Question: Reflective Summary: Review and reflect on the Intelligence and the USA PATRIOT Act Discussion Board. Based on your review and reflection of new learnings in this course, write at least 400-600 words on the following:
What have you learned from others'' responses?
What were the most compelling points from the interaction with your fellow students?
How did participating in this discussion help in your understanding of the Discussion Board task?
What approaches could have yielded additional valuable information in the students'' networking?
What is still unclear after the discussion with your classmates that needs to be clarified?
PEER RESPONSE:
Intelligence and the USA PATRIOT Act
Do you feel that the Act has enhanced information sharing between the U.S. law enforcement and intelligence communities? Why or why not?
I do feel that the Patriot Act has enhanced information sharing between the U.S. law enforcement and the intelligence communities. I believe it has done so through fusion centers. Fusion centers are a collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise and information to the center with the goal of maximizing their ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity. Fusion centers contribute to the Information Sharing Environment, which allows the federal government with information on both a local or state level, which can allow for pertinent information to not be missed and aid in overall better interest of the country.
Specifically, what advantages or disadvantages has each individual community experienced? Explain.
The advantages of the Patriot Act have allowed both law enforcement and intelligence communities to imprison more individuals. Yet at the cost of violating the rights of American citizens and innocent people this is a huge disadvantage to having the Patriot Act being so broad and allowing it to trend the lines of the law.
Does the Patriot Act infringe on American citizens'' constitutional rights? Why or why not?
My thoughts are that the Patriot Act trends a very thin line on infringing on the constitutional rights of the American citizens'. In regards to the ten amendments I believe that each one is somewhat being violated. For example, the delayed notifications of search warrants and treading the line of what is written in the fourth amendment in conjunction with the scope in which they can currently use wiretapping and surveillance as well. Just given the notion that one is a terrorist opens the door to being under surveillance is now relevant cause under the Patriot Act and it has to reverse method if you are not proven to be a terrorist. Meaning you are not informed that the government was checking into your private life and has stopped.
Some feel that the Act is too broad, with little to no oversight. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Yes I do feel that the Act is too broad as to my above statement. There should more of a checklist that one must complete on an individual that is overseen by a group of individuals before anyone can be deemed a suspicious or possible terrorist. This is due to the fact that once they are, there is really no part of their lives, and business and any individuals within it will be off limits to surveillance and monitoring. I also believe that individuals should be made aware after any agency conducted any surveillance or wiretapping of such and data collected should be destroyed.
What effects do you think repealing or significantly modifying the Patriot Act would have on information sharing between the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities? Explain
I think that if any modifications were to be made that it should not have an effect on the information sharing between the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement. Criminals and terrorist alike have found new profound ways to be better at their job of choice. However I do not believe that law enforcement have done much to increase their knowledge and gain better efforts to be better at catching such criminals. They have been more reliant on the laws to change to make an easier "trap" to retain a criminal. I believe if the work in put in by law enforcement to gain a better understanding and train of thought as the criminals they are trying to catch they will be better efficient.
References
Department of Justice. (2016). The USA PATRIOT Act: Preserving Life and Liberty.
Retrieved April 2016 from www.justice.gov.
France, P. (2015) Course Materials posting. Retrieved April 2016,
from CTUO, Introduction to Intelligence HLS 350-1602A-01
www.campus.ctuonline.edu
Lowenthal, M. (2015). Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy. Los Angeles: Sage
M.U.S.E. (2016). Introduction to Intelligence HLS 350-1602A-01
Colorado Technical University Online. Retrieved 2016 from
https://class.ctuonline.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/MUSE