Over at The City Journal, Mayor Giuliani details his blueprint for homeland security and proposes extending the Compstat concept to three areas of homeland security: counterterrorism, border security, and disaster preparation.
The Resilient Society
Rudy Giuliani, City Journal, Winter 2008
(This article also appears on RealClear Politics, 12-31-07 and as an NRO Web Briefing)
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the United States has confronted both the deadliest attack and one of the most destructive natural disasters in the nation's history. The term "homeland security" wasn't part of the national debate during the 2000 election. Now, after September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, every American understands that homeland security is at the heart of a president's responsibility. . .. . .Preventing terrorist attacks before they happen must be our primary goal. Of course, America must stay on offense internationally when it comes to WMDs, using determined diplomacy and economic measures to discourage states from trading in dangerous materials that threaten Americans. Nations that continue in the trade must face the seizure of shipments--or worse. . .
. . .Getting and keeping federal agencies communicating with one another isn't enough. An effective homeland security plan also has to establish links to, and make use of, the valuable information collected by the country's 800,000 state and local law enforcement officers. We should view these officers as counterterrorism resources--"first preventers," as the Manhattan Institute's R. P. Eddy calls them. Even beyond uniformed services, people such as DMV clerks, and even everyday citizens, may notice clues that would help law enforcement identify would-be terrorists. . .
To gather and analyze such useful information, first preventers can be assisted by the widespread implementation of a "Terrorstat" program, an idea proposed by former NYPD police commissioner William Bratton and criminologist George Kelling. Terrorstat would build on the proven principles of Compstat, the computerized crimemapping system developed by the New York Police Department in the 1990s and now used by police departments nationwide. By bringing all crime and arrest data together by category and by neighborhood, Compstat revolutionized policing, enabling officers to focus their efforts in problem areas, armed with up-to-the-minute, accurate intelligence, rapid deployment of resources, individual accountability, and relentless follow-up. Terrorstat would do the same for counterterrorism. . .
