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APRI Highlights - Winter 2002
Combating Terrorism: A New Priority
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Chief Administrator, American Prosecutors Research Institute
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On October 26, 2001, APRI President Newman Flanagan attended President Bush’s signing at the White House of new anti-terrorism legislation. Prosecutors across America are grappling with recent tragic events and their implications. Before September 11, 2001, the 1993 World Trade Center and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings began to shape local prosecutor concerns with domestic terrorism and its horrific consequences. In each instance, we had hoped that these terrorist acts were confined to relatively rare circumstances involving a limited number of fanatics. We doubted that such acts would be repeated in a prolonged or systematic manner. Still, the concerns were taken seriously and led to numerous security precautions and improvements, particularly enhanced protections for public buildings and facilities.
After the events of September 11, prosecutors and the public now recognize that terrorist threats are far more widespread and unpredictable—and that terrorist threats are here to stay. The ubiquitous nature of recent terrorism is clear. The terrorism confronting our nation now includes systematic acts of unprecedented destruction: attempts to destroy our nation’s centers of government, its military command center and its leaders; the senseless murders of thousands of innocent civilians by commandeering commercial airplanes and using them as guided missiles; attempts to disrupt and destroy the nation’s economic system; actions that halted the nation’s airlines and continue to hamper transportation systems; and what appears to be the most insidious and inhumane act imaginable—repeated acts of bioterrorism aimed at all Americans. Senior U.S. officials now predict that more human lives may be lost at home than abroad during this war against terrorism.
APRI recognizes that local prosecutors, who historically prosecute 95 percent of all crimes, play key roles in protecting our communities. Accordingly, local prosecutors must be intimately involved in many aspects of Homeland Security initiatives—prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution. To combat terrorism, prosecutors across America will need to form closer relationships with federal officials, similar to the approach embraced by Project Safe Neighborhoods in combating gun violence. Better communications, increased intelligence collection and sharing and active partnerships will be needed.
APRI is engaged in identifying specific prosecutor roles and needs in combating terrorism. This includes discussions with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies. The best source of information, of course, is that provided from front-line prosecutors across America. APRI invites you to share your ideas, so that we might develop future trainings and technical assistance to meet your needs and those of your community. We also solicit article submissions for a forthcoming book, Prosecutors: Leaders in Community Safety. Please feel free to contact Carrie Pitre at (703) 549-4253.
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