Identifying Terror Cells-The Used Car Salesman Approach

03-29-2011 • Officer.com

Combat efforts towards terrorists employ costly multifaceted approaches. Fusion Centers, currently 72 approved by the Department of Homeland Security, are perhaps the most visible vessels that assist in these combat operations. Data from various sources, such as law enforcement, businesses, community members and media, to name a few, is collected and then transformed to actionable intelligence. This actionable intelligence is instrumental in obstructing terrorist from accomplishing their goal. Telephonic intercepts (Title Threes) are another tangible means employed by law enforcement to dismantle terror organizations. Like intelligence agencies, allocation of a group of individuals specifically assigned to identify persons who are involved in or have knowledge of a criminal organization, should be instituted in law enforcement practices to identify terror. Individuals identified who have the propensity to become informants should be systematically qualified. Like a used car salesman,