Introduction
The various agencies of law enforcement faced adjustment in recent times with the intent of enhancing and ensuring national security. While nations have not currently witnessed deadly foreign terrorist attacks, such as the September 2001, a new form of terrorism has risen. The primary threat to homeland security in present times is domestic terrorism. Hate groups and the easy access to and ownership of guns present as the major factors for the rise and continuous occurrence of domestic terrorism in recent times. Public-focused strategies are required to help suppress the roots of the problems and further ensure the security of the American people and land. Diversifying the law enforcement agencies, implementing stricter gun laws and putting penalties on hatred actions, and taking more advantage of and incorporating IT into law enforcement can help curb domestic terrorism and make the American society much safer.
Current and Possible threats to Homeland/National Security
The Jihadist attack in September of 2001 that took away the lives of nearly three thousand people was by far the deadliest attack on US soil. Since 2001, the United States has not witnessed a deadly attack of the same magnitude. The creation and coordinated works of the department of homeland security, which is responsible for preventing terrorism and enhancing national or domestic security, prevents such attacks ( Sykes, 2018) . Other major roles of the department of homeland security according to its mission statement, include ensuring resilience to disasters, securing cyberspace, enforcing immigration laws, and securing United States borders. The department has been working with many other departments such as the US Coast Guard, which is now under the DHS, in an attempt to effectively ensure national security. The concept of homeland security is, however, a bigger one involving numerous law enforcement, disaster management, and disease control departments in the federal, state, and local governments. It covers domestic threats, national disasters, and epidemics, which are some of the major issues affecting the national peace and lives of the American people. Other threats to national security in recent times include natural disasters such as hurricanes, domestic cyberattacks, and the possibility of an epidemic.
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In the past, homeland security received threats from foreign-based terrorism, such as the bombing of 2001. While there have been instances of jihadist terrorism in present times, they have been lower and less deadly as compared to the period before 2001. Also, the scope of terror has dramatically changed in America in recent times, and most of the deadly attacks are domestic. The active use of the internet in the new century and the continuous use of internet tools and platforms such as social media are some of the contributing factors to the rise of domestic terrorism in the US in recent times. At the moment, there are approximations that more than a thousand hate groups exist in the US ( Taylor, 2019) . Hate groups rise along the social lines of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or any other designated lines. The internet, especially through the most common social media platforms such as Facebook, allows hate group to spread their opinions and get more people to join them. Other factors, such as the easy access to guns, also make it possible for these groups and individuals to commit terror on the groups of people whom they hate.
Recently, some of the most influential and respectable Americans, such as former President Barack Obama’s lives were under threat by the use of mail bombs. The threats show the extent to which national security is at risk of domestic terrorism. A man drove through a group of protestors in 2017, killing an innocent woman and leaving almost thirty others with injuries just because he hated the views of that group. A shooter opened fire at a group of people praying peacefully in a church. Other instances of extreme terror have been witnessed in different parts of the country where innocent children, women, and people of different societal backgrounds were killed or seriously injured. The last decade has seen hundreds of people dying as a result of domestic acts of terror, such as mass murder and targeted assaults. The never-stopping trend of terrorist attacks by hate groups and individuals shows that homeland security and other parties involved have not yet put down proper national security and counter-terrorism strategies to curb domestic terrorism.
Counter-terrorism Strategies
In the current domestic realm, a proper counter-terrorism strategy that would help curb the major threat to homeland security, that is, domestic terrorism instigated through hate, must include the people and work towards reconstructing and unifying the nations. Homeland security already has numerous law enforcement departments under it, involved in specific areas of national security. The continued attacks by hate groups and individuals show that more is needed to complement the work of various federal, state, and local law enforcement officers ( Taylor, 2019) . Strategic outcomes can succeed through the implementation of proper programs using appropriate resources. The American people need to see a transformation in the national and state governments through the sector of national security in order for them to be transformed and be able to see the nation differently. Identifying, arresting, and neutralizing domestic terrorists does not prevent future similar terror attacks but only makes the situation worse as followers will certainly follow in the footsteps of their fallen members.
Some of the counter-terrorism strategies that may work to curb domestic terrorism and the rise of hate groups successfully include increasing diversity in law enforcement agencies, stricter gun laws, hatred acts penalties, and more use of Information Technology and the use of technological equipment and devices such as drones and active reporting devices. Since 2017, the police force has been expanded, with various departments having thousands of recruits. All these attempts to ensure national security have not quite worked out as far as domestic terrorism is concerned. The strategies stated above, if incorporated into national security, will undoubtedly work to suppress hatred among various groups and reduce the cases of domestic terror, among other threats to national security.
