Congressional Briefing - July 20, 2011

How Police Departments' Post-9/11 Focus on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Has Affected Their Capacity to Fight Crime

Police cruiser with American flags

Presenter:

Lois M. Davis Senior Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation

Date:

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Time:

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location:

B-338 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 

About the Program

Immediately after 9/11, many law enforcement agencies, with the support of grants from the Department of Homeland Security, shifted resources internally in an effort to develop counterterrorism and homeland security capabilities. However, ten years out from 9/11, that shift of resources toward homeland security is posing a challenge for local police departments, which must now make tough funding choices between homeland security and crime-fighting as the economic downturn puts pressure on public budgets. What adjustments have law enforcement agencies made and how has this shift impacted their capacity to fight crime?

This briefing focuses on

  • adjustments made by urban law enforcement agencies to strengthen their counterterrorism and homeland security capabilities
  • the evolving role of fusion centers
  • the impact of regionalized preparedness funding on law enforcement, and
  • the shift from traditional crime prevention roles to counterterrorism and homeland security roles and the need for detailed analyses of costs and benefits associated with this shift.

About the Speaker

Lois M. Davis is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She led a National Institute of Justice study on the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S. law enforcement's counterterrorism and homeland security capabilities. Past research includes assessing immediate adjustments that law enforcement agencies made in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to improve their counter-terrorism and preparedness capabilities; assessing the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in correctional facilities; and evaluating a comprehensive, five-year violence prevention initiative in California. Davis received her Ph.D. in public health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

About RAND

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND focuses on the issues that matter most, such as health, education, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment, and more. As a nonpartisan organization, RAND operates independent of political and commercial pressures. We serve the public interest by helping lawmakers reach informed decisions on the nation's pressing challenges. Visit us online at www.rand.org.

Further Inquiries

For further information about this event, contact the Office of Congressional Relations at ocr@rand.org or call (703) 413-1100, ext. 5395.