State and Local Response

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Backgrounder posted January 12, 2012 by Scott Erickson, Matt Mayer A Comprehensive Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) System Requires Action
Abstract: A robust, comprehensive, and integrated suspicious activity reporting (SAR) system, linking the unique observations of law enforcement personnel from around the nation, is a necessary component of a 21st-century policing strategy predicated on the increasing role of state and local law enforcement in… Read more
WebMemo posted January 9, 2012 by Jessica Zuckerman Forty-Fourth Terrorist Plot Against the U.S. Marks Need for Continued Vigilance
On Saturday night, 25-year-old Sami Osmakac was arrested in connection to an alleged Islamist-inspired terrorist plot in Tampa, Florida. Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the former Yugoslavia, is believed to have planned to use vehicle bombs, assault rifles, grenades, and other explosives in an attack on possible targets… Read more
WebMemo posted September 29, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Matt Mayer, Jessica Zuckerman Forty-First Terror Plot Foiled: Homegrown Threat Thwarted by Local Law Enforcement and Intelligence
On September 28, Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested on three charges, including attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Self-radicalized online, the Massachusetts man had supplied a modified cell phone meant to serve as a detonator for an improvised explosive device to… Read more
WebMemo posted September 28, 2011 by Matt Mayer Federal Budget Makes Case that FEMA Reforms Are Needed
Once again, the budget brinksmanship in Washington, D.C., ended with a deal that postponed one of the key questions driving the debate: Should the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receive whatever funding it desires, or should the federal government rein in FEMA and its profligate spending by exercising fiscal restraint?… Read more
WebMemo posted September 8, 2011 by The Heritage Foundation FEMA Reform and Disaster Response: Heritage Foundation Recommendations
Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake earlier that week put national attention once again on America’s disaster response system, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). And once again, the problems that The Heritage Foundation has been pointing out for years—the federalization of routine disasters, FEMA’s funding issues, and… Read more
Special Report posted August 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman Homeland Security 4.0: Overcoming Centralization, Complacency, and Politics
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington… Read more
Backgrounder posted August 15, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, Richard Weitz, Ph.D. Before the Lights Go Out: A Survey of EMP Preparedness Reveals Significant Shortfalls
Abstract: An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States could end modern life in America overnight. Whether caused by an enemy attack (a nuclear device detonated above the atmosphere) or by a natural phenomenon (a geomagnetic storm), an EMP can cause entire regions of… Read more
WebMemo posted July 28, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. After Oslo: Lessons for the United States
Last Friday, tragedy struck Oslo, Norway, as homegrown terrorist Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in the heart of the city and then traveled to a nearby island and opened fire on a youth camp. In a mere 90 minutes, one gunman took the lives of 76 people, many… Read more
WebMemo posted June 28, 2011 by Jena Baker McNeill, Jessica Zuckerman Planned Military Recruiting Center Attack: 40th Terror Plot Against the United States Foiled
On June 22, the FBI arrested Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif and Walli Mujahidh in a Seattle warehouse, where the two suspects had arranged to purchase weapons from an anonymous informant in contact with the Seattle Police Department. They were looking to purchase automatic machine guns and grenades in preparation for an… Read more
Backgrounder posted June 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, Scott Erickson Changing Today’s Law Enforcement Culture to Face 21st-Century Threats
Abstract: Many aspects of the terror threat—from communication between terrorist groups to recruitment of new members—has been changing, largely due to ever-developing Internet technology and new possibilities in cyberspace. One new trend is the lone-wolf terrorist—such as Army Major Nidal Hassan, who massacred his… Read more

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Special Report posted May 25, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake: Assessing Disaster Response and Lessons for the U.S.
Executive Summary The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011, and the following release of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, represent one of the greatest disasters to strike the nation… Read more
Backgrounder posted August 15, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, Richard Weitz, Ph.D. Before the Lights Go Out: A Survey of EMP Preparedness Reveals Significant Shortfalls
Abstract: An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States could end modern life in America overnight. Whether caused by an enemy attack (a nuclear device detonated above the atmosphere) or by a natural phenomenon (a geomagnetic storm), an EMP can cause entire regions of… Read more
Special Report posted August 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman Homeland Security 4.0: Overcoming Centralization, Complacency, and Politics
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington… Read more
Backgrounder posted March 29, 2011 by Jena Baker McNeill Checkbook Homeland Security: Highlights from the FY 2012 Budget Request
Abstract: The President’s budget request would maintain homeland security funding at current levels, but the budget request would increase funding for several programs that add little additional security while cutting others that could significantly enhance U.S. homeland security. Congress should use the budget process… Read more
Backgrounder posted February 17, 2011 by Jena Baker McNeill, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Matt Mayer, Richard Weitz, Ph.D. Accepting Disaster Relief from Other Nations: Lessons from Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill
Abstract: The United States is known around the world for sending help—from in-person medical assistance to financial donations—when disasters strike in other countries. When disasters have recently struck the U.S.—9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Gulf oil spill—other countries have been equally quick to offer… Read more
WebMemo posted January 9, 2012 by Jessica Zuckerman Forty-Fourth Terrorist Plot Against the U.S. Marks Need for Continued Vigilance
On Saturday night, 25-year-old Sami Osmakac was arrested in connection to an alleged Islamist-inspired terrorist plot in Tampa, Florida. Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the former Yugoslavia, is believed to have planned to use vehicle bombs, assault rifles, grenades, and other explosives in an attack on possible targets… Read more
Backgrounder posted June 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, Scott Erickson Changing Today’s Law Enforcement Culture to Face 21st-Century Threats
Abstract: Many aspects of the terror threat—from communication between terrorist groups to recruitment of new members—has been changing, largely due to ever-developing Internet technology and new possibilities in cyberspace. One new trend is the lone-wolf terrorist—such as Army Major Nidal Hassan, who massacred his… Read more
Backgrounder posted October 8, 2010 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman The 21st-Century Militia: State Defense Forces and Homeland Security
Abstract: State militias have helped to defend the United States since the Revolutionary War. Today, 23 states and territories have organized militias, most commonly known as State Defense Forces (SDFs). SDFs provide governors with a cost-effective, vital force multiplier and resource, especially if state… Read more
WebMemo posted September 8, 2011 by The Heritage Foundation FEMA Reform and Disaster Response: Heritage Foundation Recommendations
Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake earlier that week put national attention once again on America’s disaster response system, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). And once again, the problems that The Heritage Foundation has been pointing out for years—the federalization of routine disasters, FEMA’s funding issues, and… Read more
WebMemo posted September 29, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Matt Mayer, Jessica Zuckerman Forty-First Terror Plot Foiled: Homegrown Threat Thwarted by Local Law Enforcement and Intelligence
On September 28, Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested on three charges, including attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Self-radicalized online, the Massachusetts man had supplied a modified cell phone meant to serve as a detonator for an improvised explosive device to… Read more

