Thanks to the Homeland Security Policy Institute’s Twitter coverage of its citizen preparedness forum I found out about an interesting new study, “A Social Infrastructure For Hometown Security: Evolving The Homeland Security Paradigm”. It is co-written by David Kaufman and Robert Bach from CNA. Kaufman mentioned the study at the preparedness forum, which was reported on the Institute’s Twitter feed where I learned about it.
The report is a thoughtful, well-researched look at why citizen preparedness efforts have largely not succeeded thus far, and it provides some good ideas to improve efforts in the future. The first two paragraphs offer a nice summary:
“The Nation’s homeland security strategy calls on federal, state, and local governments, businesses, communities and individuals across the country to work together to achieve a shared vision of a secure way of life. Yet, for over seven years, through attacks, threats, and disasters, the core ingredient in efforts to achieve that goal remains elusive. The American public has been left out and is largely missing in action.
In this paper we argue that this elusiveness persists because of a misdiagnosis of the way the American people experience homeland security practices, inappropriate application of border screening and verification techniques to domestic public life, and an incomplete strategic preparedness framework that relies excessively on top-down federal management. We argue for a new approach that engages the American people in ways that invites their participation in understanding, assessing, and mitigating risk. New community oriented techniques are needed that draw heavily on community policing models and public health philosophies; and we urge the federal government to invert its strategic planning and funding processes, seizing the moment and leveraging the restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other priorities as opportunities to put communities first. The new Administration has issued a national call to service. This call offers an opportunity to invest in a social infrastructure for homeland security that will bring the American people fully into strengthening their own preparedness.”
The full report can be found here.
1 response so far ↓
1 Rev Steve Best // Feb 9, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Community Policing is a valuable resource in motivating neighborhood residents to cooperate with police in reducing crime. Although it is not a cure-all, community policing can have a positive impact by establishing a volunteer police chaplain program (at little of no cost to the PD). Assigning volunteer police chaplains to specific police sectors where their respective congregations are located accomplishes three purposes. 1) Clergy are known in the community and are privy to issues in their specific neighborhood. 2) A PD has an additional and respected voice in neighborhoods. 3) Parental control of neighborhood youth is enhanced. (What would grandma say if she knew what you are doing?) PD chaplains riding with police officers send a message to the community that the faith community is a player in reducing crime and public nuisances. “Stories of the Street: Images of the Human Condition†demonstrates the significant contribution volunteer police chaplains make in serving specific neighborhoods in a community policing module. Ref: http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/StoriesOfTheStreet.html
Volunteer Police Chaplain Steve Best, (Ret.)
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