Daisy Garza EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Family reunification has long been a central goal of U.S. immigration policy. While other comparable countries, such as Canada, prefer to admit individuals based on their skills, the United States accepts more individuals due to family ties than any other immigrant visa category. Family-based immigration does not screen potential immigrants for…
CHDS Theses: Executive Summaries
Stopping the Next Attack: How to Gain Intelligence from Suspects Detained Overseas
James Fitzgerald EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In broad terms, the United States faces two choices that often compete with each other when a terrorist is captured overseas: bring the person back to the United States immediately to face trial—with all of the procedural and legal protections that go along with such a trial—or hold the person in…
Misinformation Contagion: A View through an Epidemiological Lens
Scott Fenton EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The problem of misinformation in modern society has reached epidemic proportions, with intentional disinformation campaigns and their misinformation fallout becoming a weaponized war of words across the globe. In general, the intent of those behind these assaults is to destabilize democratic states by spreading doubt, fueling discontent, and interfering with fact-based…
Filtering A New Solution to Federal Emergency Management Through Nanotechnology
Patrick lISTON EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Every year the federal government must coordinate hurricane recovery and relief efforts, such as providing shelter, food, and water, to address basic human needs following a natural disaster. An essential resource for human survival is water, and when a hurricane strikes, basic utilities may be destroyed, leaving individuals without water for…
The Missing Link: How Do Gaps in Mental Health Care Contribute to the Active Shooter Epidemic?
Kimberly Buffkin EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This thesis examines some of the challenges facing the U.S. mental health system. Through a case study of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, a counterfactual analysis is performed to discover how the outcome could have been different in a system in which…
Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Jason Knight EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The January 2015 crash of a small quadcopter, also referred to as a drone, on the White House grounds not only prompted a lockdown but left many questioning the risks drones pose to public safety. Although an apparent accident due to careless operation, the incident highlights the vulnerabilities of even the…
Integrating the Fire Service into the Domestic Intelligence Enterprise: A Systems Thinking Approach
Kyle Falkner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The fire service in the United States largely remains an outsider to the U.S. domestic intelligence enterprise. Despite strong support for fire service integration into the domestic intelligence enterprise and numerous attempts to understand the problem, progress has been sporadic at best. Over the past two decades, the recurring theme within…
Unsuspected: The U.S. Military’s Unintended Contribution to Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
Nicholas King EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Many active-duty U.S. military members and veterans (MIL/VETs) are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs), which have documented histories of violence and criminal activity. While MIL/VETs adopt the protocols of OMG culture in the pursuit of a positive social identity, unfortunately, many have arrests for their participation in OMG-related criminal activity.…
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Brian JensEn EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As a result of the post-9/11 focus on homeland security, the security of our waterways has become far more important. This means that public safety agencies need access to maritime vessels to conduct homeland security tasks. In the past, agencies adapted recreational or fishing vessels to conduct these tasks. Now, the…
Assessing the Potential Value of Autonomous Vehicles in Emergency Medical Services Using the Knowledge Value Added Methodology
Joseph Hillhouse EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Emergency service leaders have been facing staffing shortages as emergency medical technicians and paramedics migrate to higher-paying, less-hazardous jobs in the medical field or emergency management environment. These staffing shortages have been compounded by a continually increasing service demand. This thesis evaluated whether system automation could assist in augmenting staffing needs.…