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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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October/November
2007
Volume 13 - Number
1/2 |
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The Risk of Domestic Terrorism By Scott Steward There are many factors that result in an increased
risk of terrorism for the general population within the United States.
Over the past six years, obvious terrorist targets such as national symbols,
air ports, military bases, utilities, and the like have invested significant
money and effort to increase facility security. This transformation,
while necessary, has shifted the risk of attack to less prepared facilities
such as malls, public transportation, and public events. At the same
time little effort has been made to educate the civilian population on how
to spot a potential terrorist or how to respond to a terrorist or terrorist
attack. For example, since 2001 the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
has significantly increased its security to include closing off surrounding
streets, erecting vehicle barriers, and implementing elevated security checks
(1). If a terrorist organization wanted to make a significant impact
on the American economy they could dispatch suicide bombers to attack selected
malls across the country on the day after Thanksgiving. Since most
malls have little to no security these attacks could be carried out virtually
unencumbered, wrecking havoc on consumer spending, which is the driving engine
of the American economy.
Another example of the risk shifting can be found in the transportation industry. Many millions have been spent attempting to protect the air transportation system from terrorist attacks. However, little has been done to increase the security on public transportation systems such as the Washington D.C. Metro. As with shopping malls, these transportation systems could be easily attacked. Such an attack on the Metro system would drastically impact ridership, in the short term, putting many more cars on the Washington D.C roadways resulting in huge gridlock and an inability for Government workers to reach offices in a timely manner. This could result in a temporary impact on the operation of the Federal Government. The use of conventional security measures, such as metal detectors or X-ray machines, to protect malls or public transportation systems would significantly effect the operation of these facilities. Additionally, the reliance upon technological solutions is not the best approach. Our experience thus far in the War on Terror should have taught us that while technology can help increase security it is no substitute for the diligence of individuals. Also, we need to realize that the terrorists who want to attack us are not stupid. They understand how these security technologies work and can develop ways to circumvent them. The only way to increase the level of security in public facilities without impacting performance is through the education of the American public. Just as we have public education campaigns to discourage smoking and drunk driving or encourage healthier eating, we need to take steps to educate the public on what warning signs might indicate a terrorist attack is taking place. An example of this type of education can occasionally be seen on the Washington D.C. Metro when they have the “Is that your bag?” messages, which warn the public to be on the lookout for unattended baggage. While this effort is pointed in the right direction it is woefully short of what is needed. While we cannot force people to unplug from their i-pods and pay attention to the world around them, by educating everyone on the signs of terrorism and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack we can increase the odds of stopping it from occurring and mitigating its effect when it does occur. (1) http://www.toprealtynews.com/realestatenews/commercial_property/id_30242/ |