Book Addresses Police Role in Homeland Security

Five years out from 9/11, while there has been much discussion regarding the police role in protecting the homeland, there has been little direction or discussion as to what specific role the police should play under Homeland Security.

This is according to Willard M. Oliver, an associate professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University, also a former policeman, military policeman, and decorated veteran of the Persian Gulf War.

Oliver has written a book titled Homeland Security for Policing (Prentice Hall 2007).

Its publisher believes it's the only book of its kind, examining the events that led up to this new policing era, the relationship between national, state and local agencies, and specific strategies, operations and tactics that can be used to prevent and protect against future threats.

"We have come a long way since 9/11 in terms of awareness of both domestic and international terrorism and identifying how we need to be more prepared," said Oliver, "But we have a long way to go."

Personal protection equipment for police officers is lacking and has been identified as a key factor in enhancing future responses, he said. Improvements are needed in the collection of raw information by police and turning it into intelligence by specially-trained intelligence units.

Willard M. Oliver

The coordination must come between local and state police agencies, health care professionals, the Red Cross, local universities and colleges, and many other public and private sector entities.

The Federal government has issued a National Response Plan for natural and man-made disasters, mandating the use of an Incident Command System (ICS) in many cases.

"Many agencies were not aware of the National Response Plan and although many agencies already used the Incident Command System, it was simply not enough," said Oliver. "This deficiency was highlighted by Hurricane Katrina one year ago. Despite having a plan in place, not everyone knew the plan or how it worked."

Oliver's book presents a framework for understanding the role police play in Homeland Security. Special emphasis is placed on understanding 9/11, the entire framework of Homeland Security in the U.S. and the unique issues faced by local law enforcement.

It provides a strategic focus that addresses state and local level responses to Homeland Security as well as responses at the federal level, discusses the specific issues facing police with respect to Homeland Security and connects the Homeland Security and criminal justice fields.

Also, it covers how and why policing has changed in the last decade, presents a fuller understanding of how the concept of Homeland Security developed, what it means for the police, and where within the scope of a national Homeland Security framework the police fit.  

The book discusses the activities of local police within the context of both state and national Homeland Security policies. It emphasizes the integral web of dependency and connected nature of these agencies; discusses techniques for information gathering, risk and threat assessments, intelligence analysis, preparation for mass disasters (including Weapons of Mass Destruction), risk management, information sharing (both laterally and vertically), pre-emption of terrorism, and employment of an Incident Command System under the National Incident Management System.

It also helps identify the new roles, new responsibilities, and new tasks of the police in the post 9/11 environment, and is suitable for law enforcement professionals, students of policing and security studies, and anyone with an interest in Homeland Security.  

Oliver is also an instructor in the Incident Command Simulation Training (INCOSIT) that is conducted in the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) center at Sam Houston State and has helped to train Texas law enforcement, health professionals, and school administrators in the Incident Command System.  

Currently   a major in the United States Army Reserves, Military Police Corps, he is a graduate of military police (enlisted) basic and advanced training, military police officer basic and advanced officer training, the Combined Arms Services Support School, and is a recent graduate of the Command and General Staff College.

His research interests are centered on policing and public policy issues, and he is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and magazine articles related to both topics.  

"Police departments need training, they need equipment, and they need to concentrate on establishing police intelligence units and adopting the Incident Command System," said Oliver. "All of this takes time and money, but at least we are heading down the right road in terms of being better able to respond to future disasters, whatever their nature."

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Sept. 13, 2006
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