Adjusting to Terrorism - 1
Adjusting to Terrorism
CJ 454
October 31, 2012
Adjusting to Terrorism
Before September 11, 2001 many Americans did not think about a terrorist threat on a daily basis. The thought of a terrorist attack seemed like something that happens only in third world, war torn countries. The terrorist attacks on American soil that day made the idea of a terrorist attack very real. September 11, 2001 not only made average citizens think about the threat of terrorist attacks but the American government as well. The Bush administration had to be quick to respond to the fears and concerns of the American people. The people needed to feel like there was a government with a plan to keep the citizens safe.
The main problem in combating terrorism is an inability to monitor and translate any information retrieved from potential threats (National Institute of Justice, 2012). The government can use all of its time and money gathering information from suspected terrorist but if that information is not translated in a timely manner or translated correctly, the information is practically useless and the time and money used to collect it wasted (National Institute of Justice, 2012).
A good start in correcting the problem of the lack of translators is to use money already in the budget to hire more translators who are proficient in the language the information in need of translation is written or spoken in (National Institute of Justice, 2012). Lack of funding is usually a reason for not hiring in such a necessary department. The response to this is that without the proper translation the information gathered from other departments and technology will not be of any help in keeping the country safe from terrorism. Often times the translators on staff now are unable to get through all of the information needed in time (Government Executive, 2001). This could lead to vital information not being received in time to stop a terrorist attack (Kenneth J. Peak, 2010). In other cases the
CJ 454
October 31, 2012
Adjusting to Terrorism
Before September 11, 2001 many Americans did not think about a terrorist threat on a daily basis. The thought of a terrorist attack seemed like something that happens only in third world, war torn countries. The terrorist attacks on American soil that day made the idea of a terrorist attack very real. September 11, 2001 not only made average citizens think about the threat of terrorist attacks but the American government as well. The Bush administration had to be quick to respond to the fears and concerns of the American people. The people needed to feel like there was a government with a plan to keep the citizens safe.
The main problem in combating terrorism is an inability to monitor and translate any information retrieved from potential threats (National Institute of Justice, 2012). The government can use all of its time and money gathering information from suspected terrorist but if that information is not translated in a timely manner or translated correctly, the information is practically useless and the time and money used to collect it wasted (National Institute of Justice, 2012).
A good start in correcting the problem of the lack of translators is to use money already in the budget to hire more translators who are proficient in the language the information in need of translation is written or spoken in (National Institute of Justice, 2012). Lack of funding is usually a reason for not hiring in such a necessary department. The response to this is that without the proper translation the information gathered from other departments and technology will not be of any help in keeping the country safe from terrorism. Often times the translators on staff now are unable to get through all of the information needed in time (Government Executive, 2001). This could lead to vital information not being received in time to stop a terrorist attack (Kenneth J. Peak, 2010). In other cases the
References: Government Executive. (Ed.). (2001, September 21). Proposals to combat terrorism would change Americans ' ways. Retrieved from http://www.govexec.com/federal-news/2001/09/proposals-to-combat-terrorism-would-change-americans-ways/10031/ Kenneth J. Peak. (2010). Justice Administration. Police, Courts, and Corrections Management, Sixth Edition. Pearson Education. National Institute of Justice. (Ed.). (2012). Terrorism. Retrieved from http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/terrorism/