Law Enforcement Diversity
The public needs to be represented and feel part of the system for them to be able to look up to the system and carry the law requires themselves at all times. Law enforcement departments do not mirror American society. Women, for example, only make up about fifteen percent of all law enforcement employees, yet there are slightly more women than men in the country. Some groups, such as African Americans, detest the actions or the mere presence of police officers for the mere reason that they do not feel represented in the force. According to most African Americans, the police do not act in their best interest at all times ( Carbado& Richardson, 2017) . Overrepresentation of certain groups in law enforcement may also give those groups the power to infringe on the rights of the minority groups. The lack of diversity in the police force, in all the realms of homeland security, is one contributing factor to the rise of hatred among different societal groups. The first step towards suppressing such hatred and preventing inevitable domestic acts of terror and violence is working towards creating a more diverse domestic police force. A more diverse police force will treat every community more fairly and respond equally to every situation in all parts of the country. A more diverse police force will also help suppress the notion of racism in the American law enforcement agencies, which will help inspire tolerance to race throughout the American society.
Penalties on Hatred Acts and Stricter Gun Laws
Perpetrators of domestic violence and terrorist acts have always been found to have been quite active on the various popular social and online platforms spreading messages of hate. New policies need to be put in place to help monitor hate and actions of hate through social media platforms and in the physical environment. The more people the messages of hate reach, the higher the chances of individuals or groups of people committing terror acts on innocent people. Persons found to spread messages of hate or engage in actions of hate targeted on specific groups of people should face substantial penalties, including lengthy jail terms. With such policies in place, fewer hate messages spread, and fewer people will practice actions of hate against others, and ultimately, the chances of hate groups and individuals committing terror attacks will have been dramatically reduced ( McGhee, 2017) . Gun control, as a topic, has been the center of debate in the past and recent years with people still divided on whether gun ownership is a bad idea or not. The United States continues to lead in civilian gun ownership as well as gun-related deaths in the global arena. Many domestic terrors where many people died used high assault machine guns, which civilians should never possess. Domestic terrorists thrive in the American freedom of owning guns and ease by which people acquire guns. Putting such deadly weapons on lockdown and putting place other stricter gun rules may go a long way in curbing the problem of domestic mass murder and terror.
More Reliance on IT and Technological Equipment and Devices
Normally, people dial the emergency police number when they are in trouble or when they spot situations that require the assistance of the law enforcement officers. Sometimes police officers take half an hour to respond or get to the incident. Today, there are apps for everything, and the national security should advantage of such technology to better ensure the safety of the American people. For instance, an app that shows civilian users the nearest police on patrol or station, and shows police officers the areas where incidents are occurring can help increase response time and create a good relationship between the public and the police. Drones flying around high enough may help monitor communities and keep criminals at bay. Active reporting utilities can be installed in houses and business establishments to help alert the police. ( Rogers, 2019) . A much more digitally connected police force, in which information is spread through the various departments of homeland security, may also put the law enforcement agencies ahead of domestic crimes and the occurrence of terror attacks.
Conclusion
As discussed above, the main threat facing national or domestic security in present times is domestic terrorism, which mostly instigated through hate and the rise of hate groups in the country. To that effect, the best way to come up with a counter-terrorism strategy is not to adjust or create more law enforcement agencies, but to look for measures that work to involve the people in reconstructing and unifying the country. In simple terms, to curb domestic terrorism, its roots must be suppressed. Hatred has to be controlled, and the rules of gun ownership must be adjusted. The outlook of the law enforcement agencies must resemble the society for everyone to feel represented and safe. Finally, information technology must be extensively explored and incorporated into law enforcement to further monitor crimes and help curb domestic terror.
References
Taylor, H. (2019). Domestic terrorism and hate crimes: legal definitions and media framing of mass shootings in the United States. Journal of policing, intelligence and counter-terrorism , 14 (3), 227-244.
McGhee, D. (2017). From hate to 'Prevent': community safety and counter-terrorism. In Hate Crime (pp. 169-193). Willan.
Carbado, D. W., & Richardson, L. S. (2017). The Black Police: Policing Our Own.
Sykes, P. C. (2018). Preventing domestic terrorism: local law enforcement role in the homeland security mission, and the shortcomings in the fight against terrorism.
Rogers, D. (2019). US Surveillance of Citizens: The Prevention of Domestic Terrorism.
