NCJ Number
100371
Date Published
1985
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This 1985 survey, which assessed the terrorism threat in the United States and police preparedness to deal with it, based upon a nationwide survey of police chiefs, revealed that 80 percent of the responding departments had no antiterrorist units.
Abstract
The chiefs were randomly selected from the 1983-84 membership roster of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Of the 250 questionnaires mailed, 170 (68 percent) were returned. Chiefs were queried about their assessment of the terrorist threat in their jurisdictions as well as about departmental efforts to organize and train officers to deal with terrorist incidents. Eighty-eight percent of the chiefs perceived terrorism as no threat in their jurisdictions, and 94 percent reported their political leaders agreed with this assessment. Small and medium-sized departments were the least prepared to address terrorist threats. Given the general unpreparedness of police departments to deal with terrorism, it is recommended that the U.S. Congress declare war on specific terrorist groups and assign all antiterrorist operations to the military. Terrorists identified as members of the targeted groups would be enemy agents subject to the rules of war specified in the Geneva Convention. Tables, sample questionnaire, and 13 references.