Robert Lawler EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over the last decade, police departments across the United States have come under escalating pressure from the public, the media, civil rights organizations, and politicians to increase the accountability of their officers and departmental transparency, particularly regarding the use of force. In response to this pressure, many of the nation’s law…
CHDS Theses: Executive Summaries
Measuring Performance within Anti-Gang Task Forces in Texas
Laura Jamison EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Texas Anti-Gang Task Forces (TAGs) were initiated by the state of Texas in 2013 to combine law enforcement efforts to counter criminal activities posed by violent gangs. The relationship between violent gangs and Mexican drug cartels is a significant problem in Texas, so and the mere existence of the six TAG…
Overstays: The Lesser-Known Illegal Immigration Issue
Brian Heslin EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The goal of this thesis is to bring light to the lesser-reported type of “illegal immigrant” in the United States—individuals who overstay their visas’ allowed length of admission—and develop a policy to appropriately deal with this issue. By definition, illegal immigrant is applied to an individual who violates a countries laws.[1] …
Homeland Security from a Tribal Context
Lisa Figueroa EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A gap exists between the federal government and the 567 tribal nations in the United States, which hampers tribal inclusion in homeland security efforts. American Indian and Alaskan Native lands comprise 100 million acres of territory within the United States, including 250 miles of borderlands—potentially a formidable rift in the nation’s…
Untitled
Ronald Dorman EXECUTIVE SUMMARY …Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost[1] One of the most enduring criticisms leveled at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the years has been the performance of its leaders. DHS has responded to those criticisms by initiating or expanding programs intended to improve leadership at all levels by focusing…
Maritime Homeland Security and the Role of Area Maritime Security Committees
Ben Crowell EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Throughout the history of the United States, the country has been highly dependent upon the safe and secure transportation of goods and services on the world’s oceans. As the shipping industry and the sophistication of national and international laws have developed, the complexity and challenges of maritime security have grown. Traditionally,…
911 and The Area Code From Which You Call: How To Improve The Disparity In California’s Emergency Medical Services.
Jeffrey Covitz EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There are 33 separate local emergency medical services (EMS) authority agencies serving the 58 counties in California.1 A local EMS authority (LEMSA) in California governs either EMS providers in a single county or several counties combined. Each LEMSA dictates widely different treatment and transport protocols for its paramedics.2 The medical director for…
Career Paramedic-Firefighter Staffing Problems: Is Recruiting Women Part of the Solution?
Juan Byron EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This case study analyzes the shortage of applicants for career paramedic-firefighter positions and its relationship to the paucity of female firefighters. The research explores causes of the shortage, examines four case fire departments, and suggests how fire departments and communities can address these staffing challenges by including women and girls in…
Applying the THIRA to Special Events: A Framework for Capabilities-Based Planning Adoption in Local Governments
Daniel Bradley EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Local officials planning for disasters at the local level must make risk-informed judgments about what capability is needed to defend against known threats and hazards while remaining adaptable to address the unforeseen. However, risk assessment tools are imperfect and sometimes not available to local governments. Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8) and…
Safe Seas: Protecting America’s Ferries against Criminal Mass-Casualty Incidents
Steven Blindbury EXECUTIVE SUMMARY America has entered the era of the active-shooter phenomenon, and empirical evidence supports a rising national trend that creates a risk for all mass-gathering public venues. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined…