Given the recent disclosures of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) involvement in coordinating Occupy raids, naturally my curiosity was piqued. Just how deep do the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) connections go, at PERF ?
So far, it seems, those not-so-still waters, run kind of deep ...
Using the search engine on the Police Executive Research Forum's web site,
and searching for DHS
The first result hit turned up this:
PROTECTING YOUR COMMUNITY FROM TERRORISM:
Volume 5: Partnerships to Promote Homeland Security Strategies for Local Law Enforcement
Police Executive Research Forum
Heather J. Davies and Martha R. Plotkin
with Joshua Filler
Edward A. Flynn
George Foresman
Jacqueline Litzinger
Thomas D. McCarthy
Jane Wiseman
This project, conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), was supported by Cooperative Agreement #2002-HS-WX-K001 by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Points of views or opinions contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the members of PERF.
The opinions expressed are generally those based on the consensus of executive session attendees. However, not every view or statement presented in this report can necessarily be attributed to each individual participant.
Published by the Police Executive Research Forum
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Police Executive Research Forum
Washington, DC 20036, United States of America
November 2005
ISBN: 1-878734-90-3
Continuing ... with the PERF White-paper intro ...
[Pg V]
THIS WHITE PAPER—THE FIFTH IN A SERIES—IS BASED ON THE THOUGHTFUL contributions of many experts in policing, counterterrorism and other related fields. We thank those individuals, from every level of government, who came together in an executive session supported by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to create the foundation for this writing. Those participants (listed in Appendix A) demonstrated that a tremendous amount of progress could be made when you get the right people in a room who are candid and tremendously knowledgeable. Any value this paper has to the field is due to their contributions.
Special thanks must go to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) professionals who provided the latest information on joint efforts and opportunities -- and invited the law enforcement community to offer suggestions for how DHS can improve the services and resources they provide. We hope this paper reflects the commitment of all session participants to find new means for collaboration and coordination, even when it means giving up a bit of turf to get the job done.
[...]
[Pg Vll]
AT THE TIME OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT BROUGHT LEADERS FROM THE Department of Homeland Security (DHS) together with those from other federal, state, local and tribal agencies, DHS had just celebrated its first year in existence. In that year, it had already taken significant steps to restructure and reorganize 22 federal agencies, all of which brought with them their own distinct cultures, missions and goals. DHS has crafted a strategic plan for this new agency while making important strides in advancing collaboration among the tens of thousands of law enforcement agencies engaged in counterterrorism efforts.
[...]
This white paper is largely based on the conference proceedings and describes efforts to build on existing models of collaboration, as well as some suggestions for improving effective interagency coordination at many levels of responsibility. There are no easy answers to the problems facing the nation’s law enforcement and intelligence communities. It is hoped, however, that this paper advances the discussion on how best to integrate the diffuse resources and expertise of all those engaged in the fight against terrorism. The COPS Office and PERF are pleased to present the findings and recommendations that the executive session on DHS partnerships produced. It is not surprising that the underlying principles that will guide our reforms rest squarely on the progress we have made in employing community-policing concepts to solve problems and to forge meaningful collaborations.
[signed]
Carl R. Peed, Director, COPS
Chuck Wexler, Executive Director, PERF
[pg 6]
DHS Mission
“The primary mission of the Department is to
(A) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States;
(B) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and
(C) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States.”[9]
[...]
Executive session participants discussed the DHS mission and agreed that the concept of a secure homeland should involve more than just preventing or preparing for terrorism. They contended that homeland security should entail addressing any criminal act that will destabilize U.S. communities, citing local crime issues such as serial shootings, gang violence and drug trafficking that also threaten public safety and create fear among community members. Terrorists may also engage in traditional crimes such as money laundering, identity theft and illegal drugs to finance and support their activities. Executive session participants encouraged DHS to continue to look for opportunities to more broadly define its mission to assist local, state and tribal government entities with crimes that can have an impact on community and national security.
[...]
The DHS Five Major Directorates and Responsibilities[10]
The five major DHS directorates are
1) Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection,
2) Border and Transportation Security,
3) Emergency Preparedness and Response,
4) Science and Technology, and
5) Management.
Collectively these directorates are responsible for reducing America’s vulnerability, preventing future attacks, and responding to and mitigating the effects of attacks that do occur. The directorates assess threats and develop intelligence, guard borders and airports, protect critical infrastructure and coordinate emergency responses.
Each agency now within DHS is tasked with helping to provide greater security through improved intelligence, coordinated efforts and cooperation.
[...]
[pg 10]
Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)
The EPR directorate is tasked with continuing the mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)[18] and builds on its approach to prepare the United States for large-scale domestic critical incidents, natural disasters or terrorist acts.
EPR coordinates with first responders and oversees federal response and recovery strategies. EPR efforts are meant to help prevent or minimize the loss of life and property and to protect institutions by using a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management program. It promotes disaster-resistant communities by providing federal support to local governments for securing infrastructures and protecting the public. The “all-hazards” approach is designed to enable flexibility in response, to reduce the risk of harm and to coordinate proactively with private industry, the insurance sector, mortgage lenders, real estate professionals, homebuilding associations, citizens and myriad other stakeholders. [...]
That Terrorist Umbrella ... just keeps getting Bigger ... and BIGGER ...
... where it will stop only DHS (and the DOJ) know ...
A quick check of the Police Executive Research Forum web site's News Page, reveals the PERF organization seems to have some sort of "active interest" in the OWS results, happening now in the Courts, across the country:
PERF -- In The News
11/16/2011 -- Under seige from coast to coast, Occupy camps now losing battles in court
[...]
The latest, and perhaps most high-profile, legal loss for the Occupy movement came Tuesday, when a New York judge refused to let the protesters return to the Zuccotti Park plaza -- the birthplace of the Occupy Wall Street movement -- with their tents and sleeping bags, leaving intact Mayor Michael Bloomberg's move to sweep them out early Tuesday because of threatening health and safety conditions.
It's a growing concern among city and police leaders across the country who have looked to each other for advice on how to peacefully -- and legally -- dismantle the camps in their cities. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, widely criticized for her handling of the encampment in front of City Hall, was on one of those calls with about 20 mayors last week.
[...]
That determination leaves city officials across the country scrambling to keep one step ahead of the protesters. In two recent conference calls, police chiefs from across the country, including Oakland's interim chief Howard Jordan, discussed and debated the best time of day to raid, whether to set eviction deadlines, and how best to communicate with the leaderless group.
"The purpose wasn't to try to organize what everyone was going to do because, quite frankly, each city has its unique challenges," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum, which organized a call among nearly 40 police chiefs.
"The most important thing was clear lines of communication about what was going to be acceptable behavior and what wasn't," Wexler said. "The last thing the police wanted to do was surprise demonstrators."
Nice job there Wex, Surprise averted ...
For not really coordinating any actions wrt OWS, PERF seems kind of overly-interested in the ongoing OWS Courtroom results ... and the resulting 'black-eye image' that police forces, may or may not get, for acting against all those "unique challenges" presented within "each city" ...
I'm just saying ...
Maybe we need to get used to hearing the Orwellian Newspeak phrase "large-scale domestic critical incidents" as the Official CYA episodes, begin to unfold?
I'm just saying ...
Image Source: George Orwell, Newspeak.
Nice job there W ... Free Speech has been averted ...
one could even call it "a Helluva Job!"