Prevention of a crime is more ideal than catching the perpetrator after they have committed a crime because the situation may be dire as victims may be involved and get injured or killed. Therefore, preventing a crime may save a life or lives. The same applies to terrorism. The magnitude of people saved from a biological attack is great if the terror operation is foiled and culprits brought to justice. As the Chief of Police, it is paramount that I become effective in protecting the people of Boston from an impending biological terror attack by using the resources entrusted to the department and aid other security agencies in preventing the attack. The first move is to try and get the information from the relevant agency so that Law Enforcement (LE) can have something to go with when handling groundwork. The intelligence got about the attack may have been got by an American security agency with jurisdiction overseas. This includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). However, the agency tasked with defending the USA from within on matters terrorism is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and they too are likely to have the intelligence report about the impending attack (Homeland Security, 2019). Therefore, that is the first area the chief of police should solicit for information. Terrorism intelligence is no longer guarded between agencies as this was one of the reasons that made 9/11 a success. Agencies work together to quash terror threats on the land of America effectively. Therefore, through liaison contingents, it will be easy for the LE to get some information. This shows that dissemination of intelligence between the multiple security agencies is important. It is easier to act on intelligence once it is received. However, it is one that should still be kept confidential and not shared with the entire LE department in Boston. A task force will be formed to keep the matter a secret before it is officially declassified. The task force will be tasked with collecting more intelligence from the community, which will help determine whether the intelligence is actionable or not. Intelligence plays a larger role in counter-terrorism and crime prevention. Intelligence is information collected, analyzed, and developed into a product before it is disseminated to the client for their use (Hughbank & Githens, 2010). Since the threat is already knowledgeable, the intelligence to be collected by the taskforce is tactical intelligence. Rather than strategic intelligence, which is a long-term plan against terrorism, the LE needs tactical intelligence to assist other agencies in preventing an attack. Boston LE is already accustomed to community policing and intelligence-led policing – a fact that has led it to integrate and effectively infiltrate communities within its jurisdiction (Carter, 2004). Boston LE, therefore, is the authority with a better understanding of the community. They know people like Confidential Informants (CIs) who can give information pertaining to activities of an individual planning an attack or anything that could make some sense. It is difficult for the perpetrator to travel from the middle east to come and make an attack. The modus operandi of moth terror factions is to have sleeper cells within the area being targeted. Theirs is to activate the individual and facilitate them into attacking to harm as many people as they can. Using intelligence products, both past and current, the department could identify potential suspects using their network of CIs and other equivalent members of society (Carter, 2004). The public is likely to corporate with a known face in the community like LE rather than individuals like DHS or CIA and FBI who keep their identities hidden to the public. The public is more concerned with public safety, especially if it means that their lives are at stake. However, the public shouldn't catch wind of such a threat as it would them into a panic, which would tip off the perpetrator of such an operation. Therefore, the public is likely to talk to LE. The LE also works closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ), who works to keep criminals away. A lot of intelligence can also be obtained from prison systems why terror factions have also infiltrated to get followers who can organize or perpetrate terrorism once they got out. Potential target identification is also important as it will help with studying suspicious characters around such a locale. Perpetrators normally survey and study the locations they plan to attack. Numerous intelligence products can then be analyzed to ascertain, which are actionable. Actionable intelligence is information that can be effectively acted upon. Such information is normally reliable and valid to the course that they have been collected for. The intelligence can then be acted upon by forwarding it to the DHS while still keeping a lookout for an impending attack.
Works Cited
Carter, D. L. (2004). Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies. PsycEXTRA Dataset . https://doi.org/10.1037/e310712005-001
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Homeland Security. (2019, December 13). Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security Threats . Department of Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/counter-terrorism-and-homeland-security-threats.
Hughbank, R. J., & Githens, D. (2010). Intelligence and Its Role in Protecting Against Terrorism. Journal of Strategic Security , 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.3.1.3
