Assignment:
Question:
The thought that an explosive device can be manufactured by anyone using household items is terrifying. To help reduce terrorists from acquiring the necessary commonly used items, planners need to properly educate companies, with those companies being diligent in monitoring and reporting suspicious activity and sales.
Education is key! The Department of Homeland Security has established a program which educates and raises awareness of both the public, private sector, and businesses regarding commonly used household items that terrorists can purchase. The program is called the Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) and its' purpose is to provide crucial information to assist in the detection of "purchasing behaviors of common items that can be used to make bombs" (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2018) with organizations and businesses. BMAP provides training within state and local outreach programs already in place on a variety of topics such as how to report suspicious activities and retail security awareness to name a few.
Additionally, the BMAP works to promote communication between law enforcement and businesses to ensure safety within the community. Businesses and their employees are better equipped to spot suspicious purchasing behaviors of customers first hand; a working relationship with local law enforcement will strengthen early detection communication (2018).
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2018, August 22). Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP).
Topic
Security experts that have responded to terror attacks around the world say that it is difficult to integrate security that is effective enough to prevent or respond to terrorist attacks (Calfas, 2017). An example of how difficult it is to predict or contain a terrorist attack is the Manchester bombing at an Ariana Grande concert. Protecting the outside areas around the concert and venues posed many challenges. Counterterrorism expert, Bennet Waters, believes that you can't always have all the security. The explosion occurred outside of the venue and claimed the lives of 22 people while injuring many others. One way that the average citizen could help predict or stop terror attacks is to say something is they see something.
On multiple occasions after terrorist attacks occur and close friends and relatives are questioned, they talk about how troubled the person was or how their whole personality changed after joining a certain group. If someone spots another person at an event doing something that looks odd, they should bring it to the attention of someone in charge. They may just save everyone's lives by not taking chances and letting it slide. One thing that the average citizen could prevent terrorist attacks is by using technology to search for patterns in terrorists online.
The analysis of terrorist risk is different than that of natural hazard risks because one disaster is natural while the other is man-made and unexpected. The government can prepare better for natural disasters better than they can for terrorist attacks. With terrorist attacks, they can never be sure if there are multiple expected attacks (Rasmussen, 2006). They are unaware of the man power that they up against. Even if they knew what weapons the terrorist were using, they had no clue where the attacks would take place or how much damage it is expected to cause. Citizens can be made aware of the natural hazard risks, but that is close to impossible for terrorist risks.
Calfas, J. (2017, May 24). Manchester Attack: Why Terrorism Is Hard to Prevent.
Rasmussen, M. V. (2006). The risk society at war: terror, technology and strategy in the twenty-first century (pp. 1227-1228). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Response to professor no word limit
You have attached a paper that discusses the prediction and mitigation of terrorism, as well as natural disasters, and eludes to some of the issues that you mention. Take a look at it and let us know what you think are the inconsistencies in what officials recommend and what is actually done, if there is such a discrepancy.