Find more work on State and Local Response

Backgrounder posted January 12, 2012 by Scott Erickson, Matt Mayer A Comprehensive Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) System Requires Action
Abstract: A robust, comprehensive, and integrated suspicious activity reporting (SAR) system, linking the unique observations of law enforcement personnel from around the nation, is a necessary component of a 21st-century policing strategy predicated on the increasing role of state and local law enforcement in… Read more
WebMemo posted January 9, 2012 by Jessica Zuckerman Forty-Fourth Terrorist Plot Against the U.S. Marks Need for Continued Vigilance
On Saturday night, 25-year-old Sami Osmakac was arrested in connection to an alleged Islamist-inspired terrorist plot in Tampa, Florida. Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the former Yugoslavia, is believed to have planned to use vehicle bombs, assault rifles, grenades, and other explosives in an attack on possible targets… Read more
WebMemo posted September 29, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Matt Mayer, Jessica Zuckerman Forty-First Terror Plot Foiled: Homegrown Threat Thwarted by Local Law Enforcement and Intelligence
On September 28, Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested on three charges, including attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Self-radicalized online, the Massachusetts man had supplied a modified cell phone meant to serve as a detonator for an improvised explosive device to… Read more
WebMemo posted September 28, 2011 by Matt Mayer Federal Budget Makes Case that FEMA Reforms Are Needed
Once again, the budget brinksmanship in Washington, D.C., ended with a deal that postponed one of the key questions driving the debate: Should the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receive whatever funding it desires, or should the federal government rein in FEMA and its profligate spending by exercising fiscal restraint?… Read more
WebMemo posted September 8, 2011 by The Heritage Foundation FEMA Reform and Disaster Response: Heritage Foundation Recommendations
Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake earlier that week put national attention once again on America’s disaster response system, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). And once again, the problems that The Heritage Foundation has been pointing out for years—the federalization of routine disasters, FEMA’s funding issues, and… Read more
Special Report posted August 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman Homeland Security 4.0: Overcoming Centralization, Complacency, and Politics
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington… Read more
Backgrounder posted August 15, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, Richard Weitz, Ph.D. Before the Lights Go Out: A Survey of EMP Preparedness Reveals Significant Shortfalls
Abstract: An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States could end modern life in America overnight. Whether caused by an enemy attack (a nuclear device detonated above the atmosphere) or by a natural phenomenon (a geomagnetic storm), an EMP can cause entire regions of… Read more
WebMemo posted July 28, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. After Oslo: Lessons for the United States
Last Friday, tragedy struck Oslo, Norway, as homegrown terrorist Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in the heart of the city and then traveled to a nearby island and opened fire on a youth camp. In a mere 90 minutes, one gunman took the lives of 76 people, many… Read more
WebMemo posted June 28, 2011 by Jena Baker McNeill, Jessica Zuckerman Planned Military Recruiting Center Attack: 40th Terror Plot Against the United States Foiled
On June 22, the FBI arrested Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif and Walli Mujahidh in a Seattle warehouse, where the two suspects had arranged to purchase weapons from an anonymous informant in contact with the Seattle Police Department. They were looking to purchase automatic machine guns and grenades in preparation for an… Read more
Backgrounder posted June 23, 2011 by Matt Mayer, Scott Erickson Changing Today’s Law Enforcement Culture to Face 21st-Century Threats
Abstract: Many aspects of the terror threat—from communication between terrorist groups to recruitment of new members—has been changing, largely due to ever-developing Internet technology and new possibilities in cyberspace. One new trend is the lone-wolf terrorist—such as Army Major Nidal Hassan, who massacred his… Read more

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