Terrorists and Law Enforcement

¶ … Terrorist Knows About Law Enforcement When it comes to the knowledge terrorists have, one of the areas that has to be carefully considered is law enforcement. The more they are aware of the tactics that are used and the way people who work in that field look at the world and handle issues, they more they can find ways to get around what law enforcement can provide in how they protect the public from attacks.

Having knowledge of the people who, essentially, work security for an intended target is among the best ways for terrorists to formulate and execute their plans. Terrorists often know a great deal about law enforcement, even though they have little to no regard for the laws themselves. They have to collect and retain this knowledge, though, or they will not be able to get past the people who are sworn to serve and protect the citizens of a particular country (Dyson, 2012).

When a terrorist knows how law enforcement works, that terrorist knows what to do to avoid law enforcement personnel (Dyson, 2012). Being able to go about business "under the radar" is one of the ways in which terrorists become so frightening to so many people. It is also often how they plan their attacks and how they make those attacks so successful. One of the things these terrorists look for is a weak point (Dyson, 2012). Every person has one, and the same is true of every organization -- including law enforcement.

In some cases, there may be more than one weak point to be considered by those who are looking for ways in which they can get past laws, rules, and regulations. In order to understand those weak points, though, it is important for terrorists to clearly understand the majority of the law enforcement organization. That helps the terrorists know how to get around anything the enforcement agency would do in an effort to stop them (Dyson, 2012). It may seem simplistic, but that is the goal of a terrorist organization.

Terrorists know that there are going to be significant attempts made to stop them, and they must figure out how to thwart those attempts. They more they understand about law enforcement, the more they can do in advancing the interests of their organization. One of the ways in which they can do that is through the realization that law enforcement agencies must follow the law (Dyson, 2012). Terrorists, of course, have no such requirements.

Because they are working against people who generally have to follow specific procedures, they can have the upper hand once they have knowledge of those procedures. Not only can they find the weak points that way, but they can also predict responses to terrorist acts. When terrorists are able to predict what a law enforcement agency will do in any given situation, they can base their attack on an understanding of those procedures and methods, which helps them make their attack more effective (Dyson, 2012).

In that context, a terrorist organization may also be able to prolong an attack or cause more devastation because of a slower response from law enforcement, or a response that will not provide the public with the right kind of assistance in the early aftermath of the attack. Terrorists who focus on this issue are aware of the idea that many law enforcement agencies are ill-prepared for an actual attack.

The more rural these agencies are, the more they may not have the equipment and manpower to stop an attack or protect the largest number of people (Dyson, 2012). However, terrorist organizations also want to target densely-populated, urban areas, because the opportunity for casualties is much larger there (Dyson, 2012). The terrorist organization planning an attack will look for a balance between a lack of law enforcement and a densely packed population in order to inflict the most damage.

That requires a strong understanding of law enforcement, based on both numbers and procedures that are used. While some may think that this information is hard to locate, that is not the case. Many terrorist organizations are able to get hold of a great deal of intelligence and information on law enforcement, and they can use that information to plan around the law enforcement agencies in the area. It takes significant effort to do this, but terrorists are generally very dedicated to their cause.

They will go to serious lengths in order to cause damage to those they believe are their enemies, and those who do not follow their beliefs or other doctrines (Dyson, 2012). With that in mind, they must find ways to collect, process, and use information on law enforcement agencies, but it is not just about numbers and procedures. The terrorist organization must understand how the particular law enforcement agency works. It is important to understand what is meant by law enforcement, as well.

It is not just the local police department, but the sheriff's department, the state patrol, and the federal level of enforcement, such as the FBI and the CIA. Naturally, each one of these organizations is very different in the manpower, training, and equipment they have at their disposal. They are also different in the way they respond to events, how quickly they can mobilize, and what kind of jurisdictional power they have (Dyson, 2012).

When terrorists are focused on a particular law enforcement organization as the ones that will "come to the rescue" when there is an attack, they may overlook or underestimate the other enforcement organizations that might also.