New York City-Background information
The New York City hosts major urban centers popular in business, innovation, growth, and development. The continued increase in residents and visitors in the city due to the rise in opportunities for investments and opportunities of employment calls for strict security and protection of both residents and visitors. New York has an extensive international border with Canada and sharing border crossing locations which add to the security challenge. New York is accessible to tourists through waterways and international railway bridges (Haufler, 2013). Also, it hosts the United States symbolic locations and tourists destinations such as the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Centre, the Empire state building, Niagara Falls, Ellis Island, the United Nations, the US Military Academy among others. The state has critical infrastructure systems which include the commercial nuclear reactors, high-risk chemical facilities pipelines, waterways and an extensive transport system which provides for tunnels, airports, bridges, and rail (Haufler, 2013).
Terrorists target the private sectors with the aim of destroying the states innovation and mass employers as an act of attacking stability and affecting large numbers of people. The private sector also appear as a soft target and unprepared for attacks which makes them an easy target. The private sector is also prone to terrorism as a way to frighten or send a message to the local or national government on the damage that terrorism can create and affect operations and freedoms of citizens. Additionally, attacks on private sector scare off foreign investments by creating an unsuitable and unstable atmosphere for investment (New York State Homeland Security Strategy, 2017-2020).
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The tourism sector is one of the potential private industries that are usually targeted by terrorists. The state has numerous tourists’ attractions locations especially in the areas with symbolic and international affiliation structures such as the World Trade Center and the Times Square (New York State Homeland Security Strategy, 2017-2020). Jointly affected as a target for terrorists is the hotel industry which hosts visitors during their holiday vacations, New York attracts visitors who enjoy their time in participating in the Broadway shows, shopping in the mega stores and visits to Rockefeller center Christmas tree among other destinations (Haufler, 2013).
Attacks on tourists and visitors would discourage tourists from coming to New York for holidays which would degrade the state’s position in the international arena as unsafe. Terrorists would then be able to alienate the state and affect economic, social. and political activities reducing production and income. New York State is also hosts the United States Military Academy and continued attacks in the city would insult the military and demean the academy functions in training and protection capabilities for their citizens.
The New York City administration should enter into memorandum and understanding and agreement with organizations to enhance preparedness and resiliency. In the information and technology organizations, agreements will assist in deals of web search portals and internet publishing. Educational organizations such as Cornell and Technion University who are in collaboration to build an engineering center to cater for New York’s growing internet and technological services and needs (Haufler, 2013). The financial sector deals with securities, contracts and stock exchange, educational organizations, healthcare and social care organizations and security firms should be included in the agreements to promote preparedness and ensure a proper response in cases or emergencies and security breaches from terrorists.
Entering into memorandums of understanding and agreement with various organizations will help in protecting New York City from its vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities arise from the increase in demand for resources, changes in population and settlements, and the interdependence of the systems as they work together. Agreements provide a definite cause of action in case of attacks which would adversely affect New York’s central position in the global economy (Dempsey, 2008). Due to the exceptional nature of the risk, the agreements provide strategies for cushioning and providing economic, social and political protection from the extensive and destabilizing long term effects from attacks. Thus, a formal agreement would enhance and ensure stability and guard against disruptions from adverse economic impacts of insecurity.
Agreements between New York State and organizations below will impact the security and help protect the state from terrorism.
• New York financial market will support through ideas in financial preparations and budgeting for emergencies by providing estimations and allocations.
• Health and social care organizations will agree to cater for the casualties offering maximum care to safeguard lives and prevent death resulting from negligence and delays.
• New York City Metropolitan will help to train and equip law enforcers to act as response teams in emergencies to deal with crime scenes and forensic details (New York State Homeland Security Strategy, 2017-2020)
• New York state intelligence center will play a role of improving security through engagement in intelligence operation and provision of reliable information to combat and prevent attacks.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology will help in the assessment of the cyber risk of crimes and examine the posed threats, vulnerabilities and consequences while upholding the required standards.
• Information and technology organizations- during emergencies and disasters communication planning and execution. It will help in collecting analyzing and disseminating available information on current and emerging security threats. Develop and incorporate technology to the required standards for emergency responses through the development of structures such as unmanned aircrafts system for use in rescue missions.
The private sector roles and responsibilities in homeland security can be accomplished by engaging in activities such as citizen preparedness by conducting training to inform residents of New York on how to stay vigilant and prepared for emergencies and how to respond and protect their families in such times. In events of disasters, they should organize sheltering and care facilities and provide donations supplies and other services. They should work with public sectors through the formations of joint councils committees and community response teams in preparation for emergencies (Dempsey, 2008). They should be actively involved in discussions and policies formation meetings which focus on the protection of the state against terrorism.
References
Dempsey, J. S. (2008). Introduction to private security. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth
Haufler, V. (2013). A Public Role for the Private Sector: Industry Self-Regulation in a Global Economy. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from Project MUSE database.
New York State Homeland Security Strategy (2017-2020).Retrieved from: http://www.dhses.ny.gov/media/documents/NYS-Homeland-Security-Strategy.pdf
