Hunting a Black Swan: Policy Options for America's Police in Preventing Radiological/Nuclear Terrorism
Abstract
Local law enforcement is a necessary and irreplaceable component of a comprehensive approach to increasing the probability of detection of attempted nuclear and radiological terrorism incidents. Local law enforcement's unique knowledge, skills, and abilities provide investigative, protective, and direct action capabilities not found in other nonmilitary disciplines. A well-trained, equipped, and situationally aware law enforcement community can form our nation's last, best defense against this terrorist threat. This thesis will examine four broad policy options for law enforcement agencies pursuing a Preventive Radiological/Nuclear Detection (PRND) program: (1) taking no action and leaving the PRND mission to federal agencies; (2) a single agency approach; (3) multiple law enforcement agencies creating a regional PRND program; and (4) a multidisciplinary, multiagency approach covering a large urban area. Each option is illustrated with a case study that delineates planning, organization, equipment, training, exercising, and operations support. The results show that interested law enforcement agencies can choose and implement a PRND that meets their needs as part of an overall homeland security program in their respective jurisdictions. The goal is to encourage more law enforcement agencies to participate in the domestic portion of a global strategy known as the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA). This document will serve as a roadmap for agencies wishing to engage in this mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA567518
Entities
People
- Edward Baldini
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School