Terrorism and Racial Profiling

Terrorism and Racial Profiling

Shawn Everett

AIU Online

Abstract

This paper will discuss domestic terrorism and racial profiling.

Terrorism and Racial Profiling

Due to the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, our country was forced to alter the way our law enforcement agencies communicate and work with each other as well as the structure of our law enforcement agencies. Additionally, there were three important acts created so that our country would be better prepared to defend against any possible future attacks. These acts include the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act, The USA Patriot Act, and Homeland Security Act of 2002. Most importantly, the Department of Homeland Security was created to bear most of the weight of our countries security and safety (afcea.org, 2007). The attacks have also had an effect on racial profiling within the United States which brings into question whether or not there is enough being done to decrease and prevent racial profiling.

The establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically within the United States has sure enough changed the way in which our justice system performs community policing. Doe to possible terrorist attacks that are a major threat to our country, law enforcement agencies around the country are now faced with an additional group of problems that are considered very complex due to the fact domestic terrorist can live and operate within the United States. Additionally, as with global terrorist, domestic terrorist are well organized, very sophisticated, very coordinated, and have an adaptive approach in the way they think. Domestic terrorist are also linked to other networks and have financial backing to carry out their missions (Downing, 2013).

In order to adapt to this new domestic terrorist threat, our law enforcement agencies around the world had to become just as adaptive as domestic terrorist and develop an entire new set of strategies that were equally adaptive and networked as domestic terrorist that would enable our law enforcement agencies to become knowledgeable in the way domestic terrorist operate and in the way they are supported (Downing, 2013). In order to be successful at this task, new techniques and training had to be installed within our law enforcement agencies so that they could be effective against domestic terrorism. In addition to having to deal normal everyday crime, law enforcement agencies are now also responsible in sharing the load with Homeland Security to deal with domestic terrorist who are threat from