During its annual Law Enforcement and Military Appreciation Day on Wednesday, ASIS 2017 featured a panel discussion of both current and former law enforcement officials from the U.S. and Europe focusing on the ongoing fight against terrorism. The discussion, which was moderated by Bonnie Michelman, executive director of police, security and outside services for Massachusetts General Hospital, specifically looked at the collaborative approach between local, state and federal authorities in responding to attacks and offered insights from those on the frontlines of the battle.
Among those who took part in the panel discussion were:
- Edward Davis, former commissioner of the Boston Police Department, who now serves as president and CEO of business strategy and consulting firm Edward Davis, LLC;
- Rick DesLauriers, former special agent in charge for the Boston division of the FBI;
- Paul Barnard, detective chief superintendent for City of London Police;
- And, Lt. Col. Christophe Roland Beuzit of GIGN (Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale), an elite national police force in France that specializes in counterterrorism operations.
Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon Bombing
Davis opened up the discussion with his reflections on the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the hunt for the culprits in the days that followed. Unlike many other cities that have been completely caught off guard by terrorist attacks over the years, Davis says Boston was well-prepared for such an attack by having highly detailed, written plans that were regularly reviewed and practiced, as well as hundreds of police officers strategically located around the event on that day.
In fact, though he characterized the attack and its aftermath as the five of the "most intense" days of his life, Davis credits their preparation as a city and police department with being able to quickly identify and track down the perpetrators, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in what will be remembered as one of the largest and most dramatics manhunts in U.S. history.
In just 102 hours following the bombing, Davis says law enforcement was able to catch up with the brothers in Watertown, Mass., where a gun battle claimed the life of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and eventually ended with the apprehension of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev shortly thereafter. Not only were authorities able to bring the Tsarnaev brothers to justice relatively quickly but they were also able to prevent possible future attacks due to the speed with which they were able to carry out the investigation.
However, Davis was also quick to point out that they couldn't have done all of this without the help of their partners on the federal side, including DesLauriers, who Davis says helped bring the full force of the government's resources to bear on the situation following the bombing.
One of the most important things that Davis says he learned as a result of his experience in dealing with the bombing investigation is that failing to practice and drill for these types of scenarios means that people are only setting themselves up for failure in the long run. Admittedly, Davis says he thought that things, such as tabletop exercises, were “boring as hell,” but that the consequence of failing to take this and other steps to prepare for worse-case scenarios was unacceptable.
DesLauriers, who worked hand-in-hand with Davis and other local and state officials on the marathon bombing investigation, says he had several takeaways from the case. First and foremost, he says that having a strong and collaborative relationship with all of the parties involved is crucial. For example, when the decision was made to have the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Taskforce spearhead the investigation, DesLauriers says there was no in-fighting or bickering between the agencies involved because they all knew and trusted one another due to the relationships they had built over the years. In fact, he says they even had a, “one team, one fight” manta during the investigation.
Secondly, he says that creating a unified command and control structure that can facilitate clear and effective communication can go a long way in crafting an effective response to incidents of terrorism as it helps to keep people informed with the right information as well as reassures public confidence in the authorities. Finally, DesLauriers says that demonstrating compassion for the victims of such an attack by helping their families find transportation and housing to visit them as they recuperate is also vital.
“The strength, courage and resiliency of the victims (of the bombing) was nothing short of amazing,” he says.
Europe’s Response to Terror
The West and Europe, in particular, has been in the crosshairs of terrorists with increasing frequency of late. This year alone there have been multiple vehicle ramming attacks and bombings in London that has claimed the lives of dozens of people and injured hundreds more.
Unfortunately, according to Barnard, London hasn’t exactly been a stranger to terrorist attacks up until this point as the city has suffered no less than 24 incidents of terrorism since 1973. What has changed, however; is that unlike in the past when terror plots included multiple people colluding for extended periods of time to strike specific targets, today’s terrorist is more agile, seeking low-tech, high-impact attacks to strike fear in the hearts of the populace. They’ve also learned they don’t need to access a particular venue to inflict massive amounts of harm as demonstrated by the bombing at the arena in Manchester in May, as well as the attacks recently carried out at airports in Belgium and Turkey.
Ultimately, Barnard says that police and their private sector security partners in the UK have learned, as Davis pointed, that they have to repeatedly test and re-evaluate the counter-terror plans they have in place to stay one step ahead of the adversary.
About the Author:
Joel Griffin is the Editor-in-Chief of SecurityInfoWatch.com and a veteran security journalist. You can reach him at [email protected].
