The Miami-dade police bomb squad is well equipped with skilled personnel and necessary equipment to handle a bomb threat and even in the cases of diffusing the bomb in the crime scene. 

Regional Crime scene and Forensic Capabilities tested 

Handling of a mass casualty incident for large crowds such as during the DRNC is very challenging at times, and sometimes the integrity of the evidence found is very questionable because when such an occurrence occurs, the situation is marred by chaos hence taking control of the crime scene difficult (Lawton-Barrett, 2011) . Therefore, a multi-disciplinary approach is essential in ensuring the safety of the public and participants in the view at that time. In case a mass casualty event, the probability that a chemical or biological weapon attack to happen is high. Therefore, prior planning in regards to the proper management of the crime scene and forensic preparedness is vital. For instance, in case of disruptions in the DRNC activities of the day, chaos may erupt and maintaining such a crime scene and keeping it in control will prove difficult (Spitz & Spitz, 2006) . Furthermore, if a biological attack is initiated, the forensic team is vital in carrying out the investigations and thorough examinations of the casualties at the scene of the crime with the aid of the pathologists. The integrity of such crime scenes is significantly affected in this case (Agrawal, 2019) . Hence, the knowledge and expertise of the pathologists and forensic experts are vital in obtaining vital information to be used as clues for the investigations and also as evidence. The forensic evidence that may be obtained in such scenarios include, DNA, biological and nuclear evidence, firearms, etc. this proves that a multi-agency approach is the best way for preparing for such occurrences. 

Timeline Scripts for two Realistic Mass Casualty Scenarios 

Conclusion 

The democratic republican national convention (DRNC) is an event on schedule to take place in Miami, Florida. As seen, the event is a cause of tension and emotions among the participants. Due to this nature of the event, it is clear that this may seem like a recipe for danger and a tragic occurrence to take place. Therefore, prior well detailed multi-agency planning is necessary to try and curb an occurrence to such incidences and also for proper maintenance of the crime scene in the event of a mass casualty incidence. Challenges and issues that have been witnessed in the past should also be put into consideration by the agency for better enforcement of safety which is a crucial component in this context. 

References 

Agrawal, P. (2019). Is the Plural of Anecdote Data? Creating Evidence-Based Policy for Mass Casualty Incidents.  American Journal of Public Health,109 (2), 189-190. doi:10.2105/ajph.2018.304889 

Lawton-Barrett, K. (2011). Crime Scene Management: Scene Specific Methods by R. Sutton and K. Trueman (Eds.).  The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice,50 (3), 335-336. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2311.2011.00670.x 

Spitz, W. U., & Spitz, D. J. (Eds.). (2006). Spitz and fisher’s medicolegal investigation of death: Guidelines for the application of pathology to crime investigation (4th ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. ISBN: 978-0-3980-7544-6