Joint Terrorism Task Force What it is A Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF, is an anti-terrorist program formed by various law enforcement agencies that include: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, U.S Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation and Security Administration, U.S Secret Service, Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, state and local law service, and specialized agencies such as the railroad police. The JTTF engage in surveillance, monitoring, and interrogations in their pursuits. History In 1980, the first Joint Terrorism Task Force was established in New York City. It first began with ten FBI special agents and ten detectives from the New York City Police Department. The establishment of this Joint Terrorism Task Force was a result of the increasing numbers of terrorist bombings during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Then in 1993, the Houston FBI Division initiated its JTTF. Prior to 9/11, the US had 35 Joint Terrorism Task Forces. In 2...
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States was incredibly eager to strike back at the nations thought to be responsible for this horrific tragedy. These attacks were quickly attributed to the terrorist group al-Qa’ida, led by Osama bin Laden, and to the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan, which had provided sanctuary to al-Qa’ida. In response, Washington approved a covert plan led by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to directly attack those responsible in their Middle East safe haven. Initiated on 26 September 2001 with the approval of the warlords of the Afghan Northern Alliance, with whom the CIA had formed an intelligence liaison relationship, Operation Jawbreaker resulted in the fall of the Taliban regime, the killing and capture of a significant amount of al-Qa’ida leadership, and elimination of a terrorist safe haven by early December 2001. Moreover, the Taliban’s collapse denied al-Qa’ida a pseudo-nation-state partner, serving to reduce the organization’s sanctuary to areas residing along the Pakistani border. Operation Jawbreaker, one of the first post-9/11 covert operations carried out by the United States in support of its national security interests, had proved successful. Word of the operation’s swift success astounded those back in Washington; dubbed the CIA’s “finest hour,” it signified the first of many victories by deposing the Taliban’s control of Northern Afghanistan.
The Triangle Terror Group who were they and what did law enforcement learn from them? In this paper they will provide us with a case study to analyze. We will briefly summarize the case of the Triangle Terror Group. Also an analysis on the rights and wrongs of the operation will be presented, along with other tactics that could have been used to mitigate the threat.
Fusion centers are easily described by their name. They are a collaboration between several different agencies that combine to form one united Criminal Justice front against terrorism. All agencies, such as the FBI, Department of Homeland Security(DHS) and local police work together by analyzing and gathering potential information on threats and possible terrorist attacks against the United States. They also serve as a sort of hub to pass out information needed to other agencies. The making of Fusion Centers help make local law enforcements more capable in responding and fighting terror threats.
The FBI is continually faced with capital challenges in its transformation efforts to develop its counterterrorism capabilities, including realigning staff from the traditional law enforcement mission to a counterterrorism focus; building and improving intelligence gathering, analytic, and information sharing capabilities; and recruiting employees with specialized skills to fit these new positions. Still there remain concerns about how well the counterterrorism and intelligence missions have been integrated with the FBI's more traditional law enforcement mission and culture. Currently, progress is being made to fill staffing vacancies in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.(GAO High Risk & Other Major Government Challenges Balancing Fighting Crime Versus Terrorism)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded in 1908 when the Attorney General appointed an anonymous force of 34 Special Agents to be investigators for the Department of Justice. Before that, the DOJ had to borrow Agents from the U.S. Secret Service. In 1909, the Special Agent Force was renamed the Bureau of Investigation, and after countless name changes, it became The Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935.
Since September 11, 2001, the criminal justice system has improved its methods to secure our nation from terrorist attacks. These improved methods can be summed into four kinds of categories and actions. The first key action the department of justice took was protecting America through investigation and criminal prosecution. The next changes were legal which were made to enhance the counter-terrorism efforts and help with investigation and prosecution. Then there are the structural changes to the operations of agencies to enhance counter-terrorism efforts....
On Sep 11, 2001, al Qaeda threatened the United States (U.S.) national security, and we are still combating terrorism. Since that time, al Qaeda and other extremist groups have also been endangering some of the U.S. allies. Realizing the magnitude of this international fight, the U.S. needs help from its partners to counter violence worldwide.
“What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that their security didn’t depend upon the threat of instant U.S. retaliation to deter an enemy attack?”
Drug trafficking activity and terrorism activity have much in common. Both drugs and terrorism have strong national security and law enforcement components, they have military components, border control components, economic and trade components, medical components, and agricultural components. Today there are some 50 federal agencies with some degree of counterdrug responsibilities and at least 12 federal agencies with important counterterrorism responsibilities. This paper examines one model for unifying them under an executive branch, White House director's office, as outlined below.
United States Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism. (2012). Foreign terrorist organizations. Retrieved from website: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm
U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). Fact Check: Terrorism and Terrorism Related Prosecutions by the Bush Administration More than 300 after 9/11. Retrieved from: http://www.justice.gov/cjs/docs/terrorism-bush-admin.html
The Department of Homeland Security has a prominent role in maintaining the safety, security and resilience of our nation. In a world where terrorism is an ever-increasing threat and where man-made and natural disasters have left people and areas in devastation, the Department of Homeland Security works diligently to prevent and protect the United States from the effects of such tragedy. In order to effectively protect our nation Department of Homeland Security must assess the risk associated with any terrorist, natural or man-made threat. The risk assessment method that the department uses takes into account certain variables that help the department determine the level of risk. Based on the assessed risk level Homeland Security uses risk management for strategic planning, operations, determining the allocation of resources and grant awards in an attempt to prepare for and mitigate any harm to our nation, critical infrastructure and its people in the event of a tragedy.
One major organization that was created from the attacks on September 11th that lead to the declaring “War on Terror” was the creation of TSA, Transportation Security Administration. TSA was created to develop policies to protect airport transportation and prevent aircraft hijacking. It oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, pipelines and ports. Though they are mostly responsible for screening passengers and checked and carry-on luggage at about 450 airports. Different types of TSA employees are; Transportation Security Officer, Federal Air Marshal, Transportation Security Inspector and National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program. (Security, 2010) T...
The United States has endured numerous security breaches and high security threats over the past two decades. After the attacks on 9/11, the office of Intelligence became a vital source in retrieving sensitive data and tracking down potential terrorists and their networks which could pose a threat to the American people and then forwarding that vital information to the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies. Intelligence became a key role in “assessing threats to critical American infrastructures, bio-and nuclear terrorism, pandemic diseases, threats to the borders to the nation, and radicalization within American society” (Randol, 2009, p. 7). The sharing of homeland security intelligence has become a precedence for Congress and the government. Our nation must be one step ahead of any potential terrorists that want to harm our turf. Within this text the capabilities and limitations of both domestic and foreign intelligence in supporting homeland security efforts will be explained;
The other federal department I mentioned was the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations or USAF OSI. The purpose of the USAF OSI is to identify, exploit, and neutralize any criminal terrorist threats, intelligence threats against the United States Air Force, the US Government and the Department of Defense. The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations is a department within the Department of Defense. The USAF OSI has jurisdiction not only nationwide but internationally as