Law Enforcement and Terrorism, Essay Example

Terrorism has become a very serious concern for the United States and the federal government since the events of September 11, 2001.  Due to these events, the federal government has implemented various protection efforts utilizing the current civil law enforcement personnel in order to help provide a safe and secure environment for citizens across the country.  It is important to distinguish the difference between the two major types of terrorism against the United States – domestic and foreign.  These two types of terrorism are unique but require civil law enforcement to provide safety and protect against possible attacks regardless of the source.

The threat of foreign terrorism has grown over the last decade and has forced a massive overhaul of legislation to provide increased power, responsibility and authority to civil law enforcement personnel.  The greatest legislation to combat terrorism is the Patriot Act that liberally empowered the civil law enforcement.  Law enforcement received lowered restrictions to tap into phone lines, emails and personal financial or medical records to gain insight into the lifestyles of potential terrorists (Kranich par. 11).  Furthermore, the government has provided law enforcement with the ability to detain and deport any and all immigrants that appear to have committed or wish to commit acts of terrorism (Kranich 4).  These responsibilities are critical to the federal government ensuring safety for its citizens.

In addition, domestic terrorism has been prevalent from such groups as the Ku Klux Klan and independent individuals creating extreme havoc like the Columbine shootings.  The federal government uses the civil law enforcement as a peace keeping force to ensure safety and remove the threat of violence in the United States.  Due to the nature of this problem, civil law enforcement can execute the rulings of the judicial branch to seize and place liens on property and personal assets (O’Connor par. 20).  Furthermore, the government included domestic terrorism into the Patriot Act and provided civil law enforcement with the ability to monitor financial records, search homes and personal belongings without consent and even to monitor and seize personal library records with or without cause (Kranich 11).  It is clear that the federal government requires the civil law enforcement to watch over the country and protect its citizens from imminent threats.

Works Cited

Kranich, Nancy. “The Impact of the USA Patriot Act on Free Expression.” The Free Expression Policy Project. 5 May 2003. Web. 28 May 2010. <http://www.fepproject.org/commentaries/patriotact.html>.

O’Connor, T. “Civil Law and Terrorism.” Civil Law and Terrorism. 18 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 May 2010. <http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/3030/3030lect03a.htm>.