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Introduction

Indicators, when it comes to homeland security, are those things that suggest the likelihood of a terror attack to occur. In other words, indicators are the signs that can tell us that tell us of a potential threat. Warnings refer to the notifications or messages sent to security agencies or the public about a possibly imminent threat. Indicators and warning aid intelligence and government officials to be aware so as to foil terror attacks. According to Dahl (2007), in light of rising terrorist threats such as 9/11, our comprehension of intelligence failure against surprise terror events needs to be renewed (p. 31). Recognizing and gathering warnings and indicators is one of the ways in which agencies can stay ahead of terrorists and protect the country’s security.

Examples of Indicators and/or Warnings

One of the indicators of potential terrorist activities is suspicious circumstances and behaviors. Suspicious circumstances and behavior are many. They can, for example, be the purchase of items and materials routinely used by criminals and terrorists. When someone buys powerful weapons or other technology that members of the public would not need to use, it could serve as a suspicious circumstance. Another example of a warning or an indicator of potential terror activities is elicitation. Carter and Carter (2009) note that elicitation involves soliciting or trying to gather information about a place, operation, or person (p. 1331). For example, elicitation could include a person attempting to collect knowledge regarding a critical infrastructure such as a military post or a power plant. Terrorists can try to gain an understanding of how bridges or tunnels operate. In this regard, they could make unusual inquiries. In this regard, the public and security officials need to identify and recognize suspicious circumstances or warnings that could be related to the planning and supporting of potential criminal activities.

Challenges

There are some challenges associated with warnings and indicators. One challenge could be the availability of systems, procedures, and plans that could process the information so gathered. According to the Department of Homeland Security (2009), compliance with statutory, regulatory, privacy, and other issues need to be in place to govern the gathering of information (p. 13). If there is no systematic way of knowing the essential elements of information, it would be difficult to use it to identify terror operations. Another challenge is with regards to the definition of a suspicious circumstance. Warnings and indicators are often just that: warnings. Sometimes one may believe they have seen a suspicious indicator, but it could turn out to be something different, leading to privacy and civil rights issues

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Conclusion

Indicators are the signs that can tell us that tell us of a potential threat. Warnings refer to the notifications or messages sent to security agencies or the public about a possibly imminent threat. A security personnel uses them to gather information about criminal activity and enhance intelligence and preparedness. Examples of warnings and/or indicators are suspicious behavior, such as the purchase of military-grade technology and the elicitation of knowledge about persons, operations, or critical infrastructure. However, challenges such as privacy rights and lack of proper information-gathering systems could be potential setbacks for the use of warnings and indicators.

References

Carter, D. L. & Carter, J. G. (2009). The intelligence fusion process for state,

local, and tribal law enforcement. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(12), p. 1331.

Dahl, E. J. (2005). Warning of terror: Explaining the failure of intelligence against

terrorism. The Journal of Strategic Studies, 28(1), p. 31.

Department of Homeland Security. (2009). Homeland security: Progress in

implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/9-11-commission-update-report-7-22-10.pdf.

” I enjoyed reading your post and learning from your perspective about indicators of terrorism. You noted, “One of the indicators of potential terrorist activities is suspicious circumstances and behaviors.” Carter & Carter believed the importance of acknowledging such behaviors is imperative to preventing terrorism. Recognizing that individuals or groups are engaging in threatening behavior that may impact others should be reported (Carter & Carter, 2009). Thus, the use of information fusion has been found to be resourceful with detecting such behaviors. Having the information from the community is essential to allocating those who harvesting threats. Identifying such behaviors may generate the use of both human and technical support (Carter & Carter, 2009). The ultimate goal is to defuse the activity before it occurs. Reluctantly, the collection of such information does present problems. For example, Carter & Carter postulated the information received may contain inaccuracies about suspected people or groups within the community. Additionally, the citizenry could have be acting only on suspicions. Working to protect the country from terrorist threats requires the proper observations and technology (Carter & Carter, 2009).

References

Carter, D. L. & Carter, J. G. (2009). The intelligence fusion process for state, local, and tribal law enforcement. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(12), 1323–1339.”

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