NCJ Number
197249
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 83-85,88
Date Published
October 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the bigger role that State and local agencies are playing regarding domestic terrorism.
Abstract
State and local agencies are now being asked to play a bigger part as first responders to terrorist incidents and in gathering intelligence. Federal funding has been made available to State and local law enforcement for the development and enhancement of law enforcement information systems relating to terrorism, with an emphasis on information sharing. Some key issues for State and local agencies are the ability to maintain computer records on law enforcement contacts of all kinds; the ability of officers to access and transmit information from the field; the ability to share intelligence among Federal, State, and local agencies; and the ability to use that intelligence to identify individuals in a variety of contexts. The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey is summarized regarding data collection, digital technology, surveillance, communication, and in-field access to information among local police departments in the United States. Compiled in 2000, these data are presented as a baseline that may be used both to describe the conditions before September 11, and track and document changes in police operations since then. The majority of local police agencies are small, with three-quarters of all local agencies employing fewer than 25 full-time officers. Important aspects to the role of local police in homeland security are the extent to which local police officials interact with civilians annually and how information about police-public contacts is recorded. In order to be effective in both gathering and using intelligence, officers need to be able to quickly access information resources from the field. An important homeland security function for all law enforcement agencies is to share information with other agencies. Video cameras can make a record to identify individuals and place them in a particular time-space context. Nearly half of all local police departments regularly used video cameras in 2000, most commonly in patrol cars. About 3 in 10 local departments regularly used digital imaging for mug shots. Significant changes are expected in baseline measures in the future, including widespread information sharing and more specialized personnel in intelligence capacities.